A wideband antenna (10) includes a plurality of conductive strands (12) randomly interconnected and further coupled to a feedpoint (19) and a sheath (52) structurally retaining the plurality of conductive strands. The sheath can be a thin dielectric coating and the plurality of conductive strands can each be taller than one-quarter wavelength. The wideband antenna can have low dielectric losses while maintaining a multi-octave bandwidth. Air can be used as a dielectric between the plurality of conductive strands.