Unication G5 Antenna For 800 Mhz Band

[PapaG]

I ordered one of those. It will not work because it does not allow contact to center pin.

 

[radio3353]

While looking for the Expert Power adaptor I ran across this similar adapter that is available.

Amazon.com: DHT LLC AD075 2 Pieces SMA Female to BNC Female Convert Adapter for Two Way Radio BaoFeng UV-5R FD-880: Electronics

What BNC antenna are you guys using to get better coverage in the 800-900mhz range?

Are you sure that will work? The outside diameter of the ring looks a bit wide overall on the SMA end, like it will be very close to the zone selector knob when installed. Hard to tell.

 

[DMSROX2]

No I am not sure, but I may order it just to give it a try.

 

[TDHG4U61]

I played around with a few stubby aftermarket antennas I collected. One outer sleeve was too thin and flexible, so I replaced the outer sleeve with a solid 2-half inch long sleeve and it works much better than the Unication stock one on 800, a 3-db gain. The base was the same, just trial and error whats best and closest tower site.

 

[DMSROX2]

I ordered one of those. It will not work because it does not allow contact to center pin.

I found that I had one of these in my radio connector junk box. You are correct it does not reach the center pin on the radio. It may be possible to modify the adapter to work by removing a "lip" on it, but this would be a tedious process with a jewelers file. I think I will keep looking for an adapter that will work.

 

[Hit_Factor]

Just ask yourself if a little gain is worth risking a $600 radio.

The repair wouldn't be $600, possibly could be just a few bucks if one is good with a soldering iron. It would be a hassle.

It's SMA, and that's a standard connector. Pins break in all kinds of connectors all the time. Even with a couple post here on RR, that doesn't mean the G5 is any more or less susceptible to damage when swapping antennas. This is pretty good equipment, seems rugged enough, I doubt they cheaped out on the SMA and then sold a bunch of these to Fire Fighters.

 

[DMSROX2]

The Expert Power adaptor appears to no longer be available, I found this other adapter on Amazon, plus found one in my radio parts bin. As it comes, it will not work, the female SMA will not make contact with the pin from the radio. I decided to try modifying it to see if I could make it work. I eliminated most of the lip as shown in the photos, I made sure it matched up with the factory antenna. I then tried it gently, attached a BNC antenna and all worked perfectly. Not I need to get an 800mhz antenna with some gain to try it again. The system I am wanting to follow has it's closest site about 45 miles from me and goes in and out.

The way I did this, was to place the BNC side of the adapter in a cordless drill, and then spun the adapter while I carefully held a fine metal file against the lip. I made sure to not touch the threads for the SMA. After I removed as much as I thought was necessary I cleaned it VERY thoroughly and gave it a try. It was a 5-minute fix.

 

[bob550]

So, I've realized that the Amazon link I referenced in an earlier post shows the incorrect adapter. The model I had purchased is this:

I just found the above adapter on this website pictured as is (close out the Covid-19 message to view). But I also found this adapter with the same model number and UPC code on the same website. Sorry for any confusion!

 

[N6ML]

It's SMA, and that's a standard connector. Pins break in all kinds of connectors all the time. Even with a couple post here on RR, that doesn't mean the G5 is any more or less susceptible to damage when swapping antennas. This is pretty good equipment, seems rugged enough, I doubt they cheaped out on the SMA and then sold a bunch of these to Fire Fighters.

I'm not sure that it is actually SMA, or that it is actually "standard". It shares most of the dimensions with SMA, but that doesn't make it standard. It has been shown here many times that there is a significant difference been the "SMA" connectors on some Motorola rubber duckie antennas and the Unication one, and that that difference DOES make the Unication connector vulnerable to damage. Which one is "non-standard"?

The connector is not intended for use with non-Unication antennas (or adapters). Aside from risking pin damage, it (presumably) also affects ingress protection.

 

[bob550]

Ok, so the second link in my previous post now pictures the same adapter as the first link! When I made this post, the second link clearly showed the adapter I have pictured above. (Next time I'll take a screenshot) I know you'll all think I'm have a psychotic episode , but my take is that the website owner is playing games with the images. I guess the moral of this story is to be careful what you buy online and ensure the supplier allows returns.

 

[JASII]

This is my Unication G5 with a Motorola 8505241U04 800/900 MHZ Flexible Whip Antenna.

8505241U04 - 800/900 MHz Flexible Whip Antenna - Motorola Solutions EMEA

7-inch 1/2 wave antenna for radios in the 896-941 MHz range.

www.motorolasolutions.com

 

[DMSROX2]

This is my Unication G5 with a Motorola 8505241U04 800/900 MHZ Flexible Whip Antenna.

8505241U04 - 800/900 MHz Flexible Whip Antenna - Motorola Solutions EMEA

7-inch 1/2 wave antenna for radios in the 896-941 MHz range.

www.motorolasolutions.com

View attachment 90423

How has the performance with this antenna vs the factory antenna?

 

[JASII]

How has the performance with this antenna vs the factory antenna?

I can only report on my early, unscientific observation and that is I get 4 bars on the signal strength meter in more places than I did with the OEM antenna. Occasionally, with the OEM antenna, I would get the orange Out Of Range message. Now, with he Motorola antenna, on Power Up, it acquires the local control channel much quicker and has more signal strength.

 

[DMSROX2]

I can only report on my early, unscientific observation and that is I get 4 bars on the signal strength meter in more places than I did with the OEM antenna. Occasionally, with the OEM antenna, I would get the orange Out Of Range message. Now, with he Motorola antenna, on Power Up, it acquires the local control channel much quicker and has more signal strength.

I have a VIPER tower site that that I really want to receive, and can receive it only about 40% of the time. This might do the trick? Sounds like it's worth a shot anyway.

Is t his Motorola antenna a direct replacement for the factory antenna or did it require some type of adapter?

Thanks!

Donnie
KE4GYN

 

[eorange]

I used that same antenna on my G4, and around 3 counties in NE Ohio (Cuyahoga, Lake, and Geauga), I can say it made no difference in reception compared to both stock OEM antennas. The only real difference it made was that I could barely begin to pick up a small city system (Parma) that is pretty far away from me. That was interesting, but then I started reading about how the Moto antennas tend to ruin the SMA connector, so I decided it wasn't worth the risk and haven't used it since.

Edit: There's lots of MARCS towers in NE Ohio. But there's far fewer GCRCN towers, and again the Moto antenna made no real difference. I can hear GCRCN virtually everywhere.

 

[mitbr]

This adapter looks like it might work....

CH7830-N-R: Jameco ValuePro : Connector SMA-BNC Adapter Female to Female Straight Gold : Interconnects

Jameco Valuepro CH7830-N-R RF Connectors. Products in stock and ready to ship. Quotes, samples and datasheets available at Jameco Electronics.

www.jameco.com

Tim

 

[JASII]

...Is this Motorola antenna a direct replacement for the factory antenna or did it require some type of adapter?...

No adapter was required.




This one might do a better job on 800 MHz, though.

https://shop.motorolasolutions.com/806-870-mhz-whip-antenna/product/NAF5037A

 

[eorange]

You should really read this post, and the next post, and this thread in general.

Antenna suggestions for Unication G4

I honestly find this thread to be weird/surprising. My stock G5 antenna works with nearly 100% copy almost anywhere in my county and there's near zero reason I would think to replace it with something else. There are some rather isolated places in my home (i.e. directly behind a steel door)...

forums.radioreference.com

There have been enough failures due to the Moto antenna pushing down on the pin that I'm never using it again.

 

[Hit_Factor]

This antenna is a better match to the freqs used here on MPSCS

1/2 wave https://shop.motorolasolutions.com/flexible-whip-antenna-800-mhz/product/8505241U03

1/4 wave https://shop.motorolasolutions.com/1-4-wave-stubby-antenna-800-900-mhz/product/8505241U06

When I screwed it on the first time, I noticed resistance as the pin made contact. I took it off and verified alignment, then screwed it on again, going slow you can feel the pin making contact. Goes on easy after that.

If you are really worrisome, you could run a small gauge wire into the Moto antenna first to "break it in". If I had to guess, the Moto quality is better than average, so the pin is gripped better. Forcing things together is rarely the correct course of action.

These help a lot when I have the pager in a vehicle cup holder instead, of a mount that holds it above the dash.

 

[pboissy]

I have been using the 1/2 wave for a while now. It has helped with reception in my area. Have had no issues with it.