[K3PZN-List] Wanted: Your opinion on Dual Band 144/440mhz Mobile Antennas

[Andy Leeds]

I  have 3 dual band antennas I use (not at the same time):

1. A low profile loaded 1/4 on 2, 3/4 on 70cm thats only redeeming 
feature is it fits in my garage. Its about 12" tall and from the roof of 
my pickup to the top of the door I have 12-3/8"  so I don't have to take 
it on/off as I go in and out. Mount is a NMO (aka Motorola, 3/4" hole in 
the roof). Performance is horrible - SWR about 1.8:1 is as good as it 
ever gets.

2. A 1/4 wave on 2, 3/4 on 70cm magmount. I use this on top of the 
police car, it blends in pretty well and nobody seems to notice the 
extra antenna. The motor officers use these on the bikes as well mounted 
back on top of the 800MHz radio case behind the seat. These are OK 
antennas, they don't set the world on fire but they are low profile 
enough the Lt. won't make us take them off.

3. A 1/2 2m, ? 70cm - use this when I go on long trips and want better 
performance that the piece of junk #1 antenna. I don't know much about 
it because all its information was in Japanese (hey it was $15 at the 
hamfest). This antenna looks to be a clone of the Larsen 2m/70cm old 
standby dual bander with the center loading coil. I see a good 2 s-unit 
difference once I'm out of town and can hold the repeater out to Orlando 
Airport on it while I loose it on the junk antenna about 12miles before 
I get there.

My personal mounting prefrence is to drill a hole and get it over with 
(there's a good story about k4ywc and I telling his wife n4uwc about how 
a 12ga slug makes a perfect hole for a NMO mount the day after she got a 
new car) (yes we were kidding, don't try that at home) since its easier 
to route the coax and the antenna won't fly off when you get up to speed 
(my HT almost went out the window one night when I hit the tracks a 
little fast, say 75ish, and the magmount let go). My advice is to look 
for a hamfest special the size you are willing to mount on the car and 
the price you are willing to pay.  I think that most of the antenna 
companies measure gain relative to a wet noodle in a leaky chamber with 
out of calibration test equipment so the gain numbers are meaningless.

73,
Andy