Transmission1

Lewis, of Ringway Manchester fame, found the stock antenna beat the telescopic over a 22 mile contact between two hilltop positions. I've had no such luck today. I tried it from the Chevin (900 feet high). I couldn't break in to a conversation where two participants were clear.

From another spot where I get good PMR results to one group I've come to know, I couldn't get them on the TX even when they dropped their squelches. Distance was 9-12 miles mostly of open country and I was on a 200 foot hill.

It looks like I won't be able to emulate the Ringway Manchester result. The noise cancelling circuit is very good and lifted voices out of the hash very nicely. Anyway, it looks like I'll need another antenna.

Edit: even though some stations were clear I'd still had to open the squelch to hear them. Yesterday, I was able to talk to near stations that broke through the squelch.

I guess a rule of thumb with the stock antenna is that if I have to open the squelch for a station then they won't hear me calling them.

You have also got to remember that most stations now run a bit more than 4 watts, and if homebase they will have a higher noise floor than you will out in the middle of nowhere.

Yes, one of the chaps I talked to on PMR said more than 4w was being used. Not excessively so but more nevertheless.

Of course, US breakers were thumping through on AM. Some of them could have been in the next town.

I ran a test with a friend who has a little Radiwow shortwave receiver. It has pulled in Voice of Vietnam so I was sure it was up to it.

The TX antenna was no good past 0.9 miles. It's a bit puzzling since others report much better results with it. I'm wondering if it's the runt of the litter or even if I should get someone with a power meter and dummy load to test the radio.

Ordered the tactical antenna. There is a decent telescopic on Amazon but I keep breaking telescopics. Will report.

scanhermit wrote: 02 Mar 2025, 19:29 I ran a test with a friend who has a little Radiwow shortwave receiver. It has pulled in Voice of Vietnam so I was sure it was up to it.

The TX antenna was no good past 0.9 miles. It's a bit puzzling since others report much better results with it. I'm wondering if it's the runt of the litter or even if I should get someone with a power meter and dummy load to test the radio.

Have you thought about perhaps a small sotabeams tactical pole/fibreglass pole that would fit in a backpack when retracted in combination with a T2LT wire antenna ?



for reference.
https://www.sotabeams.co.uk/tactical-mi ... 6-ft-mast/

dc260 wrote: 04 Mar 2025, 15:11

scanhermit wrote: 02 Mar 2025, 19:29 I ran a test with a friend who has a little Radiwow shortwave receiver. It has pulled in Voice of Vietnam so I was sure it was up to it.

The TX antenna was no good past 0.9 miles. It's a bit puzzling since others report much better results with it. I'm wondering if it's the runt of the litter or even if I should get someone with a power meter and dummy load to test the radio.

Have you thought about perhaps a small sotabeams tactical pole/fibreglass pole that would fit in a backpack when retracted in combination with a T2LT wire antenna ?



for reference.
https://www.sotabeams.co.uk/tactical-mi ... 6-ft-mast/

You could stop somewhere, easy to set up then afterwards you can take it down easily.

Thanks for that video - it reminds me of this one:



The wire antenna and pole makes a huge difference and I have been having wire-like thoughts. Sadly, Hawkins Antennas seems to have vanished but a homebrew should be within my capabilities with some care.

I would make my own. Basically free to make and more fun, plus the sense of achievement of making decent contacts on your own home made antenna.

I have a crt space u for PMR mobile that pushes out 15+ watts mobile on a sirio 145 mag mount with a Sirio SU370-490 (370-490MHz antenna.

I did a test once in a certain location and faired better on a baofeng uv5r stood outside the car than that setup .

Most other scenarios see the space u well outperform the handheld but it's all up in the air at times. Excuse the pun

I've had 43 miles on a 446 handheld with 0.5w and stock antenna from the Yorkshire Wolds so I know great things are possible with very little on UHF, with height. I doubt I'd repeat the trick on the CB handy with the stock ant. With my PMR handset I can screw a half wave onto the sma socket but I'd never manage that with CB.

As dc260 says, I'll have much better luck with an end-fed on a pole. Something like a Red Devil on a mag mount can give me another option for times when pole hoisting isn't feasible.

Tin soldier wrote: 05 Mar 2025, 00:59 I have a crt space u for PMR mobile that pushes out 15+ watts mobile on a sirio 145 mag mount with a Sirio SU370-490 (370-490MHz antenna.

I did a test once in a certain location and faired better on a baofeng uv5r stood outside the car than that setup .

Most other scenarios see the space u well outperform the handheld but it's all up in the air at times. Excuse the pun

I have done similar tests, both with a magmount and Moonraker Centre load PMR/70cm antenna, as well as those cheap penny sized magmount types which you get from ali express.

I also made a centr efed 1/2 wave dipole and tuned it for 446.

None of them have outperformed a genuine Nagoya whip on a Baofeng/Quansheng in the tests that I have done.

27mhz is very different though as 27mhz handheld antennas are very inneficient.

Tell me about it!

On UHF, In one location I did better with the Retevis RHD771 antenna with mag mount on the car roof than on the handset. Tonight was the opposite - it was better on the handset than the car roof.

Mudslinger wrote: 05 Mar 2025, 15:35

Tin soldier wrote: 05 Mar 2025, 00:59 I have a crt space u for PMR mobile that pushes out 15+ watts mobile on a sirio 145 mag mount with a Sirio SU370-490 (370-490MHz antenna.

I did a test once in a certain location and faired better on a baofeng uv5r stood outside the car than that setup .

Most other scenarios see the space u well outperform the handheld but it's all up in the air at times. Excuse the pun

I have done similar tests, both with a magmount and Moonraker Centre load PMR/70cm antenna, as well as those cheap penny sized magmount types which you get from ali express.

I also made a centr efed 1/2 wave dipole and tuned it for 446.

None of them have outperformed a genuine Nagoya whip on a Baofeng/Quansheng in the tests that I have done.

27mhz is very different though as 27mhz handheld antennas are very inneficient.

I have Nagoya's now on the baofengs.
I have one of those cheap penny mags too.
It's all interesting to try stuff and them penny mags are a good way of getting people into PMR mobile i suppose.

The stock antenna on the thunderpole tx seems pretty good imo.


I can't wait to get my homebase sorted and I'll probably test a decent sirio 446: antenna against a home made one