TWAYRDIOVHF UHF 2Meter 70cm Foldable Tactical Antenna 15.3 inch Dual Band 144/430MHz SMA Male Handheld Radio Antennas for YAESU/Vertex Standard FT-60 FT-70 FT-70D TYT ICOM PUXING Two-way Radios

As described, and arrived on time. On at least one occasion, my HT of choice could be heard from roughly thirty miles away. Part of that is of course a good repeater, part is a nicer antenna.

I tested this antenna on a Radioddity GD-77 radio. It has the SMA-F connector, unlike the common Baofeng radios which use the SMA-M connector. This antenna should also be compatible with the Yaesu VX-6R.Normally I monitor the local public safety dispatch frequency on a tower across the valley about 30 miles away. Using the factory antenna, I typically get good reception everywhere in my house. This antenna appears top equal that performance, eve while it is folded. Fully extended, it gets better reception than the stock antenna in places where the stock antenna is marginal.I can usually hit 2 or 3 VHF mountaintop amateur repeaters from my house (a slightly elevated position), and signal reports from the farthest repeater were good with the antenna fully extended.While receiving is okay with the antenna folded, I would caution against transmitting with it folded as folding it likely causes an impedance mismatch at the transmitter.In the attached pictures, you can see that folded, it isn't significantly longer than the factory antenna, which is nice considering the reception appears to be about the same (while folded).Also included were a couple of O ring seals. One appears to be intended to help keep moisture out of the radio, and the other could be intended to be used to seal the connection between the mast and the loading coil. There was also a hook and loop strap to retain the antenna in the folded position. There were no instructions in or on the bag.Overall I am pleased with this antenna and it appears to offer a nice boost in gain versus the factory antenna for this radio. It appears to be reasonably well built and should hold up to repeated use.

There are two versions of the TWAYRDIO Foldable Tactical SMA Radio Antenna. The difference is that one has a female SMA connector while the other has a male SMA connector. Both antennas are dual band (144/430MHz) and work on the 2-Meter and 70-cm ham bandsWhich one you purchase depends on the type of HT radio that you own. The male version works with some YAESU/Vertex, TYT and ICOM HTs. The female version works with Baofeng, Wouxun and several other Chinese HT brands. Don’t go strictly by brand in determining which version to order. Look closely at your radio’s antenna connector and order the appropriate version.Both antennas are 31.5 inches long. They are flexible can can be bent over and held in place with a Velcro band (supplied with the antenna.) Cosmetically, they look tactical with military type camouflage. However, most ham handheld radios are black, so I didn’t feel that a camouflage antenna looked particularly great on them. But that is clear a matter of personal preference. I did not run any measurements on the TWAYRDIO Foldable Tactical SMA Radio Antenna. However, when attempting to hit fringe repeaters in my area on two-meters, the antenna seemed comparable to the very well regarded Diamond SRH77CA antenna.

I am using this on my Kenwood handheld VHF amateur transceiver. This radio is the one I typically bring with me when heading into the woods, so the camouflage coloring fit right in. When folded, this antenna is about the same size as the stock antenna--around 8 inches. Velcro band holds it securely when folded. When extended, this performs much better than the short stock antenna, giving me a little more range, especially when in the woods. Antenna folds in half, or even thirds, to be more compact while in your pack.