Chickenhawk56
Member
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2016
- Messages
- 31
I am getting tired of wasting my money on highly-rated handheld antennas that everyone says are great but end up with SWR readings through the roof.
Does no one actually TEST their antennas or do they just accept everyone else's product reviews at face value? Do they just watch youtube videos that compare receive capability without realizing a straightened coat hanger could almost receive just as good, and ignore the ability to transmit?
I sometime wonder if I am better off NOT knowing, and just packing up my digital SWR meter.
When I first got it, I knew it was not going to be 100% accurate but would at least be useful to test antennas back-to-back on the same radio and in the same conditions. I tested all the antennas I bought or came with various handheld radios, on the 70cm band and commercial UHF frequencies. I made sure to hold the radio and attached meter vertically and hold it the same way every time.
Just to prove that the meter (Surecom SW-102) would at least be useful for comparing antennas, my Diamond SRJ77CA antenna had the lowest readings of 1.02 to 1.03. My Tram 1185 mobile antenna had a SWR on 70cm of 2.0 and an amazing 1.00 on commercial UHF. The smaller Nagoya UT-108UV had opposite readings: 1.7 on 70cm and 2.0 on commercial UHF. All three readings were perfectly acceptable for a handheld, and about what I expected.
The two shocking results were the Wouxun ANO-001 and the Nagoya NA-701C. SWR readings were through the roof! The Wouxun has had good reviews, but on commercial UHF, it was 9.6 and on 70cm band, SWR was an shocking 14.3.
No big deal, I thought. It is probably better than many factory stubby antennas on cheap amateur radios. I will just read some reviews and get the best-rated equivalent - the Nagoya NA-701C.
Nope. SWR readings were almost as high: 7.9 on the 70cm band, and 8.1 on the commercial UHF band. (Where the 701C is designed to be optimum.)
So, did I just spend on this money on 3 antennas, customs, taxes and shipping ... just to get three fakes? No, I bought the Nagoya antennas from the biggest, reputable dealer on Amazon, and they passed all the tests illustrating they were "genuine" Nagoya.
I am now confronted by one of the following choices:
- Maybe ALL Nagoya NA-701 antennas are fake.
- Maybe all genuine Nagoya NA-701 antennas are garbage, and no one ever bothers to test transmit ability or SWR.
- Maybe everyone who tested SWR on Nagoya antennas was given a 'special" 701 antenna for review purposes, and none of the reviews that include SWR numbers are credible.
Quite frankly, I am getting tired of buying antennas that are well reviewed but turn in SWR numbers so high, my 5-watt handheld is now transmitting about 2-watts. (Plus, causing potential damage to the radio?)
The Diamond SRJ77Ca is an outstanding performer, but it is just too long for everyday use.
So how do I find a GOOD 8" handheld antenna that I know will provide good SWR results that I can find BEFORE I spend all my money. I understand that one shouldn't rely just on SWR readings, but when you get above 8 or 10, that is just stupid high.
I tried two more tests to ensure the validity of the comparison, if not the accuracy of the actual numbers. I threw on a little cheap Retevis RHD-701 8" antenna that came with my Retevis RT5, and yes, it was decent: 2.5 SWR on 70cm and 2.0 on commercial UHF. Not bad.
I then tested all the antennas at various ranges in an urban area, recording the results on an audio recorder. The transmit results pretty much duplicated what was predicted by the SWR readings: The long Diamond handheld was easily the best, and surprised me with how many blocks I could travel and how many trees and building I could get between the two radios and still get readable results. The Wouxun and Nagoya handheld antennas didn't do too bad until they got to the fringes, where they were broken and barely readable while the longer Diamond was still clear. The Retevis RHD-701 was not as clear as the Diamond but certainly noticeably better than the Wouxun or Nagoya.
So, before I toss these Wouxun and Nagoya NA-701 antennas in the trash, I have to ask: does no one make a DECENT handheld antenna suitable for everyday use that is about 8" tall?
Or should I just throw away my SWR meter and not worry about these stupid high results?
Does no one actually TEST their antennas or do they just accept everyone else's product reviews at face value? Do they just watch youtube videos that compare receive capability without realizing a straightened coat hanger could almost receive just as good, and ignore the ability to transmit?
I sometime wonder if I am better off NOT knowing, and just packing up my digital SWR meter.
When I first got it, I knew it was not going to be 100% accurate but would at least be useful to test antennas back-to-back on the same radio and in the same conditions. I tested all the antennas I bought or came with various handheld radios, on the 70cm band and commercial UHF frequencies. I made sure to hold the radio and attached meter vertically and hold it the same way every time.
Just to prove that the meter (Surecom SW-102) would at least be useful for comparing antennas, my Diamond SRJ77CA antenna had the lowest readings of 1.02 to 1.03. My Tram 1185 mobile antenna had a SWR on 70cm of 2.0 and an amazing 1.00 on commercial UHF. The smaller Nagoya UT-108UV had opposite readings: 1.7 on 70cm and 2.0 on commercial UHF. All three readings were perfectly acceptable for a handheld, and about what I expected.
The two shocking results were the Wouxun ANO-001 and the Nagoya NA-701C. SWR readings were through the roof! The Wouxun has had good reviews, but on commercial UHF, it was 9.6 and on 70cm band, SWR was an shocking 14.3.
No big deal, I thought. It is probably better than many factory stubby antennas on cheap amateur radios. I will just read some reviews and get the best-rated equivalent - the Nagoya NA-701C.
Nope. SWR readings were almost as high: 7.9 on the 70cm band, and 8.1 on the commercial UHF band. (Where the 701C is designed to be optimum.)
So, did I just spend on this money on 3 antennas, customs, taxes and shipping ... just to get three fakes? No, I bought the Nagoya antennas from the biggest, reputable dealer on Amazon, and they passed all the tests illustrating they were "genuine" Nagoya.
I am now confronted by one of the following choices:
- Maybe ALL Nagoya NA-701 antennas are fake.
- Maybe all genuine Nagoya NA-701 antennas are garbage, and no one ever bothers to test transmit ability or SWR.
- Maybe everyone who tested SWR on Nagoya antennas was given a 'special" 701 antenna for review purposes, and none of the reviews that include SWR numbers are credible.
Quite frankly, I am getting tired of buying antennas that are well reviewed but turn in SWR numbers so high, my 5-watt handheld is now transmitting about 2-watts. (Plus, causing potential damage to the radio?)
The Diamond SRJ77Ca is an outstanding performer, but it is just too long for everyday use.
So how do I find a GOOD 8" handheld antenna that I know will provide good SWR results that I can find BEFORE I spend all my money. I understand that one shouldn't rely just on SWR readings, but when you get above 8 or 10, that is just stupid high.
I tried two more tests to ensure the validity of the comparison, if not the accuracy of the actual numbers. I threw on a little cheap Retevis RHD-701 8" antenna that came with my Retevis RT5, and yes, it was decent: 2.5 SWR on 70cm and 2.0 on commercial UHF. Not bad.
I then tested all the antennas at various ranges in an urban area, recording the results on an audio recorder. The transmit results pretty much duplicated what was predicted by the SWR readings: The long Diamond handheld was easily the best, and surprised me with how many blocks I could travel and how many trees and building I could get between the two radios and still get readable results. The Wouxun and Nagoya handheld antennas didn't do too bad until they got to the fringes, where they were broken and barely readable while the longer Diamond was still clear. The Retevis RHD-701 was not as clear as the Diamond but certainly noticeably better than the Wouxun or Nagoya.
So, before I toss these Wouxun and Nagoya NA-701 antennas in the trash, I have to ask: does no one make a DECENT handheld antenna suitable for everyday use that is about 8" tall?
Or should I just throw away my SWR meter and not worry about these stupid high results?
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