How an Idea Became Our Foundation
Every great product starts with an idea. Ours started in a garage.
While quietly building EFHW antennas, AA5RX asked a simple question: What if an antenna wire could be stored on a reel, adjusted while operating, and quickly reeled back in when the activation was over?
That single idea became the foundation of REEL POTA-able Antennas.
What began as a concept soon turned into years of research, development, and real-world testing. Through countless prototypes, refinements, and lessons learned, we continued improving the design until it evolved into the antennas we proudly build today.
Over the past 3½ years, we’ve introduced three generations of portable EFHW antennas, each one improving on the last. Today, we’re proud to serve the amateur radio community throughout the United States and in more than 20 countries around the world.
What started as one ham’s idea has grown into a company dedicated to making portable operating faster, easier, and more enjoyable for operators everywhere.
Our First Version V1
This is where it all began.
Our original V1 antenna was built using an off-the-shelf chalk line reel with a custom enclosure mounted to the back to house the toroid and antenna connector. It was a simple, practical design that proved the concept worked.
While we’ve come a long way since then, we’re proud to say there are still thousands of these original antennas in use by amateur radio operators around the world.
Then Came V2
As demand grew, so did the challenges of relying on off-the-shelf components. Rather than depending on parts we couldn’t always control, we made the decision to design and manufacture our own.
That decision marked the beginning of our 3D printing journey and allowed us to completely redesign the antenna from the ground up. We strengthened the connection system, improved the overall durability, and created a platform that allowed for real customization.
For the first time, operators could choose the colors and options that best fit their own style and operating needs. V2 wasn’t just an update—it was the beginning of building antennas entirely our way.
And Now We Have V3
V3 represents everything we’ve learned since that first prototype in the garage.
Completely redesigned from the ground up, the V3 is smaller, more compact, and significantly lighter while maintaining the durability and performance our customers expect.
One of the biggest milestones with V3 was expanding our commitment to American manufacturing. We spent months searching for and testing components until we found the right suppliers that met our standards for quality, reliability, and performance.
And while nearly everything else has evolved, one thing hasn’t changed. Every REEL POTA-able Antenna still features our signature adjustable resonance capability, allowing operators to fine-tune their antenna by simply turning the reel.
We’ve come a long way from that original idea—and we’re just getting started.
Built by Hams, for Hams
As amateur radio operators, AA5RX and N5BSB understand the challenges of portable operation because they experience them firsthand.
Their time operating in the field has helped shape every REEL POTA-able Antenna and the products developed around it. Each design is created with real operators in mind, focusing on portability, reliability, ease of use, and practical performance.
We don’t just build products for the amateur radio community—we’re proud to be part of it.
Proudly Made in the USA
We believe quality starts with the materials we choose and the care we put into every antenna. That’s why we’re committed to manufacturing our products in the USA and sourcing components that meet our standards for performance and reliability.