Today I am reviewing the Baofeng Whip VHF/UHF 144/430Mhz Antenna. It’s important to note that this has an SMA-F connection that should work with Baofeng HT’s.
Many GMRS and Ham Radio RT owners are familiar with Baofeng, as the company is known for making the most economic handheld transceivers that have a big following worldwide.
The company also sells accessories including antennas. This particular Dual Band antenna features a flexible, bendable coil that allows for easy positioning and adjustment to improve signal reception.
The first thing I did was test out the SWF (Standing Wave Ratio) via my NanoVNA. Typically these dual band antennas are 136-174MHz (VHF) and 400-480MHz (UHF).
Most importantly, it’s important for everyone to know that this is an SMA SMA-F antenna. If you are using a radio that has a male SMA connection, you will want an antenna to have an SMA Female. Otherwise, if you accidentally purchased, if your radio features a female connection, then you may need to purchase an adapter.
OK, so on to my SWR (Standing Wave Ratio) tests. I tested this on my meter and tests were as follows:
The results are as follows:
141 MHz 1.8
430 MHz 1.1
For the most part, it stayed around 1.2-1.8 for different fluctuations and never above 2. For those not familiar with SWR, if 3.0 or over, this can destroy your radio. Anything with 2.5-2.9 is not good but you may want to change antenna positioning.
But I was able to pick up repeaters around 141 miles away and many dispatch frequencies 45 miles away. Overall, I was happy to see how this antenna tested and I do recommend it.
