Knockoff or real PMAE4016 antenna?

[ElevatorsAndRadios]

Hello! I recently obtained this antenna and I don't know if it's legit or fake. The logo and connector base appears to be legit, but the "E" on the side of the antenna raises suspicions for it is not the small, engraved "E" I am used to seeing. Also, there is some plastic fringe on the side of the antenna that you'd think would have been removed during the manufacturing process, but it remains. Let me know your thoughts ^-^



For comparison, here's the "E" that is on most of the newer CP200d-era antennas I have seen:

 

[K2NEC]

I'm no expert but it looks legit to me

 

[ElevatorsAndRadios]

I'm no expert but it looks legit to me

Thanks for responding! I am guessing it's an older version of the antenna... perhaps a transition era relic from when the NAE6483 was becoming the PMAE4016?

 

[K2NEC]

I have a new, still in packaging, PMAE4016 with a date code of 5/20/17 and it has the little "E". I wonder what it signifies

 

[ElevatorsAndRadios]

Same here... perhaps it’s the same “e” as the XPR7550[e] or XPR[insert any model number here]e...

either way, I’m curious why that one antenna has a different E. The only way to really find out if it’s a knockoff is to dissect it and therefore destroy it, but I don’t want to do that in case it is, in fact, real.

 

[KG4INW]

What was the source? Motorola occasionally changes suppliers or the suppliers occasionally change manufacturing methods. I've seen hundreds (if not thousands by now!) of these antennas straight from Motorola and there are slight variations from time to time. I don't recall what the E stands for but I really feel I saw it somewhere. I'll dig through documents sometime.

 

[N4KVE]

If you bought it from a Motorola dealer, it’s real. If you bought it from Linda Wang, it’s phony.

 

[FFPM571]

Just looking at the font of the MOTOROLA its Legit.. the knockoffs use a smaller motorola and the logo looks odd

 

[ElevatorsAndRadios]

What was the source? Motorola occasionally changes suppliers or the suppliers occasionally change manufacturing methods. I've seen hundreds (if not thousands by now!) of these antennas straight from Motorola and there are slight variations from time to time. I don't recall what the E stands for but I really feel I saw it somewhere. I'll dig through documents sometime.

If you bought it from a Motorola dealer, it’s real. If you bought it from Linda Wang, it’s phony.

Bought from an eBayer who wasn’t Linda Wang... they claimed they are OEM but I got a couple in the batch that I am almost certain aren’t. A lot of them (most) appear to be legit though. To the untrained eye, it’s pretty tough to tell a knockoff from a real antenna. The knockoff manufacturers are really good at cloning and look almost identical to the real deal. From my testing (mainly qualitative), the knockoffs seem to be on par with the OEM as far as performance goes. The issue I see with them is that they aren’t built as well.

 

[ElevatorsAndRadios]

Just looking at the font of the MOTOROLA its Legit.. the knockoffs use a smaller motorola and the logo looks odd

Thanks for your input ^-^

 

[wbw]

If you bought it from a Motorola dealer, it’s real. If you bought it from Linda Wang, it’s phony.

Wouldn't you know it. My four 8505518V01 VHF antennas arrived from Linda Wang today. The ad claimed they were OEM Motorola. I should have known better. How bad is the quality? Anyone cut one up to see how they are made? Should I send them back?

 

[GTR8000]

they claimed they are OEM but I got a couple in the batch that I am almost certain aren’t.

That right there should be a huge red flag, and would cause me not to trust that any of them are OEM, no matter what they look like. Who exactly did you purchase them from? Frankly, if you didn't buy them from a reputable Motorola dealer, then you're taking a chance. Wiscomm sells those antennas for $9.95 each, which is about as cheap as you're going to find for the genuine article. Even the knockoffs on eBay aren't cheap enough compared to that to make it worth not buying from a legit source.

 

[chrismol1]

I used to deal with knockoff antennas in the early part of the decade. Back then they were okay but didnt feel like the real ones, the lettering was off, the logo off. Today, they are almost identical. Theres a little detail I noticed tho, I find the knockoffs just cannot replicate the antenna caps, they're always not machined completely identical as well they just arent finished completely with the burrs and stuff. The knockoffs are getting pretty bold too. They're coming in with stickers wrapped around them with the real part numbers, likely to cover the motorola logo, like how every motorola logo on a new housing has a black sticker on it for copyright. Theres a gazillion radio electronics small companies in china with injection molds making anything you want

The real Moto antennas Ive received came with a bunch of crap electronic waste papers in a sealed plastic bag. the knockoffs werent sealed on the end, thin plastic bags and no papers or with a fake moto part number sticker around the base

Last year I ordered a few vhf yellow from a real dealer. I thought they were fake at first but they came in the typical labeled moto bag with the tiny e-waste paper card. This is exactly how the knockoffs used to do the logos a few years ago but this one is the real deal, its machined incredibly well and the top cap is perfect

 

[ElevatorsAndRadios]

That right there should be a huge red flag, and would cause me not to trust that any of them are OEM, no matter what they look like. Who exactly did you purchase them from? Frankly, if you didn't buy them from a reputable Motorola dealer, then you're taking a chance. Wiscomm sells those antennas for $9.95 each, which is about as cheap as you're going to find for the genuine article. Even the knockoffs on eBay aren't cheap enough compared to that to make it worth not buying from a legit source.

I tried to send you a PM but couldn't. I'll be happy to say over PM.