I have this radio, and it is my goto handheld. So far i have had no issues with even thinking about needing a different antenna. I can consistently hit four different repeaters from inside my house that are all over 25 to 35 miles away. Now to answer your questions about the removable antenna. Earlier models had a healthy dab of glue on the threads. Mine however did not, it came off with little to no effort, it is hit or miss. I caution you on trying force it off as some have tried and ruined their radios. As stated earlier, this little handheld really does do great with the stock antenna, but if you really want to replace it, turn it very very slowly, lol.