OK–this is a total hack, but it works fine as a temporary antenna.
I was reading the Hirose spec for the u.fl antenna connector and the center pin on the board connector is spec’ed to be 0.5mm. Hmmmm, what else do I have that is made of metal and has a 0.5mm hole? A Pentelpencil, that’s what! Quick unscrew the tip and stick it gently over the center pin of the connector.
Behold the “Pentenna” for Spark:
Tinker is up and running on this core a short distance from the router.