What is a disadvantage of a handheld radio transceiver’s short flexible antenna compared to a full-sized quarter-wave antenna?
It has low efficiency✓Correct answer
It transmits only circularly polarized signals
It is more susceptible to receiver desensitization
It only works on analog signals, not digital ones
Explanation
The short helical antenna on a handheld is much shorter than a quarter wavelength, so it presents a low radiation resistance and loses a large part of the applied power as heat in the loading rather than radiating it. That low efficiency is why a full-size quarter-wave antenna performs noticeably better.