Would anyone know how these antennas really work as compared to the origonal rubber duck? Also what the actuall performance is on 70cm? The higher wattage ratings of some of the other antennas seem overkill for an HT. Would anyone know how these antennas really work as compared to the origonal rubber duck? Also what the actuall performance is on 70cm? The higher wattage ratings of some of the other antennas seem... » Read More Would anyone know how these antennas really work as compared to the origonal rubber duck? Also what the actuall performance is on 70cm? The higher wattage ratings of some of the other antennas seem overkill for an HT. « Show Less
907937
Thank you for sharing your experence. sounds good for VHF. I am more into UHF myself. The UHF repeaters in my area are within 12 miles of my location, So I think It should do an above average job. Terrain considering of course. Thanks again.
907938
The actual wire coil that is in this antenna is actually about 10 times longer than whats in the rubber duck antenna. The reception is quite improved over the rubber duck antenna. I can hear police, ems and fire dept communication everywherei go. I barely heard any of it before. I'm contemplating throwing the rubber duck antenna in the trash. Good luck with your radio
907939
I was able/unable to hit the local 2meter repeater 12 miles away. After I bought this antenna I was able to talk on it. Not 100% all the time, but well worth the money..
395914
I talked to RCA about that and did not get any useable response. According to their website description of those antennas (they have 3 similar ones, amplifier/not amplified/superior reception). I would think that an amplified would allow you to get good reception when having a weak signal, but that would be the only benefit.We know have the antenna sitting in a bookshelf at the bottom, behind some pictures, hardly noticeable. Reception is the same, flawless. And no external power supply needed. Keep in mind that thanks to Amazon's great business policies, you can return the item within 30 days in case you are dissatisfied. I talked to RCA about that and did not get any useable response. According to their website description of those antennas (they have 3 similar ones, amplifier/not amplified/superior reception). I would think that an amplified would allow you to get good reception when having a weak signal, but that would be the only benefit.We know have the antenna sitting in a bookshelf at the bottom, behind some pictures, hardly noticeable. Reception is the same, flawless. And no external power supply needed. Keep in mind that thanks to Amazon's great business policies, you can return the item... » Read More I talked to RCA about that and did not get any useable response. According to their website description of those antennas (they have 3 similar ones, amplifier/not amplified/superior reception). I would think that an amplified would allow you to get good reception when having a weak signal, but that would be the only benefit.We know have the antenna sitting in a bookshelf at the bottom, behind some pictures, hardly noticeable. Reception is the same, flawless. And no external power supply needed. Keep in mind that thanks to Amazon's great business policies, you can return the item within 30 days in case you are dissatisfied. « Show Less
977158
I'm doubtful that they are truly 5 watt radios. For the price point they work better than the talk abouts. If you are looking for a true 5 watt radio plan on shelling out some big money. We use Motorola 2500s at work. They are not cheap. The baofengs are the best bang for the buck
474588
I only used it for scanner not xmit. It did no better than uniden supplied rubber duck which is very good. I have been unable to surpass it with anything. I have ken wood transceivers UHF and they do well on ken wood rubber ducks but UHF antennas on car roofs boost signal car to car.
1157964
I don't know what it will pick up, up there. You will need to get an inline booster. My channel 7.1 through 7.4 comes in good all the time. My channel 21.1 through 21.4 don't come in to good all the time, at night better. But I did not get any channel 21 before. I think I probably get couple other channels that I don't watch. I went on another site to see what channels, antennas would be out there, and how far away they are. And then pointed my antenna in that direction. Had to play with the ears, and antenna direction to get to work better. I hope this will help you make up your mind. I have not done anything to my antenna, but I have been thinking about screwing a bigger base on it.
2025996
Hey Keath, I regularly hit repeaters 20+ miles with my uv-5r on low power with the supplied rubber ducky! P.S. love the 202, it was my first rig. (73) KK4NIL
380052
These are pretty good. Haven't tried these on an N66U but they worked well with my friend's N16. I installed them. Yes they are better than the stock antennas. Fundamentally, they should work well with the N66U as well. He needed higher gain antennas because of too much concrete in his apartment. For the second part of your question, the longer antennas have worked better for the same friend but those were 7 dbi. He switched to those when he moved to a larger apartment (2 floor 3000 sq ft x 2). Personally, I use the stock 3dbi antennas that came with the router (N16), and as far as I know, they are similar to those supplied with the N66U. I'm using these in my house without any problems (4500 sq feet of built up area x 2 floors). Hope this information helps!
1010876
If you're planning on using the 'rubber duckie' antenna that comes with the unit then no you can't get that range. However, with an outside antenna with at least 3 decibel gain that 1 km range is possible. Mount the antenna as high as possible and away from obstructions. You should possibly check with the FCC (if you're transmitting in the U.S.) for their regulations concerning these FM transmitters.
1422638
The FT-2900R is a 75 watt VHF only Transceiver - The BR-180 Dual-Band Antenna is rated at 75 watts. Tram-Browning also sells a VHF Only antenna Tram-Browning 1150 (Tram 1150) that is rated at 200 watts at the same cost. The only reason I mention that is if you are a real "talker" it's possible you could heat the coil in the BR-180 to a point of failure. I've got a BR-180 and it works fine - I suspect the 1150 would also work swell minus the UHF capability but would have a better power handling capacity. They're both 5/8ths antennas which would have the same pattern & coverage.
240524
This antenna works just fine, I bought 2 of them (1 for each of my Baofeng UV-82 dual band HT's) they were a vast improvement over the stock antenna's that came with the radios. I have no complaints they are good antennas.
1279543
I don't know about you, but mine brings in all the weird channels as well as the networks. I live 17 miles in a straight line from the local broadcast towers. When it's windy outside, sometimes a station will not come in. Also during rainstorms. You should go to antennaweb.org, where you input your address and they tell you what kind of antenna should work for you. I've found the flat antenna works a little better than a more 3-dimensional one, but your mileage may vary. Amazon's return policy is pretty liberal though. If it doesn't work for you, they'll take it back. Just be gentle with the packaging. I don't know about you, but mine brings in all the weird channels as well as the networks. I live 17 miles in a straight line from the local broadcast towers. When it's windy outside, sometimes a station will not come in. Also during rainstorms. You should go to antennaweb.org, where you input your address and they tell you what kind of antenna should work for you. I've found the flat antenna works a little better than a more 3-dimensional one, but your mileage may vary. Amazon's return policy is pretty liberal though. If it doesn't work for you, they'll take it back. Just be gentle with... » Read More I don't know about you, but mine brings in all the weird channels as well as the networks. I live 17 miles in a straight line from the local broadcast towers. When it's windy outside, sometimes a station will not come in. Also during rainstorms. You should go to antennaweb.org, where you input your address and they tell you what kind of antenna should work for you. I've found the flat antenna works a little better than a more 3-dimensional one, but your mileage may vary. Amazon's return policy is pretty liberal though. If it doesn't work for you, they'll take it back. Just be gentle with the packaging. « Show Less
1408240
This antenna is subject to some interference esp. if you have a lot of trees and not within 50 miles of broadcast towers. Shorter the distance the more interference it can withstand. If your in a deep valley with large mountains blocking the signal it might be trouble. It operates similar to the old style roof top antennas equal to but not better in performance. Even for HD the larger rooftop antenna are still better in tough signal areas.
1150732
I've had mine for over a year...works better than the stock "Rubber Duck" antenna.
1964687
I had 2 other antennas that were not amplified but they were a different brand (RCA). The 2 Winegard amplified antennas I bought have worked sooooo much better than those 2 other un-amplified ones. But I can't help you to compare the Winegard un-amplified with the Winegard amplified model. I will say I LOVE my Winegard amplified antennas! I have one in the Living room and one in the bedroom and get way more channels than I ever did with the the RCAs that I had previously.
596584
I just received my Baofeng UV5R+ today and it has firmware BFB 297. A good friend programmed it with all our area Emergency frequencies used by both the Search & Rescue as well as our Emergency Radio Communication group for our Whatcom County volunteer personnel; he uses the very reliable RT Systems programming with its' accompanying radio specific programming cable. I got an excellent quality mike for it from my favorite supplier (located in Portland, OR); the mike cost more than the little transceiver, lol. But it was worth the expense because the little Kenwood mike has a great volume control on it. I just received my Baofeng UV5R+ today and it has firmware BFB 297. A good friend programmed it with all our area Emergency frequencies used by both the Search & Rescue as well as our Emergency Radio Communication group for our Whatcom County volunteer personnel; he uses the very reliable RT Systems programming with its' accompanying radio specific programming cable. I got an excellent quality mike for it from my favorite supplier (located in Portland, OR); the mike cost more than the little transceiver, lol. But it was worth the expense because the little Kenwood mike has a great volume... » Read More I just received my Baofeng UV5R+ today and it has firmware BFB 297. A good friend programmed it with all our area Emergency frequencies used by both the Search & Rescue as well as our Emergency Radio Communication group for our Whatcom County volunteer personnel; he uses the very reliable RT Systems programming with its' accompanying radio specific programming cable. I got an excellent quality mike for it from my favorite supplier (located in Portland, OR); the mike cost more than the little transceiver, lol. But it was worth the expense because the little Kenwood mike has a great volume control on it. « Show Less
2220310
thank you for your response- I found a discussion on yahoo yesterday that explained the antenna pretty well- basically that the so called "HD antenna the retailers are selling is hype and not really needed .
1951947
I made a quick attempt, and I do have a Bose Wave - (model AW R1-1W) to compare antenna performance to other radios tested. (see previous review)Since a hard connection was not possible ( other than a standard 'FM-cable' jack ) I made a proximity test with disappointing results, virtually no difference to reception to that with no antenna. Overall, my portable radios appeared to benefit more from the 'Terk Indoor AM Antenna Advantage'. Currently I get very good to excellent reception when 'hard' connected to my Nexxtech Portable, model #1200903. Occasional adjustment (Terk's own tuning dial) works well. Hope this helps. I made a quick attempt, and I do have a Bose Wave - (model AW R1-1W) to compare antenna performance to other radios tested. (see previous review)Since a hard connection was not possible ( other than a standard 'FM-cable' jack ) I made a proximity test with disappointing results, virtually no difference to reception to that with no antenna. Overall, my portable radios appeared to benefit more from the 'Terk Indoor AM Antenna Advantage'. Currently I get very good to excellent reception when 'hard' connected to my Nexxtech Portable, model #1200903. Occasional adjustment (Terk's own... » Read More I made a quick attempt, and I do have a Bose Wave - (model AW R1-1W) to compare antenna performance to other radios tested. (see previous review)Since a hard connection was not possible ( other than a standard 'FM-cable' jack ) I made a proximity test with disappointing results, virtually no difference to reception to that with no antenna. Overall, my portable radios appeared to benefit more from the 'Terk Indoor AM Antenna Advantage'. Currently I get very good to excellent reception when 'hard' connected to my Nexxtech Portable, model #1200903. Occasional adjustment (Terk's own tuning dial) works well. Hope this helps. « Show Less