Rubber Duck Replacement?

[thomast77]

Do they really work better than the stock Rubber Duck. Is there really that much of a difference between the 2? Is so which one works best the Super Gainer or the Austin Condor? I am thinking about getting one of these if they really make a difference? I mainly Monitor VHF/UHF but there are a few 800mhz trunked systems one county over from me (about 20-30 miles). It will be used on a bc95xlt or a bcd396xt.
Thank You very much in advance for your input

Edited to say: I forgot to mention other in the poll. If there are others out there that you prefer please share. Thanks

 

[wolfpac2499]

I have been using a Super Gainer (W-881) for a while now and it works real well. Its a good durable antenna and an noticeably better antenna than just a standard "rubber duck" style. I would say my range increased by a good 5-10 miles and it cleaned up a good amount of noise on close in stuff too. The one drawback is its a bit long so when I throw my portable in my backpack for travel I have to disconnect the antenna... Not a huge thing but its something to consider if you travel a bunch.

 

[SCPD]

Check out smileyantenna.com -- for the price, they are good performers -- relative to a rubber duck anyway.

 

[W8RMH]

I have been using this antenna for over 15 years. I have moved from scanner to scanner to scanner. It receives great on VHF, UHF, and 800 and is really compact.

Comet SB14 Amateur HT Antenna

 

[W2NJS]

The only decent antenna for a portable, be it a scanner or an HT, is a quarter-wave antenna. For UHF that means it should be about five to six inches long. For VHF somewhere between 17 and 19 inches long. All rubber antennas are usually a compromise of one kind or another, which means that their performance is going to be less than ideal. The SB14 mentioned above works okay in strong signal areas only, so if you're any distance from the transmitter(s) don't waste your money. If you dig around in the radio catalogs, such as from Tessco, you can find lowband (30-50 mHz) rubber antennas but those usually are about 15 to 20 inches long which makes them a real pain to carry around on top of a radio. Generally, rubber duck antennas are okay when operated in strong signal areas but when signals get weak in the fringe areas you'll find them marginal if not actually useless.

 

[knightsquad]

W2NJS,

I recently purchased the Diamond RH77CA

Watchya think about that one? A little long at 15 or
so inches but I don't walk around with it.

Pete