Best Dual Band NMO Antenna

[W3AWF]

I am looking for a new antenna for my 2M/70CM radio in my truck. I had a Larsen NMO2/70B for MANY years "It was a gift from my parents the year I got my driver's license and was on every vehicle from the time I was 16". I then replaced it with a Comet which I will NEVER purchase again as it corroded itself from the inside out at every joint in the antenna which also fried my FTM-400.

I was leaning towards another Larsen NMO2/70B 2m/70cm but recently I have seen many instances of where they have either failed after a very short time or have been faulty out of the box.

Does anyone have any suggestions on a good antenna?

 

[n5ims]

I have 3 of the NMO 2/70s and they work great, but they're the older models and are still in use without issues. Most of the failures I've heard on them have been caused by folks getting the NMO-HF version and using the old NMO mount or failing to remove the tab on the NMO-HF mount. If your antenna has the pin mount, you need the NMO-HF mount and remove the tab so the pin can fit properly into the pin slot on the mount. If you try to use it on the mount made for the tab mount, this can cause issues.

 

[mmckenna]

If you are not in a hurry, I'd suggest waiting a week or two and see the document that @prcguy is going to share. He's been doing some pretty good testing of various multi band antennas. It might give you some info that will be useful.

Larsen has always been my go-to antenna for personal and work use. All the Larsen antennas I've owned have lasted decades without issues. Some have reported that recently there have been some issues, but that's with some of the newer designs. Not sure how it impacts the older antennas, like the NMO-2/70.

 

[tunnelmot]

Another vote for the Larsen NMO 2/70B.

 

[cavmedic]

I’ll also vote for the 2/70b. I will add that I’ve had many years on comet b10’s where it’s been roof mounted ( for overhead clearance ) and have no issues there as well, but other results may vary based on terrain and other factors.

******Edited to include that you are a whacker, and I’ll give you 10 minutes to figure out who this is *****.

 

[OpSec]

Larsen 2/70B or the new Larsen tri-band if you need 700/800 MHz for some reason. Larsen has been my go-to for decades until the all-band radios came out, but now that Larsen has the nice all-band antenna I have gone back to them for just about all my needs.

 

[prcguy]

The old version Larsen Tri-Band works slightly better at 850MHz where the new version works better at 750MHz.

Larsen 2/70B or the new Larsen tri-band if you need 700/800 MHz for some reason. Larsen has been my go-to for decades until the all-band radios came out, but now that Larsen has the nice all-band antenna I have gone back to them for just about all my needs.

 

[jwt873]

I had a 2/70 that failed. The brass tab in the base that makes contact with the mount broke. I guess 20+ years of flexing back and forth took its toll.

I replaced it with another 2/70

 

[riverradio68]

Motorola has a pretty good multiband antenna targeted for APX mobile users. Its costly. Wilson/TRAM makes a knock off of the same and its total trash.

 

[ems55]

If you are not in a hurry, I'd suggest waiting a week or two and see the document that @prcguy is going to share. He's been doing some pretty good testing of various multi band antennas. It might give you some info that will be useful.

Larsen has always been my go-to antenna for personal and work use. All the Larsen antennas I've owned have lasted decades without issues. Some have reported that recently there have been some issues, but that's with some of the newer designs. Not sure how it impacts the older antennas, like the NMO-2/70.

I agree with MMckenna !! I have several 25 +/- year old Larsens that I just moved from car to car. They just work !!!

 

[prcguy]

Motorola was providing Laird multiband antennas at one point and one is included in this antenna shootout, where it didn't do very well against a Larsen NMO2/70. Antenna range testing between multiband mobile antennas

Motorola has a pretty good multiband antenna targeted for APX mobile users. Its costly. Wilson/TRAM makes a knock off of the same and its total trash.

 

[riverradio68]

Motorola was providing Laird multiband antennas at one point and one is included in this antenna shootout, where it didn't do very well against a Larsen NMO2/70. Antenna range testing between multiband mobile antennas

Interesting, been seeing them on Texas Game Warden trucks.

 

[mmckenna]

Interesting, been seeing them on Texas Game Warden trucks.

Usually because they get sold as part of the radio package. Our county had a bunch of the Laird/Motorola multibands and they've mostly failed. The base is not flexible and all it takes is one good tree branch to take it off.

 

[AI7PM]

Comtelco A1531B has served me well. I keep a Larsen 2/70 in both vehicles in case I ever need a backup or a bit of gain.

 

[ladn]

Another +1 for the Larsen NMO 2/70. I prefer the older version (if you can find it) with the closed coil on the whip. The open pigtail coil on the newer version is a branch catcher. I've also had a PCTEL or MAXRAD dual band antenna. The performance was equivalent to the Larsen, but the base coil wasn't as well constructed and tended to separate from the NMO mounting threads.

Around town, I generally use a 19" VHF whip for both VHF and UHF. The performance is adequate and it's far more flexible inside low-ceiling parking garages.

 

[n5ims]

Another +1 for the Larsen NMO 2/70. I prefer the older version (if you can find it) with the closed coil on the whip. The open pigtail coil on the newer version is a branch catcher. I've also had a PCTEL or MAXRAD dual band antenna. The performance was equivalent to the Larsen, but the base coil wasn't as well constructed and tended to separate from the NMO mounting threads.

Around town, I generally use a 19" VHF whip for both VHF and UHF. The performance is adequate and it's far more flexible inside low-ceiling parking garages.

Just remember that there are (or perhaps were) two versions of the closed coil version, ham and commercial. The difference is where they're tuned for. It was hard to tell which is which (I think that the part number was the only difference since both were NMO 2/70C). If you had both side by side, the commercial was just a bit shorter than the ham version.

 

[cbehr91]

I have only ever a closed coil on the commercial version. I haven't seen the closed coil amateur version sold in a few years, but the commercial version is still available. Larsen NMO150450C

 

[ladn]

I have only ever a closed coil on the commercial version. I haven't seen the closed coil amateur version sold in a few years, but the commercial version is still available. Larsen NMO150450C

I bought my newest NMO 2/70 in May, 2018. I couldn't find the complete assembly (base coil and rod with closed coil) at my local HRO, but they had both pieces as separate replacement parts and were kind enough to give me the same price as the complete assembly. (Another advantage of shopping at a local brick and mortar store).