Ham Radio Antenna (2m)

[John Erwin]

I agree, you do get what you pay for in mobile antennas, Ive tried pretty much all of them. I currently use an SBB-5 from comet, its not as tall as some with more gain, I did successfully talk to a fellow chaser last year 20 miles simplex when we got seperated in TX using that antenna and 50 watts.
Mike

I currently use a Comet C767 NMO on a fender mount and love it's performance. I've also got a Larsen dual band that I sometimes use as well on the roof mount, but normally take it off when I'm not chasing since I use a garage.

 

[Ben Cotton]

Definitely go with the best antenna you can afford. If you don't want to go drilling holes in your car, I'd suggest a trunk-mount antenna. It clips to the lip of your trunk. Should provide better signal than a mag-mount with little-to-no vehicle damage.


BC

 

[Andrew Herron]

Be weary of mag mounts! It's great that there's no holes, but over time you might fight tiny scratches, as I have on my trunk deck. I now have a trunk mount base with a small 18" dual band antenna.

As for a radio, I'm using a Yaesu FT8000-R. The R means that it can cross repeat, which is nice if you want to use your HT but can't hit the repeater on its low power. I've heard most Yaesu are bad with alternator noise but this one seems to do the trick.

As for antennas, Comet or Larson are my picks. The MFJ (Mighty Fine Junk) have a tendency to not be built very well. Since I needed an SMA connector for my trunk mount, I went with a Maldol AS-30 that I picked up in Dayton. My setup has no problems hitting a repeater about 30 miles away on low power.