A short, efficient antenna utilizing a floating coax transmission line over ground or overlapping wire feed structure for reduced antenna size for use in handheld radios. An asymmetric transmission line radiator having a length (LTL) is oriented substantially planar to and proximal to a truncated ground plane, and having at one end an input/output connector, and at an other end a feed point at least one of above a ground plane and proximal to its edge. An exciter antenna in a form of a plate or bent wire is coupled to the feed point and is exterior to the edge of the ground plane and oriented substantially orthogonal to the ground plane, the exciter antenna having a larger dimension length (LEA) that is at least 50% smaller than the length LTL. The overall length of a perimeter of the antenna is approximately ½ a wavelength of a center frequency of the antenna.