Collecting recommendations for antenna for FTM-500DR

[KK7OTX]

Greetings all, this is my first post on the forum.

new to ham radio. Currently using a handheld, yaesu ft-70R. Phoenix, AZ seems to have a fair number of fusion/wires-x repeaters so I’ve been learning about those.

thinking of upgrading to more power so I’m looking at the FTM-500DR (the difference in price between the 500dr and the 300dr is ok for me). I’ll probably use it as a base station and not mount it to the truck. Initial research has me considering the diamond x50-a antenna. I’m in an HOA controlled neighborhood, so I can’t get to crazy with antenna height.

any thoughts or recommendations on antennas from those with lots more knowledge and experience than me would be very much appreciated.

George

 

[AK9R]

diamond x50-a

I have one. Used it for years. Good antenna. With any VHF/UHF antenna, the higher the better. See if you can get the base of the antenna at least 10 feet or so off the ground. Don't scrimp on the coax. Times Microwave LMR400, or equivalent from a reputable seller, would be a good choice. You can also get coaxial cable assemblies that have the connectors pre-installed on each end of the cable.

 

[prcguy]

Larsen NMO 2/70B, best I've ever used. Disclaimer: I own more than one antenna.

 

[AK9R]

Larsen NMO 2/70B

I think the OP is looking for a base antenna. A mobile antenna would require a base mounting kit, wouldn't it?

 

[prcguy]

I think the OP is looking for a base antenna. A mobile antenna would require a base mounting kit, wouldn't it?

Oh, my bad. Who reads entire posts these days? X50A is pretty basic and not much gain, I would recommend the Diamond X300 or Comet GP-6 both around 10ft tall. The gain specs on most of these are dBi and somewhat inflated, so the X50 is just a little more than 1dBd gain on 2m. The X300 and GP-6 would around 4dBd gain on 2m.

Antennas are important, a nice radio with a lousy antenna makes for a lousy station.

 

[KK7OTX]

Oh, my bad. Who reads entire posts these days? X50A is pretty basic and not much gain, I would recommend the Diamond X300 or Comet GP-6 both around 10ft tall. The gain specs on most of these are dBi and somewhat inflated, so the X50 is just a little more than 1dBd gain on 2m. The X300 and GP-6 would around 4dBd gain on 2m.

Antennas are important, a nice radio with a lousy antenna makes for a lousy station.

ok great info, thanks much. For antennas sold as ‘pre-tuned from the factory’….is that really true????, I’m leaning towards at least using an SWR meter to verify and then down the road as I get deeper into ham moving up to an antenna analyzer

 

[prcguy]

ok great info, thanks much. For antennas sold as ‘pre-tuned from the factory’….is that really true????, I’m leaning towards at least using an SWR meter to verify and then down the road as I get deeper into ham moving up to an antenna analyzer

In my experience antennas from major mfrs like Diamond and Comet are tuned within the ham bands and work fine out of the box. Its always good to do an SWR sanity check just to be sure.

 

[AK9R]

X50A is pretty basic and not much gain, I would recommend the Diamond X300 or Comet GP-6 both around 10ft tall.

I see it as a trade-off. Larger antenna, more gain, more challenges in mounting it and hiding it from the neighbors. Smaller antenna, less gain though still able to easily work repeaters in the area, easier to mount and hide from the neighbors.

 

[G6FGO]

I am using a Diamond X300 ( I think; 2m, 70cm & 6m) aerial and it has survived some pretty bad weather, as well as working surprisingly well. A bit pointless having the 6m capability though, because most HF / VHF&UHF radios have the 6m on the HF socket.

 

[AK9R]

The Diamond X300 is 2m/70cm.

The Diamond V2000 is 6m/2m/70cm.

 

[G6FGO]

The Diamond X300 is 2m/70cm.

The Diamond V2000 is 6m/2m/70cm.

Appreciate the correction.

 

[prcguy]

I see it as a trade-off. Larger antenna, more gain, more challenges in mounting it and hiding it from the neighbors. Smaller antenna, less gain though still able to easily work repeaters in the area, easier to mount and hide from the neighbors.

Paint a larger antenna with Rustoleum winter grey and it will be less noticeable than the smaller one in bright white. Even the 17+ft tall Comet GP-9 is super light and easy to mount, I've had one on an old DirecTV J mount for years and it doesn't stress the mount.

 

[vagrant]

Here's the bottom of a Diamond X50A I painted using the Rustoleum - Winter Gray. The mounts have not been painted yet so you can see how much even they stand out. The standard white is now really subdued against the sky using the paint. I also agree with getting the Diamond X300, or the Comet GP-6. There is definitely a gain difference for both transmit and receive. I use the X50A with wing nuts for easy setup/takedown when camping/contesting. An X50A will probably hit nearby repeaters. I use an improved gain antenna at home because I can and because I often use it for simplex.

Whatever antenna you get, mount it above the roofline at a minimum if you can.

 

[KK7OTX]

thanks for the info on the x300. After comparing to the x50-a, I’m definitely liking the 300 more.
appreciate all the feedback from everyone

 

[kh6idf]

FTM-500DR is a nice radio, I have on in my car. I am actually thinking of getting a second one for the shack someday. I can move it between the car & shack without a whole lot of effort, sometimes I do that if I'm not going to be mobile for a few days. I have two radios in the shack, a Yaesu FTM-3100R and an Icom IC-705 (I bought the Yaesu from another ham because the Icom will overheat when used on FM for more than a short time). But eventually I'd like a dual-band radio that I can ragchew on in the shack without worrying about it overheating.

I use the Comet version of the X50A, the GP-1. It's on a DXE 25 foot fiberglass telescoping pole. Nice compact size and it works well for me as long as it's above the roof height.

73 de KH6IDF New Braunfels, TX

PS - we lived in PHX for a couple of years back in 2011-2012, North of Deer Valley.

 

[WSEM262]

I've had a Diamond X50N for a little over 10 years. It's a great antenna, but there are much better options.
A good but conservative compromise between antenna length and gain is the Comet GP6. They are much shorter than the beastly GP9 but still perform fabulous. They also work on darn near any practical frequency you put into them if you opt for the GP6NC model... hence why I own two of them.
I have one on a 30ft mast behind my shop and another in the attic of the house. To date, the mast mounted GP6NC has a best confirmed simplex contact that is exactly 90 miles away. Obviously he was atop a mountain... but it was still 90 miles. To go a step even better, that was on a GMRS frequency.
That said... in my opinion... the Comet GP6NC is the best all-around, do-all antenna that money can buy. It is the base station version of a Comet 2x4SR mobile antenna that also works flawless on all VHF/UHF freq's. (MURS/2m/440/GMRS)

 

[K6GBW]

I've had one for about a year. As a base radio it's great. Nice display and a fairly simple menu. The C4FM is mildly interesting but the thing that makes this a great radio for me is that you can download the programming software from Yaesu for free and program it using a microSD card. No cables or drivers to monkey with. Absolutely a great way to program!