I love a portable antenna that packs small and goes up fast, so the new Elecraft AX4 got my attention. It is the bigger sibling to their AX-series whips: a telescoping whip that stretches to 8 feet 2 inches and collapses to about 13 inches, which Elecraft says gives roughly 6 dB over the 4-foot whips. Four band-jumper settings cover 40, 30, 20 and 15 meters, and the 15 meter setting also reaches 17, 12 and 10.
The part I like for park activations is the power rating: 100 watts on CW and SSB, 50 watts on data, AM and FM. It ships with four 13-foot radials, and there is a matching BL3 balun and a table clamp. You will want a wide-range tuner. Elecraft lists it as backordered with a waitlist, so it is one to watch.
Visit them: Elecraft AX4 product page and the AX4 specifications (PDF)
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