Model: AR-152A
Manufacturer: Unknown
Design: Flexible blade antenna
Type: Monopole Dual Band (2m/70cm) SMA female connection
Frequencies: 136Mhz - 520MHz
Length: 47cm / 18.3in
Weight: 82g
Gain: +2.5db
Price: £6.50 shipped
Source: Ebay seller
Shipped from: UK
A New Antenna For My Baofeng!?
When it comes to aftermarket antennas for chinese radios there is no getting away from the millions of fake Nagoya's or Diamond stubbies swamping ebay and amazon. Ocassionally something new comes along which looks a little different.
This new tactical blade antenna is certainly different from what we are usually presented with. First off is it's looks. Reminiscent of a tape measure some would say. It is quiet large compared to the NA-771 for instance. Flexible to be practical is the key word here with the blade having the ability to be folded in half and even into thirds when stowing away.
Apparently this design is based on a Harris PRC-152 flat flexi antenna used on military radios but it certainly isn't like one of those at all! Instead only the shortest part of the complete set up is supplied (The stump piece and blade) and the antenna extender is also missing but nevermind, it's a new Baofeng antenna!
Why a blade?
As well as looking a little daft, these type of blade antennas have some noteable qualities. One of which is the ability to act as an omni-directional monopole antenna acheiving good coverage over two different RF bands. This attempts to create a broader band antenna compared with a single wire monopole. An improvement on regular antennas seems to be the main selling point for this type but does that hold up when the logic is applied to a cheaply made chinese offering?
Another advantage to the blade is the ability for it to be folded down to a small size for storage. When attached to a soldiers webbing additional cable extenders can be used between the radio and the blade allowing free movement for the soldier when the antenna is on their back.
Build
This antenna comes as four separate parts.
- SMA connector piece (Base piece)
- Blade section
- Velcro strap
- Spacer/washer
In terms of build quality the blade antenna is as good as any cheap aftermarket antenna.(not good)
The plastics used in the cover of the base piece is cheap and nasty. The metals used in the base piece are also below par. That's not a surprise really. The upper blade section is basically a trapezoidal shaped piece of alloy metal covered in a plastic heat shrink material. Not really high quality.
Considering the function of this antenna is to be bent in two over and over again one wonders how long the thin sheet metal blade will last before snapping?
Along with the two piece antenna is a spacer for fixing to the radio connector. A waste of time when all said and done and a magic velcro strap. This is actually quite good. It's like micro velcro, thin and very sticky for hog tying the antenna down.
Compatibility?
Don't expect this antenna to fit on every radio. The diameter of the antenna base is much bigger than most. Only radios which have a shallow antenna housing and space along the top will be able to use this. Forget the Baofeng GT-3 for instance.The GT-3 has a plastic lip around the antenna socket preventing the antenna screwing down at all. In testing the blade did fit the Baofeng UV-82, Baofeng 888s, Baofeng UV-5R and Pofung GT-1 at a pinch. The UV-82 had to have its flashlight reshaped with a knife just so the antenna would sit down nicely. It's not an ideal situation.
Good Points
- Sensitive
- Can be folded in half
Bad Points
- Very large and unwieldy
- Only fits on selected radios
- Top heavy
Basic Testing
As I still don't own a power/SWR meter the tests were simple and non-scientific.
The blade antenna was tested against a Nagoya NA-771 and a Retevis elite RHD-771 on a Mistuta UV-82+ radio.
The test area was flat farmland at distances of around half a mile to a mile.
RX seems better on the new blade than on the NA-771 and The RHD-771 both of which are similar in length. The blade stands roughly 2-3ins higher than the others.
When it came to TX the blade seemed better than the NA-771 but similar to the RHD-771.
The blade overall seemed an improvement over the others which was a surprise. One wonders if the slightly longer length made a difference?
The tests were carried out with the antenna fully extended of course. Transmitting with the antenna folded in half might not be the best thing to do. Surely the SWR readings will be different? maybe not for the good. It is probably not advisable to TX at half mast. Listening only!.
WARNING!
Caution must be used when unstrapping the antenna. The blade is like a wound spring when it's doubled up and has a tendency to snap outwards. The antenna should be pointed away from the user when extending.
Conclusion:
To be honest the blade antenna is a mixed bag. Performance is better than the ebay favourite Nagoya Na-771 and it can be folded in half for storage purposes. However, It's heavy, long and has a habit of toppling the radio over. Worth buying for airsoft maybe or just because you don't have one already.
