Wideband frangible monopole for radio monitoring

In preparation for an urban environment radio localization demonstration using a Direction of Arrival system carried by a Zeppelin NT airship, some initial flights to check the reference transmitter broadcast power at altitude were conducted. A small handheld monopole antenna was required for 1.8 to 2.2GHz which could safely be used in the cabin of the Zeppelin NT airship in flight. The soft metal - no sharps monopole antenna had 29% bandwidth and was successfully used for 2 flights.