Field Testing Handheld Antennas - Signal Stick, Baofeng Rubber Duck, Tactical Whip, Nagoya NA-771

[@w.rustylane5650]

That's the first real time test of several antennae over known distances. Thank you for posting this and I've gained enough knowledge from your tests to know what antenna to purchase: The Signal Stick. It offers a lifetime warranty to bootl

[@RoccoPaco1]

This was exactly the type of test I was looking for! Thank you! I am subscribing!

[@theslowwalker]

Great field test. Lab tests are of use as well. But, you can't beat real life results. I'm just starting off in ammetuer radio and found this very helpful. Thank you.

[@reycassius6944]

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[@greyarcher4686]

@Rey Cassius Instablaster :)

[@reycassius6944]

@Grey Archer thanks for your reply. I got to the site through google and I'm waiting for the hacking stuff now. Seems to take quite some time so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@reycassius6944]

@Grey Archer it worked and I finally got access to my account again. I'm so happy! Thanks so much you saved my account !

[@greyarcher4686]

@Rey Cassius no problem =)

[@shanesdiy]

Excellent test, thanks for putting in the work. Definitely among the best I've found so far, and I've watched quite a few. The same test in the 460MHz / GMRS range would have been interesting with those antennas as well.

[@rightpedaldown9346]

Thank you for your real world test. I can appreciate this style more . I agree with your results. Thanks for sharing and please keep the videos coming!

[@ModernHam]

Thank you! Will do!

[@garypoplin4599]

8:51 - This is from a guy who stumbled across your test (not a radio pro or even amateur): the Miriit Tactical had the best signal, hands down. If I had a radio and was in the market for an antenna, I’d get the mirkit.

[@kenandbarbie-b6c]

I just got a Radtel 470x with the stock antenna & a Radtel branded tactical antenna about 18” long that looks similar to yours. I haven’t tested it on transmission or measured SWR yet, but I do notice an enormous difference in receiving between the two, even in airband. For the money, the tactical antenna seems very good, but I would also like to try the signal stick in the future as they have helped me with my ham studies. It looks like a lightweight, pliable, less ostentatious performance antenna than the tactical. Thank you for your testing on Ytube.

[@Coryschmory]

Dude, your subscriber numbers are climbing! Keep up the good content!

[@ModernHam]

Thanks for the support!

[@enb3810]

Actually comparing the OEM, plus the most popular aftermarket antennas. Thank you!!!

[@justjames7809]

Great video. Very informative, this is what I’ve been looking for to see how well the Nagoya would hold up and how far would it stretch. Half a mile ain’t bad. But that signal and mirkit antenna woooow those will be on my pick up list!

[@gaptastic]

I'm a big fan of the signal stick, but this video had given me a better appreciation of the tactical antenna. Thanks for sharing! Well done video!

[@d_juxtaposition_b]

This was a great test, it definitely helped me out. Most of what you find is “this one is better just because”, not anything actually demonstrations an improvement in audio quality on the receiving end. Good job man.

[@ModernHam]

Yeah I'd like to do a better test soon. Maybe talking to a friend and changing antennas as I go further

[@nine7295]

The signal stick (I own an SMA-M one) is designed for VHF only, it is a 1/4 wave whip for VHF with no loading coil for any other bands, despite it claimed to be a dual band antenna. The other antennas claim to be dual band also, but they were indeed designed to be such. So you should test it in UHF as well, since all these antennas claim to do dual band. My experience is that the signal stick does work in UHF despite it isn't designed for it, but it has a very high angle of radiation as a 3/4 wave antenna at that band, not the best unless you are using it for satellite work.

[@RLPnKY]

Yes, that is my issue with all the posted tests, including field tests. Most of our HTs are dual-band, so I'd really like to see comparative results of each antenna's performance in both the 2m and 70cm bands. Lab tests are good, but actual field test usage is more realistic in terms of what a user can expect.

[@youreright7534]

Im impressed by the mirkit. Being able to fold and store is incredible, along with the best reception, also half the price of the nagoya and signal stick

[@michaelcollins5192]

concise, real-world test with full data sharing. great job, thank you

[@dbcustomrc]

I own the following: a Nagoya 771 clone that came with my “feng”, the signal stick, the Abbree version of the tac antenna, and a roll up J pole. Sitting in my buddies yard with my Jpole hung from a pole at 20’ I was able to talk around my area, even to a tower I’ve struggled to reach at my house which is several miles closer. With my signal stick on my QRZ-1 and the Jpole on my feng (uv5r), the signal stick was clearer. The Jpole was cutting out and struggling but the signal stick was holding tight.that tower is roughly 15 miles away. Tonight I signed into a net using the QRZ radio with the tac antenna. That tower is about 18-20 miles away. They said I was loud and clear with a bit of static but not enough to wash me out. I didn’t try the signal Stick but I will if I catch the net again tomorrow.

[@TheNuggetshooter]

Well done. Nothing like a live test to give you what a piece of equipment does vs what some says it should do. Thanks for sharing. How about testing mobile antennas. I am thinking of getting a mobile unit and also getting a magnetic based vehicle antenna.

[@johngroberts952]

I have personally used the Nagoya antenna at three miles with decent sound quality. That was 2 uv5r ‘s both with the same Nagoya-177 antenna

[@SaltySpitoon1]

Thank you for taking the time to do this. ❤

[@ModernHam]

Glad i could help!

[@andrewhamop6665]

I have a Nagoya NA-320A for my UV-88 (TYT not Baofeng yay) and it works well, I think I may get a Signal Stick for it though, because I have to use an ugly adapter for my Nagoya.

[@ModernHam]

Yeah I have an ugly one as well.

[@andrewhamop6665]

@@ModernHam yeah, the non-standard connector side is the only thing I don't like about my Nagoya, other then that it's performance is great. Durability is good too, just yesterday I dropped a 50lb bag of animal food down the side of me that I had my HT on, and it didn't break my antenna!

[@pumper34x]

Awesome video! This is the proof in action instead of opinions and statistics. Great job!!

[@kd5inm]

Good test. I think the Mirkit is a good antenna because of the width of it means that it's more widebanded, meaning it will cover a greater or larger area of the band with a lower SWR over that range of frequencies. I assume you stayed on one particular simplex frequency. Here is another idea, test for the lowest SWR or frequency on each antenna where it is lowest SWR, that generally is representative of where the antennas are resonant. Each antenna will vary from the next depending on where they are resonant. The smaller the antenna element is, the less broadband it is. The Mirkit is wider and probably wider banded so it's going to be stronger over a wider amount of frequency than say a wire whip will be. Let's say I have two dipoles, both the same length, one is made from 14ga copper wire and the other is made from 1/2 inch copper pipe. The copper pipe one will have a SWR that is lower over a greater range with the center frequency being resonant at the length both dipoles are cut at. So if the whip antenna works better than the Mirkit then it's a good possibility that it is cut to be resonant on the frequency you used for the test even though the Mirkit is more broadbanded.

[@ModernHam]

That's some good antenna theory. I never really considered how the width changes the bandwidth.

[@whatabouttheearth]

Isn't narrow band stronger though?

[@DannyFyffe]

I almost agree with you. Place 3 and 4 is right. There were 2 times I thought the tactical whip sound just a tiny bit better than the rest, but we agree on the 1 clip where the signal antenna beat them all. So it's a VERY close 1st and 2nd place but I think the tactical whip squeaked out the win, but the signal is such a close 2nd, I doubt anyone could go wrong with it. Thanks for doing this.

[@N4EJM]

I have the Signal Stick as well and really like it.

[@cooldad4]

Thanks for the video, I was impressed with The Signal Stick; but I have to import it from the US! Can't see it anywhere in the UK!

[@longrider42]

I have the Abbree 18 inch Tactical antenna, on my TYT UV8000E, 10 watt HT, and its a beast of an antenna. On frequency 146.000 it has a SWR of 1.0. At 146.775 I get a SWR of 1.03, and a power output of 9.93 watts. I am getting a Signal Stick, so will test that when it comes in.

[@ksotiko1]

Hi, did you end up testing the signal stick on your uv8000e? I have the uv8000d and am looking at the signal stick or the abbree tactical antenna

[@Anri75]

Awesome content, great presentation. Keep up the good work, you are up there with the best presenters in this field worldwide. (just to let you know... )

[@DialM4Microcontrollr]

Thanks for the tests. I have a similar tactical antenna. Mine goes by the brand name Abbree (hopefully I spelled that right)

[@ModernHam]

That one is the more popular brand.

[@Vichardhara303]

Please tell us about band you use ..like aVHF or UHF? This is VU3 YWB from India .QSl

[@w6qd]

Thanks for providing your test results to the KZbin community, they were very useful and informative. AND, I never heard of the Signal Stick until your video and I may just buy one. 73, w6qd

[@edromero6352]

My kind of test, thanks for your time and effort.

[@ModernHam]

Thanks again!

[@longrider42]

I've been using the 18 inch, its a tad longer, cant remember, Abbree antenna and for me it works great. I have the Nagoya NA 771 but the Abbree, is so much better. Had to modify the base of the antenna to fit my TYT UV8000E, but it wasn't hard to do. Nice review. I've been a HAM since 2016. Oh the antenna I use is tuned for best possible SWR's on 146.000. A repeater I use a lot is 146.775, so I'm getting a SWR of 1.03 and a power out put of 9.97 watts. Yes the TYT is a ten watt HT.

[@noveske223]

Please try the Diamond SRJ77CA at those same distances. Thank You

[@danielnapier4501]

Yeah, I've decided to get the singnal stick. After the field test you did.

[@ModernHam]

It's a great antenna.

[@3asyrider75]

I really love my tack antenna. It’s all I use now. You can transmit folded at shorter rangers

[@germansestopal6167]

Thank you for the video. Very good 👍. Which antenna do you have to receive the signal in your house? From Mexico

[@Lego-fs2de]

Test results would differ on UHF versus VHF. Not sure what freq you were testing on.

[@walterwilliams268]

What about those wire tails people install on base of antenna with a ring terminal ?

[@greg6162]

For a Ham radio a 2-mile range seems pretty week compared to GMRS/MURS radio’s. Am I missing something? I’m new to radio coms but maybe someone can elaborate as I thought these things could talk for hundreds if not thousands of miles.

[@ModernHam]

HF you can easily get hundreds or thousands. With a repeater on a handheld 2m, you can get hundreds. But for 2 ground stations like I the example, with lots of mountains, it heavily depends on your location.

[@sofia-p7d4t]

Those "tactical" antennas seem stupid, but they're actually surprisingly well performing. I've got 72 cm one and was absolutely shocked how good it is and now always bring it with me for hikes.

[@floid33556]

It would be great to see this comparison for reception. My signal stuck seems to get worse reception than the stock on 70cm

[@ChadHaviland]

I would love to see these comparisons done on both bands at 1 watt and 5 watts. Some of my antennas perform worse at 5 watts than 1 watt for a given band.

[@DDDSSDDDSSDDDSS]

Damn you juat gave me an avenue of research. 😢😢

[@benjamindudley3798]

As Bong Jovi pointed out, a lapel mic/actual mic would help a ton. Your video is informative, to the point, well recorded video wise, and fairly well edited, a mic would really push you into more professional territory.

[@ModernHam]

Thank you

[@bensmith4563]

I put a full size mobile antenna on my ht mostly because it's funny but now I really feel the need to actually go out and test it

[@whitetiger8652]

Thanks for making this video. Very helpful.

[@ArndroidInc]

Very nice job there Mr. I like that signal stick.

[@patrickgerth4570]

Some antennas do better on UHF and others do better on VHF. But in my opinion, the Abbree and Diamond antennas are the best.

[@GMAN420BC]

No matter what antenna, they are only good for a little over a mile. Very cool video. Greg VE7 EGT

[@garrettstephens91]

Not necessarily true. I can hit a repeater that is 2.1 Miles away from inside my house in my living room. I can also hit a repeater line-of-sight on top of a mountain 13 miles away. Both with the stock antenna on my Yaesu FT70

[@fenf777]

Thanks for your test ! I do have the tactical antenna, the down side is the mobility for logistic is not that good, but for tac out, yeah kinda cool looking. I always prefer the nagoya antenna all day

[@soupdragon12345]

This is cool test , thanks for posting

[@ModernHam]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@brucebeauvais1324]

It seemed to me to be important to know what the test frequency was. We all know SWR changes depending on frequency. You’re also testing with a dual band radio so which band the test uses is also important. It looked the the receiving radio was set to 147.016 at the high end of the two meter band.

[@lordaresthefirst]

Excellent job thanks I'm new to this and just got the new beech gmrs. Can I use these antennas on the balfang 5r and beech gmrs pro?

[@ducktapepilot]

Great video. I'm really enjoying your channel

[@ModernHam]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@spikezaf906]

new in the field :) what should i choose e,ept of course the length of the anenna for a cb radio for long distance in the city? thank you

[@MrUrrl]

Love the review. I have a VX-6R and the stock antenna reception does not compare with the Tecsun PL-380 radio i have. Wondering if the signal stick will improve reception on the VX-6R. I have seen videos of how indestructible the signal stick is but will reception improve over the stock antenna?

[@DaninVirginia]

Great head to head comparison of common HT antennas!

[@joseacd01]

Thank you

[@georgemullin7772]

Absolutely great video keep on testing thank's

[@chasehoward4455]

Nice video! I'm from New Mexico and hope to purchase two UV-5R s

[@dalecarpenter8828]

Where do you get film?

[@mickeydavis2250]

Great job, very informational. Keep up the good work

[@kh6qmchristophercolquhoun695]

Never seen the Signal Stick have look into one to try

[@BushDog777]

Dude this video is amazing

[@floid33556]

What frequency was the test? 2m or 70cm?

[@offrdk5]

What about the na-771G?

[@357Muzzleblast]

Antennas are tricky to test. At your one mile stop you had that large building, which is fine if your home is off to the right. But if it's in the direction of that building, ouch. So please point to about the direction of your home. Or better, just give us your home address and we'll come by when you're not there and steal your Ed Fong antenna (you know you've been wanting to order his tri-band antenna anyway). Oh, and if you can, I'd like to see a side-by-side comparison between the 1) Diamond Signal Stick; 2) Nagoya NA-24J; 3) Nagoya NA-771; 4) Nagoya NA-320A tri-band; 5) el cheapo 15-inch and 6) Retevis RHD-771. As for radios, do you have any actual 10Ws like the TYT UV8000, Baofeng H6 or Radtel 6-band RT-470 (which I clocked at 13/14Ws on VHS and 11Ws on UHF)? The latter has a color display and I checked _four_ different models (from AliExpress), and all easily hit 13W/11W**, so I keep the antennas pointed _away from my head_ unless I want it to explode. Pundits say the power of a handheld isn't all that important, but I'd like to see someone actually test that theory. You've probably got a bunch of el cheapo 15-inchers in a drawer, and I've never actually seen any of them field tested. Retevis claims its antennas are made to exacting standards and the RHD-771 is a 20W, thick gauge antenna that seems built like a battleship. I also would like to see how the tri-band Nagoya stacks up against the standard NA-771 on 2m/70cm. ** Freq. HIGH MED LOW ------------------- 140.000 13.02W 7.91W 6.58W 142.725 12.77W 9.38W 4.37W 143.500 12.91W 9.01W 4.35W 146.355 13.92W 7.61W 4.09W 440.525 10.77W 5.12W 2.22W 442.000 10.75W 5.06W 2.27W 446.252 10.75W 5.08W 2.13W __

[@mlr145]

Thnx for the info

[@ModernHam]

No problem!

[@Sophistry0001]

I figured the tactical antenna would be junk because of how inexpensive it is, the performance really surprised me.

[@ModernHam]

Same here honestly

[@charlesontiveros9089]

im still new to Amateur Ham but I was curious on how far can the baofeng uv-5r generally reach a repeater? I am approximately 10 miles from my local repeater and I do not think anyone can hear my transmission

[@charlesontiveros9089]

I also am using a tidradio TD-771 antenna about 15 inches long

[@ModernHam]

It really depends on the repeaters height and quality. i can reach some repeaters in my area 20 miles away, and some are 5-10 and I can't get them

[@frigglebiscuit7484]

i cant hear anything on one 15 miles from me, but i also have the stock rubber ducky, which could be a reason.

[@keithsafford3056]

Wish I would have discovered this BEFORE I did all my tests after buying antennas!

[@SuAmigoElilegal]

Hello I have a UHF antenna with a 10 inch spring for a UHF cp200 radio. I just got baofeng radio dual vhf/uhf. Question is can I use that antenna for the baofeng, and if not why so 🤔

[@ModernHam]

You can use this antenna in the 70cm or 440 frequencies

[@gavingrow5999]

Thanks for the antenna reviews. Keep it up!!

[@MiiSTAFAB]

Where can I get the rubber ducky antenna

[@dino33ca]

anyone know if this would work on a Baofeng UV S9? Thanks..

[@WJ6FRadio]

Cool video! I have been debating on getting a Signal Stick and this video has sole me on it. I did have a similar tactical antenna before called the abbree. I found it to be a bit directional, but they do work. Subscribed!!

[@huntinglife5202]

great vid brother. Thank you for taking the tme out to film these.

[@indiana146]

Quick question sir are there any large antenna for cb midland or albrecht handheld cb thankyou regards adrian

[@litewatefitr]

Thanks brother!! Lotta good info! Newb here, and I always appreciate a good review! Thanks!

[@michaelcollins5192]

What frequency was the test performed at?

[@benmeyer2916]

Now I’m looking for a better antenna for receiving signal, I assume it works kinda the same right?

[@ModernHam]

All of them were decent, but that tactical antenna preformed a lot better than I thought it would.

[@benmeyer2916]

@@ModernHam I ended up purchasing the signal stick, 16 inch, hopefully that helps me receive some distant csx train frequencies a little better, and the signal stick was all I could really afford

[@danielnapier4501]

Thanks for the video. I've learned something.

[@RadioAntics]

Mirkit tactical seems like it’s the best

[@Roust7]

Thanks this helps a lot

[@egribikayt5518]

should i use the spacer with the nagyoa 771 ? with uv5r?, is it gonna affect the performance

[@AndrewHall08]

Out of curiosity, how did you determine the signal stick performed better than the Nagoya? On that last video where they were all static, it seemed like the signal stick was in and out static and the Nagoya at least had continuous static. In my mind that seemed to indicate the Nagoya was continuously picking up a signal where the signal stick was sporadically hitting your receiver.

[@mortk4]

Great job, keep doing what you're doing... 👍

[@okanaganpeterjames]

Just liked and subbed. Thanks for doing this test

[@1OTDM]

The cheap tactical antennas get a lot of shit on reddit (accusations of "tacticool") but honestly for hiking I've found it to be the ideal form factor. A "wound up" signal stick is still an awkward and odd size/shape, plus it comes undone easily. The folding antenna folds completely in half and is very easy to secure a backpack. Frankly, I wish I could find a way to fit one onto my FT3DR since the GPS "hump" makes it impossible to use the ABBREEs right now without modifying the antenna (probably not a big deal)

[@rammalammadingdong1]

Where is that, it looks nice

[@BEAUTIFULASAROCK]

Epic video many thanks!

[@brianmorrison9168]

I have a small scanner (IC R6) and want to listen to marine frequencies (about 156MHz) and think I'll try and get a better antenna. the Nagoya NA-771 is always mentioned as a good buy. Would this be good for my situation, or perhaps a magnetic one I could stick on top of my car, when i am near the local harbour. Trouble is, I don't really know enough to decide what is a good one.

[@xoibor]

Are these all gmrs compadable?

[@chipl2326]

Great video! interesting to see the results. Thanks!

[@anthonymarino4260]

thanks for sharing

[@longrider42]

If you can, you need to test the swr's of the Signal Stick, the NA 771 and your Mirkit. Find out what frequency you get the lowest SWR's and try again. Yes I know I'm being picky, but its all about how well the antenna is paired to the radio and the lowest SWR's you can get. But a good video none the less I was surprised at hos bad the Mirkit did at 2.5 miles. Very odd.

[@ModernHam]

I did in the video prior to this

[@bulldogbrower6732]

Good to see someone using scientific methods for testing. I’m surprised at the poor results. What were you using for an antenna at the base sight ? How is it coupled to the radio ?

[@ridwandwiatmadja3309]

Buy better Radios specialy from Japan or Motorola, they are may have expensive but reliable for Your health.

[@jmegabite]

Signal Stick link is incorrect , links shows a male type connector . Shouldn't it be a female type connector ?

[@ModernHam]

Depends on what radio you have.

[@jmegabite]

@@ModernHam I realize that , just that the links you posted for the other 2 antennas were the female type , and the radio you were using used the female type connectors , so a newbie might find the inconsistency a little confusing .

[@lrddiablo6599]

looks like you were using vhf and not uhf

[@2metercrew389]

Well done 👍

[@ModernHam]

Thanks!

[@davidp73]

Good practical review