Best HT Antenna?

[TNFrank]

I have a few different antennas from small stubbies(Diamond SRH805s) to a 3.14" longer stubby(Abbree AR-806+,my go to for my work radio) to the mid-length(8")whips and the longer 15.3" Arbbree AR-771. I'd guess that the 771's would give me the best range on par with other 771's like the Nagoya, et al. Question is are there any other antennas that might give me a bit more gain and still be portable enough or is something like a 771 type antenna about as good as it gets?

I'll not only be using it on GMRS and MURS but also on 2M, 1.25M and 70cm now that I have my Technician License. Thanks.

[TNFrank]

On 9/3/2025 at 11:35 AM, WSHV293 said:

 I would go with a BNC and the appropriate adapter If your radio connection is SMA assuming you plan to interchange antennas. 

 

I just recently did the sma to bnc adapter trick. Makes it a breeze to change antennas and I can hook up my radio to my 9db Yagi easily too.

I wished I'd done this sooner before I bought all the sma female antennas.

[Destro]

2 hours ago, TNFrank said:

I just recently did the sma to bnc adapter trick. Makes it a breeze to change antennas and I can hook up my radio to my 9db Yagi easily too.

I wished I'd done this sooner before I bought all the sma female antennas.

Ok, new to this, but this sounds like a good idea. What exactly do I need to look for to do this? Do I need two connectors? One for the radio, and one for the antenna?

[TNFrank]

Depends on the antenna connection on your radio(SMA Female(most common) or SMA Male(less common))

then you just get a BNC Male antenna to connect to the BNC Female connector. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FD3BSMSK?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CVQL14A?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N5Y8H9L?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085MDL66C?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F9FB4J3D?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

[Destro]

14 minutes ago, TNFrank said:

Depends on the antenna connection on your radio(SMA Female(most common) or SMA Male(less common))

then you just get a BNC Male antenna to connect to the BNC Female connector. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FD3BSMSK?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CVQL14A?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N5Y8H9L?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085MDL66C?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F9FB4J3D?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

Ok thanks. I was looking at some of those, and wasn't sure if I needed both the different ones. I have TD H3's.

[TNFrank]

That radio has SMA Male in the radio so you'll need SMA Female to BNC Female for it. Then which ever antennas you'd want to use. I have the stubby on my work radio but can quickly change to the 771 length antenna when I need more range and I don't have to ware out the threads in the radio. Like I said, I wish I'd have done this from the start, it really makes antenna changes a breeze. 

[WRTC928]

By no means is this scientific, but with a UV-5r on one watt and HYS 8" antenna, I can open and converse on a 2m repeater 20 miles away, although the report is quite a bit of static. From inside the house, I can't even open the repeater with that antenna. When I switch to the HYS 15" antenna, I can converse from inside the house with reports of "some" static. Clearly, the antenna does make a difference, and in my experience, a longer antenna usually works better. The trade-off, of course, is that it is less convenient than a shorter antenna. YMMV

[TNFrank]

4 hours ago, WRTC928 said:

By no means is this scientific, but with a UV-5r on one watt and HYS 8" antenna, I can open and converse on a 2m repeater 20 miles away, although the report is quite a bit of static. From inside the house, I can't even open the repeater with that antenna. When I switch to the HYS 15" antenna, I can converse from inside the house with reports of "some" static. Clearly, the antenna does make a difference, and in my experience, a longer antenna usually works better. The trade-off, of course, is that it is less convenient than a shorter antenna. YMMV

Length, SWR and how high you can get the antenna will all add range.