Does anyone have a good substitute for a magnum dynalab st-2 ? the current price for one is $129tis
so far I found this
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000K4YOQC/ref=psdc_10981691_t1_B06XYYGQCT
pretty much looking for a tall whip antenna
That antenna is just a basic quarter wave length antenna.
It needs to have some type of ground plane to work correctly. This is somewhat supplied by the vehicle that it is mounted on. If it is just mounted on a mast, the feed line will become part of the antenna and the antenna's performance will not be well defined. If you get lucky the combination of the antenna and feed line
may meet your needs.
The ST-2 antenna is an end fed half wave antenna with the needed matching network in its base. This allows the feed line to be fairly well decoupled from the antenna, resulting in more predictable performance.
In theory, if both antennas are perfectly installed the ST-2 will have some gain (be more sensitive) compared to the antenna that referenced.
The Metz antenna is basically the same type of antenna as the ST-2 (an end fed half wave antenna) and should have similar performance.
I have no affiliation.
pretty much looking for a tall whip antenna
How tall is tall?
The next step in length would be a 5/8 wave length antenna. If tuned for about the center of the FM broadcast band, it would be about 6 feet long. A 5/8 wavelength antenna needs a matching network in its base and ground plane radials to work correctly as shown in the picture below.
Below is an example of a 5/8 wave FM broadcast band antenna.
This antenna will likely be the best performing of all of the above antennas, but it is also not the cheapest, and it is somewhat more conspicuous, but it is not just a whip antenna.
This is the above antenna.