Please brows the following old thread which was started in 2014. It is a long thread, difficult to read, but to summarize, most of the posters followed a path more or less like this:
Started with: mag mount whip in window or attic - Range 50 nm
Next step: Built a CoCo - Range doubled to 100nm
Next step: Built 1/4 wavelength ground plane (Spider) - Range increased to 150 nm
Next step: Purchased commercial antenna - Range increased to 250 nm
Built my first antenna and doubled my coverage
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