kny2xb
Member
I purchased a Nagoya NA-771G half-wave h-t antenna from Buy Two Way Radios
[as far as I know, it’s exclusive to them]
I decided to give the NA-771G a try as it was reported to be an authentic Nagoya,
tuned to GMRS specifically, and had received positive reviews
It arrived within a week of ordering
The local repeater is only 3 miles away from me,
but there are obstacles between my location & the repeater,
like a shopping mall & a major overpass which are major pains
On the stock antenna, I can't connect from my house
With the NA-771G, I can hit the repeater with no problem,
& I can receive it with no noise now
When the band is open in the evenings,
I have hit a couple of repeaters 42-57 miles away from me using the 771G
In fact while writing this post, I took a break, went outside & had a couple of QSOs on the Bartow, FL repeater
which is about 57 miles from here
I know, I lucked into a band opening, but I doubt that I would have made the trip on the stock antenna
I decided to do some SWR tests just to satisfy my curiosity
I used several different ht’s,
I wanted to see if there what the results were using different radios with the same antenna
I know the pros-&-cons of the CCRs, I don't want to reopen any arguments or debates,
but not everyone has a Kenwood, Motorola, or an Icom
I have upgraded my radio collection, but since so many of these are in use [legal or not],
I wanted a popular variety to test
And this is about the antenna
The first three radios are very commonly used, probably the most commonly used
Baofeng UV-5R
Simplex 462.550 MHz 1.05
Simplex 462.725 MHz 1.07
Repeater output 467.550 1.12
Repeater output 467.725 1.12
Baofeng UV-82
Simplex 462.550 MHz 1.08
Simplex 462.725 MHz 1.07
Repeater output 467.550 1.11
Repeater output 467.725 1.14
I also did a VERY quick sneak check at the band center of 465.1375 MHz,
both radios read 1.10
BTech GMRS -V1
Simplex 462.550 MHz 1.03
Simplex 462.725 MHz 1.04
Repeater output 467.550 1.20
Repeater output 467.725 1.09
Then I changed to two higher-end radios
Alinco DJ-MD5T [Part 90, dual-band VHF/UHF]
http://www.alinco.com/Products/dmr/DJ-MD5/DJ-MD5.pdf
Simplex 462.550 MHz 1.06
Simplex 462.725 MHz 1.07
Repeater output 467.550 1.16
Repeater output 467.725 1.15
Alinco DJ-MD40 [Part 90, single-band UHF]
http://www.alinco.com/Products/dmr/DJ-MD40/DJ-MD40.pdf
Simplex 462.550 MHz 1.05
Simplex 462.725 MHz 1.09
Repeater output 467.550 1.16
Repeater output 467.725 1.20
I didn’t test every frequency,
I didn’t test any of the FRS interstitials
Instead, I measured the high & low simplex frequencies,
plus the high & low repeater outputs, so I did cover the entire band spread 462.550-467.725 MHz
My test equipment is a TYT branded SW-102 SWR/power meter with N-female connections,
& a 2 foot length of RG 8/U coax with PL-259 connectors for a patch cord between the radio & the meter
I had to use several adapters to connect everything together,
as there’s a mix of N-female, SMA-F, SMA-M & PL-259
I stood in the yard, in the open, away from any metal, not standing under anything, etc
I held everything vertical,
I held the ht’s in my hand so there was body contact,
I didn't use a speaker-mic
I held the cable, as it’s very thick, and made sure not to touch the connection at the meter,
I used the cable as a grip or handle
This was an non-professional, unscientific test
I wish that I had access to professional or at least better test equipment, but I don’t
If I did anything incorrect, if I can do something better or differently,
please let me know, I can redo the test & update the results
I’ve been very happy with the NA-771G,
I’m going to order more for my radios when they are back in stock [OOS as of 02/04/21
]
Plus, there is a NA-701G quarter-wave version
when it's back in stock I think I will buy & test one of those,
just to compare the performance between the two
I just wanted to throw my findings out there
73
[as far as I know, it’s exclusive to them]
I decided to give the NA-771G a try as it was reported to be an authentic Nagoya,
tuned to GMRS specifically, and had received positive reviews
It arrived within a week of ordering
The local repeater is only 3 miles away from me,
but there are obstacles between my location & the repeater,
like a shopping mall & a major overpass which are major pains
On the stock antenna, I can't connect from my house
With the NA-771G, I can hit the repeater with no problem,
& I can receive it with no noise now
When the band is open in the evenings,
I have hit a couple of repeaters 42-57 miles away from me using the 771G
In fact while writing this post, I took a break, went outside & had a couple of QSOs on the Bartow, FL repeater
which is about 57 miles from here
I know, I lucked into a band opening, but I doubt that I would have made the trip on the stock antenna
I decided to do some SWR tests just to satisfy my curiosity
I used several different ht’s,
I wanted to see if there what the results were using different radios with the same antenna
I know the pros-&-cons of the CCRs, I don't want to reopen any arguments or debates,
but not everyone has a Kenwood, Motorola, or an Icom
I have upgraded my radio collection, but since so many of these are in use [legal or not],
I wanted a popular variety to test
And this is about the antenna
The first three radios are very commonly used, probably the most commonly used
Baofeng UV-5R
Simplex 462.550 MHz 1.05
Simplex 462.725 MHz 1.07
Repeater output 467.550 1.12
Repeater output 467.725 1.12
Baofeng UV-82
Simplex 462.550 MHz 1.08
Simplex 462.725 MHz 1.07
Repeater output 467.550 1.11
Repeater output 467.725 1.14
I also did a VERY quick sneak check at the band center of 465.1375 MHz,
both radios read 1.10
BTech GMRS -V1
Simplex 462.550 MHz 1.03
Simplex 462.725 MHz 1.04
Repeater output 467.550 1.20
Repeater output 467.725 1.09
Then I changed to two higher-end radios
Alinco DJ-MD5T [Part 90, dual-band VHF/UHF]
http://www.alinco.com/Products/dmr/DJ-MD5/DJ-MD5.pdf
Simplex 462.550 MHz 1.06
Simplex 462.725 MHz 1.07
Repeater output 467.550 1.16
Repeater output 467.725 1.15
Alinco DJ-MD40 [Part 90, single-band UHF]
http://www.alinco.com/Products/dmr/DJ-MD40/DJ-MD40.pdf
Simplex 462.550 MHz 1.05
Simplex 462.725 MHz 1.09
Repeater output 467.550 1.16
Repeater output 467.725 1.20
I didn’t test every frequency,
I didn’t test any of the FRS interstitials
Instead, I measured the high & low simplex frequencies,
plus the high & low repeater outputs, so I did cover the entire band spread 462.550-467.725 MHz
My test equipment is a TYT branded SW-102 SWR/power meter with N-female connections,
& a 2 foot length of RG 8/U coax with PL-259 connectors for a patch cord between the radio & the meter
I had to use several adapters to connect everything together,
as there’s a mix of N-female, SMA-F, SMA-M & PL-259
I stood in the yard, in the open, away from any metal, not standing under anything, etc
I held everything vertical,
I held the ht’s in my hand so there was body contact,
I didn't use a speaker-mic
I held the cable, as it’s very thick, and made sure not to touch the connection at the meter,
I used the cable as a grip or handle
This was an non-professional, unscientific test
I wish that I had access to professional or at least better test equipment, but I don’t
If I did anything incorrect, if I can do something better or differently,
please let me know, I can redo the test & update the results
I’ve been very happy with the NA-771G,
I’m going to order more for my radios when they are back in stock [OOS as of 02/04/21
]Plus, there is a NA-701G quarter-wave version
when it's back in stock I think I will buy & test one of those,
just to compare the performance between the two
I just wanted to throw my findings out there
73
