Unication G5 Antenna For 800 Mhz Band

[JASII]

In the past , I seem to recall some posts about after-market antennas for the Unication G5 that are resonant on the 800 Mhz band. I do recall trying my Motorola DTR550 long whip antenna and I seemed to notice an improvement. At the time, I didn't need the additional gain and I sold my DTR550s. Now, however, I could benefit from having an antenna with a bit more gain on 800 MHz. What are some of the better choices right now for antennas that get a bit more signal than the OEM Unication antenna?

Mine is the original antenna, too. If I recall correctly, there is a somewhat newer OEM Unication antenna that might perform better than the original OEM antenna.

 

[PapaG]

I have a SMA female to BNC female adapter on my G5 and use the Remtronix 800 antenna. It receives very well.

 

[eorange]

There is no obvious difference between the OEM blue vs purple band antenna.

 

[RBMTS]

JASII - be very careful if you decide to put a third party antenna on the G5. Search on past posts about antennas. Look at the pictures. If you don’t use the correct style connector you will end up pushing the pin down into the radio. This can cause the OEM antenna to no longer work. Users have also stated the pin breaks off and gets pulled out by the third party antenna.

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

 

[JD21960]

This has been covered many times in the (SEARCH) box in RREF. Here's a thread complete with links to favored antennas and arguing galore.
Here's what I use

NAF5084A NAF5084 - Motorola 7/800 MHZ STUBBY ANTENNA - ShopWiscomm

shopwiscomm.com

Better G5 Antenna

I am very impressed with my new G5 although I am waiting for the Phase 2 upgrade to listen to ALL of the systems I monitor. It seems to hear the local conventional p-25 traffic well with the internal antenna. Just playing, I ordered a BNC male to Motorola SMA adapter for $12 on ebay and...

forums.radioreference.com

 

[bob550]

I have a SMA female to BNC female adapter on my G5 and use the Remtronix 800 antenna. It receives very well.

I'll second that! Just make sure the adapter's SMA connector is the same as the OEM. Although currently unavailable, this is the adapter I purchased a year ago, and I've had no trouble with the center pin on my G5. I also use the Remtronix (RadioShack) 800 antenna with very positive results. Here's another adapter I purchased that also works.

 

[PapaG]

I use the same adapter as bob550 uses that is not available with no center pin problems.

 

[RetiredVolunteer]

I also utilize the currently unavailable ExpertPower adaptor that bob550 mentioned. Works very well.

 

[nosoup4u]

How is the gap between those 2 adapters and the pager? I have one that I bought years ago for a Motorola radio but there is a good 1/4" gap on it.

 

[PapaG]

There is no gap with the ExpertPower adapter.

 

[bob550]

How is the gap between those 2 adapters and the pager? I have one that I bought years ago for a Motorola radio but there is a good 1/4" gap on it.

There is maybe a 1/8" to 3/16" gap on the second adapter I mentioned.

 

[radio3353]

There is no gap with the ExpertPower adapter.

Are you sure? From ths pictures on the Amazon page it looks to me like the SMA female jack is recessed into the connector. That is why it will work (i.e. not push the male pin down.) Or, are you talking about something else?

 

[PapaG]

There is no gap

 

[bob550]

Expert Power adapter:


Custom Cables adapter:


The SMA connectors on both adapters are recessed 2MM, as is the OEM antenna. Neither should place undue stress on the G5 pin.

 

[minasha]

with the expert adapter and Radio Shack 800mhz antenna is there any real gain over the OEM antenna?

 

[bob550]

with the expert adapter and Radio Shack 800mhz antenna is there any real gain over the OEM antenna?

In my experience, absolutely! It even improves the signal level over the blue-banded high gain antenna from Unication, which I also own.

 

[eorange]

In my experience...not by much. The only thing it helps is pulling in a fringe system (Parma), but barely, which is interesting. But otherwise no improvement over stock with MARCS or GCRCN.

 

[minasha]

I found no improvement at all. I'll stay with the stock antenna

 

[radio3353]

There is no gap

I think we are talking about two different things. Carry on...

 

[DMSROX2]

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?