BaoFeng Antenna Side By Side Comparison

There are so many antennas to chose from out there, how do you know which ones are good? Today I sample five, plus the rubber ducky and try to give you a good recommendation.
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[vailguy]

You know what this is missing? A spreadsheet comparison of the results at the end. Food for thought.

[billoftt]

4:18 "Not an ideal situation." I respectfully disagree. Where you tested IS an "ideal" situation for the average user surfing YouTube looking for some information. None of us here are going to be operating in laboratories, most of us will be around neighborhoods with houses and such.

[stickmenwithrayguns]

Good video's & relevant topic. Two things to consider: 1. Antennas and/or radio could be mismatched. => The best antenna for your radio might not be the best for another. 2. Using a radio inside a vehicle will cause interference => Moving the antenna just a tiny bit could change the directivity/beamform significantly.

[chriswesney]

I've been using the expert power 7 and 14 inch antennas since I bought my radios in 2013. I've never had a problem with them and they work great. One of them even survived my 100 pound Rottweiler eating the radio. I still use the antenna even though the rubber is munched a bit.

[AIHV]

I appreciate your video showing this comparison. I was glad to see that the choice I made on my antenna purchase form my Baofeng BF-F8HP was spot on for performance.

[bilboXbartok]

i have the Nagoya 771 on my BaoFeng and it works great! I do not care that it is longer! It works much better!

[CoryRwtfyt]

Thanks, for this antenna video. I just purchased my first radio yesterday. The Baofeng BF-F8+ and I'm studying for the technician license in two weeks.

[Steven-gvke]

Please test the NA-24J (UHF / VHF Ultra Light Whip 16.2" High Gain Antenna) against the NA-771. The NA-24J solves the excess mass issue that knocks the radio over. Plus for hiking it does save about a 1/4 lb of weight.

[KevinLaybourn]

For those who say he should be outside the car and paying attention to polarity, he is trying for worse case scenario

[gnrfan]

I've tryed a bunch of different antennas and my favorite is the 8" abbree whip. it performs almost as good as the long antennas but so much more convenient. Just seems to do slightly better on vhf than uhf. abbree 18" folding antenna is really great but bulky i use that for scanning at home. 15.5 abbree is almost as good as the 18"

[erictjones]

You make great videos. I have the 771 and I like its range. The fit up to the BF*-HP at least made me modify a small washer to help stabilize the base and make definite positive contact. I even used a small FINE file to lower part of the shield on the radio. Yes that is the sign of low quality, but I do not mind spending the time tweaking my portable, that is so tiny and light. Thanks for helping out others.

[dakotanorth]

Thanks for warning me about the stubby antenna. I questioned them, and you answered. I just acquired a 147-160 Mhz antenna. It's thicker than the stock antenna. I hope to see how well it does on VHF. Right now I can only receive because I'm unlicensed, but that will change.

[ericletts]

I think this video was very true to the type of area I use mine in. Thank You very much !

[collinjilbert]

Mine is arriving today and I'm stoked to do a comparison of my own. Thanks for doing this video!

[Podunk]

i used to use a stubby at work, i programmed my 8hp to work with the radios at work, i used the stubby to restrict my tx range

[macboi]

I really appriciate all the work that went into this... thanks dude!

[factcheckersbranch]

Interesting video I have a small collection of antennas and have picked up some positive tips from you, thanks for sharing

[ritalopiccolo]

I just purchased two Baofeng Gt-3wp radios. I installed the Nagoya antennas on them hoping for greater communication range and at 80 ft I was barely able to receive and communicate. I reinstalled the manufactured rubber duckies that came with my radios and got a 2 mile range! I'm sending the Nogoyas back and trying another set of them on my radios.

[nandoenk]

this kind of test that needed by everyone. real use/life test!!

[Jimwill]

I use one of my UV5R's as a monitor. I got an adapter and have it hooked up to a slim-jim that is hanging from the ceiling in my shack. That way I don't have to worry as much about lightening! I have used it to make our ham net when it is storming. In addition, as a monitor it does not draw as much power as a mobile or base rig.