# Why do/did cell phones have those curly little antennas? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 2, 1999, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-did-cell-phones-have-those-curly-little-antennas/5059 "1999-12-02T01:22:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 1999, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-did-cell-phones-have-those-curly-little-antennas/5059/1 "1999-12-02T01:22:00Z")
Straight wasn’t good enough, somehow??? ---
**Author:** ![ConMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6f9a4e/32.png) [@ConMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ConMan)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 1999, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-did-cell-phones-have-those-curly-little-antennas/5059/2 "1999-12-02T02:59:00Z")
My guess is instead of making it longer and more apt to break, they made it curly (Nyuck, nyuck, nyuck) to give it more antenna and also greater range/better reception. Again, just a guess. * * * “Quoth the Raven, ‘Nevermore.’” E A Poe ---
**Author:** ![Homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 1999, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-did-cell-phones-have-those-curly-little-antennas/5059/3 "1999-12-02T03:00:00Z")
Either that or the people who use them while driving are pigs. –Tim * * * We are the children of the Eighties. We are not the first “lost generation” nor today’s lost generation; in fact, we think we know just where we stand - or are discovering it as we speak. ---
**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 1999, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-did-cell-phones-have-those-curly-little-antennas/5059/4 "1999-12-02T04:46:00Z")
Do you mean the short coiled part of a cell phone antenna that’s mounted to a car? The coiled part of the antenna forms an inductor, which becomes part of a tuned circuit (tuned to the cell phone frequency band). It’s sort of like making an electromagnet out of a coil of wire- the coiled shape increases the magnetic field. Coils with specific geometries have specific electrical properties useful in the cell phone transmitter and receiver circuitry. An inductor used in this manner is often called a loading coil. I’ve never seen a hand-held cell phone antenna with a visible coil- I guess it’s inside the phone itself. Arjuna34 ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 1999, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-did-cell-phones-have-those-curly-little-antennas/5059/5 "1999-12-02T13:52:00Z")
Curly looks cooler. The curly part of those antennas would distort in the wind as temperature changed ect. This would change the inductance and make any tuning done by the antenna wrong. ---
**Author:** ![The\_LION](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e7dd6/32.png) [@The\_LION](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_LION)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 1999, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-did-cell-phones-have-those-curly-little-antennas/5059/6 "1999-12-02T14:10:00Z")
If your are talking about the little coil about 1/4 the way up the antenna. Most cell phones antennas are a co-linear design to increase the GAIN of the antenna. Most cell phones are low powered and need all the help they can get. The coil matches the phase of two smaller antennas. Common designs use a 5/8 wave over 1/4 or 1/2 wave setup to get a gain of 4.5+ decibels over a simple dipole antenna Peace t lion * * * * * * " I Wonder What Happens When I push THIS Button? " * * * ---
**Author:** ![dansir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@dansir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dansir)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 1999, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-did-cell-phones-have-those-curly-little-antennas/5059/7 "1999-12-02T14:21:00Z")
Howdy all, Dont know if this has anything to do with curly attennas but I watched 60 minutes and people or sueing because they blame the radioactive waves for tumors located on the brain…dont know…