Who's running GMRS?

[Tophog]

Mine are Chinese cheap ones and they seem to work.

But my radios are Chinese cheap ones too so maybe you need Chinese crap with Chinese crap? Two negatives make a positive?

Some reviews say they're fine; others say a waste of money, SWR sucks, propogation problems, etc.

I have both Chinese crap and a Yeasu, but don't want a drawer full of test antennas!

 

[NYECOGunsmith]

As long as the physical dimensions are correct for the frequency, and the connections to the radio are electrically solid, it's pretty tough to fork up an antenna. If the solder joint between the tape measure and the SMA connector were crappy, that's about all that can go wrong with any HT antenna whether its one of these Chinese mystery metal tape measure types, or a rubber duckie, or super rubber duckie, and that also applies to antennas made in the USA, either it's the right length and has solid mechanical and electrical connections, or it doesn't.

Tough to do with an HT (Handie Talkie, aka Walkie Talkie aka a hand-held radio) but for mobile rigs and definitely base stations, you can often build a better antenna than you can buy, and cheaper too.
Check out the various ARRL (American Radio Relay League) antenna books for HF, VHF and UHF, building and testing antennas is easy and fun, and a very valuable survival skill to boot.

 

[NYECOGunsmith]

Some reviews say they're fine; others say a waste of money, SWR sucks, propogation problems, etc.

I have both Chinese crap and a Yeasu, but don't want a drawer full of test antennas!

Only way SWR would be high is if it were the incorrect electrical length for the frequency you are trying to transmit on, SWR only comes into play when transmitting.
And propagation with VHF and UHF is rarely a problem, they are both line of sight frequency ranges. Propagation is normally associated with HF frequencies.

And why don't you want a drawer full of test antennas, you have a drawer full of holsters, don'tcha?!
Same thing, no one perfect antenna for all occasions!

 

[Tophog]

Only way SWR would be high is if it were the incorrect electrical length for the frequency you are trying to transmit on, SWR only comes into play when transmitting.
And propagation with VHF and UHF is rarely a problem, they are both line of sight frequency ranges. Propagation is normally associated with HF frequencies.

And why don't you want a drawer full of test antennas, you have a drawer full of holsters, don'tcha?!
Same thing, no one perfect antenna for all occasions!

Well, I admit the '1 star' complainers, avg. about 6% of the reviews, seem to be way wrapped in techie stuff. I guess amateurs like me would not notice any problems, but when they say the official looking Nagoya or Abbree logo is just a decal and is peeling off . . .

 

[NYECOGunsmith]

Well, I admit the '1 star' complainers, avg. about 6% of the reviews, seem to be way wrapped in techie stuff. I guess amateurs like me would not notice any problems, but when they say the official looking Nagoya or Abbree logo is just a decal and is peeling off . . .

yah, you just can't please some folks!

 

[Aswild]

I like the tip for the ground plan ???