Problem with antenna on 1 of 2 radios

[jdavidboyd]

I have 2 Baofeng UV-5Rs. I can swap the stock 7" antennas between them, and both xmit and recv fine. I can attach a 14.5" antenna to 1 of them, and it works fine, but if I put it on the other, I recv no signals. It's as if it's not making any connection.
How do I determine what the problem might be? A visual inspection shows all connectors on the 3 antenna looking identical.
Any ideas?

 

[jonwienke]

What 14.5" antenna?

 

[jdavidboyd]

What 14.5" antenna?

A Nagoya NA-771.

 

[k6cpo]

I have 2 Baofeng UV-5Rs. I can swap the stock 7" antennas between them, and both xmit and recv fine. I can attach a 14.5" antenna to 1 of them, and it works fine, but if I put it on the other, I recv no signals. It's as if it's not making any connection.
How do I determine what the problem might be? A visual inspection shows all connectors on the 3 antenna looking identical.
Any ideas?

Baofengs are not noted for superior quality control and their may be a difference in the connectors on the two radios. You might try to get your hands on a vernier caliper and take some precise measurements of the length of the connectors on the two antennas and on the depth of the connectors on the two radios.

My UV-5R has a raised lip surrounding the antenna connector. The stock antenna is slightly smaller in diameter and fits inside this lip. However, a replacement Nagoya NA-701 antenna is larger in diameter at the base and I had to file down the plastic on it to ensure I was getting a good contact between the connectors. The Diamond RH-771 (identical to the Nagoya NA-771) bottoms out in the connector before the plastic parts start to rub on each other.