Antenna Test

[WRKY933]

When I first started getting into GMRS I was told that I needed a dedicated GMRS antenna for my AR5RM radio BC the stock antennas that came with the radio are sh!t. I know the little rubber ducky antennas leave little to be desired. A knowledgeable person told me that I need a NAGOYA 771G antenna. I already had an ABBREE 771 GMRS antenna. That antenna cost me a whopping $8.00 in monies. The NAGOYA is $22.00 in monies, almost 3 times the price of the ABBREE antenna. I was told that the NAGOYA is a better antenna because it's made in Japan and the ABBREE is a Chinese knockoff. Total rubbish! The NAGOYA is made in Taiwan, not Japan. It has a Japanese name so people assume it's made in Japan. It comes in an identical wrapper as the ABBREE which is made in China. I did a side by side comparison of the 2 antennas Talking to a lady about 20 Fars (miles) away on a GMRS repeater. I was using the NAGOYA 771 G antenna and my signal was weak. She could barely hear me. Her signal wasn't so great either because it was transmitting back from the repeater into my sh!tty NAGOYA 771G antenna. So then I told her to stand by while I switched antennas. I installed the ABBREE 771 GMRS and it was as clear as a bell. It was like talking to someone next door. The elcheapo Chinese made ABBREE antenna was far better than the more expensive Japanese knockoff outsourced to Taiwan NAGOYA 771G antenna.

I recently bought another AR5RM radio. This one came with an ABBREE 771 UHF/VHF HAM antenna. So I did another antenna test. I made a contact about 40 miles away on a HAM repeater using the included ABBREE 771 UHF/VHF antenna. I then switched over to the ABBREE 771 GMRS antenna. The person I was talking to said he couldn't tell any difference between the 2 antennas. His transmission back to me was clear as well. Will the ABBREE 771 UHF/VHF work on GMRS? I don't know, I haven't tried it yet but but I suspect that it might. Anyways, that is my unscientific antenna test for whatever it's worth.

Jeff WRKY933 / K7JXB
 

[WRXB215]

1 hour ago, WRKY933 said:

Will the ABBREE 771 UHF/VHF work on GMRS?

Mine does. I have the U/V and the GMRS and they both work on GMRS.

[AdmiralCochrane]

Some Nagoyas are counterfeits made in China. If you got a genuine Nagoya that isn't superior, that is unusual.

Contacts made thru repeaters are often poor for comparisons because repeater antennas are often mounted much higher than is practical with HT or mobile units AND repeater receivers are dramatically better radios than HT's. 

A much better test is simplex HT to HT.

[WSDR948]

14 hours ago, AdmiralCochrane said:

Some Nagoyas are counterfeits made in China. If you got a genuine Nagoya that isn't superior, that is unusual.

Contacts made thru repeaters are often poor for comparisons because repeater antennas are often mounted much higher than is practical with HT or mobile units AND repeater receivers are dramatically better radios than HT's. 

A much better test is simplex HT to HT.

I have two questions here. How can one tell if they have a "genuine" Nagoya and where is a safe place to buy one?

To the OP, I just got my AR-5RM yesterday and love it!

[UncleYoda]

1 hour ago, WSDR948 said:

I have two questions here. How can one tell if they have a "genuine" Nagoya and where is a safe place to buy one?

To the OP, I just got my AR-5RM yesterday and love it!

https://www.kb6nu.com/fake-nagoya-antenna/

Authentic Nagoya NA-771G Handheld GMRS Antenna (15.3 Inch)

[WSDR948]

1 hour ago, UncleYoda said:

https://www.kb6nu.com/fake-nagoya-antenna/

Authentic Nagoya NA-771G Handheld GMRS Antenna (15.3 Inch)

Thanks! It looks like I got a couple of real ones.