Lewong Low Profile Phantom Antenna SL16/UHF-J/M U/V 144/430MHz 50W 2.15/3dBi for Car Radio Mobile/Station (1 Pack)

Another reviewer wrote that it works if you're LOS to a repeater, which is true, but not being LOS to a repeater doesn't mean the antenna doesn't work. I have a Yaesu radio permanently installed in my truck, and I've been driving around with a 36-inch whip attached to a magnetic mount on the roof. That antenna works _great_ as long as I'm not driving into a parking garage, passing under low wires, an awning, or anything else that doesn't expect my truck to be as tall as it is with the antenna. After months of getting out, removing it or unscrewing it so it folds, I found that I just spent most of the time without the antenna attached, and thus without the radio. If I wanted to use the radio, I had to stop the truck, get out, get the antenna, attach it, get back into the truck, continue on my way, and then if I encountered any of the obstacles I reference above, get out, unscrew it...it was a pain.I looked at smaller whip antennas here on Amazon, and then I found this. The truck already has a 2.4GHz antenna in the same form factor (great for wardriving), and having this screw directly onto my mobile mount made it a no-brainer. Now I can turn the radio on and use it for short-range communication, longer-range if there's a repeater, or use my truck as a cross-band repeater when my wife and I are a little further apart with our handhelds. I no longer have to worry about overhead obstacles, and if I need a bigger, higher-gain antenna, I can put that other beast back on.Why do I say short range? Consider that radios aren't magic. All radios require line of sight with minimal structural interference in order to operate, and 2m/70cm doesn't benefit from atmospheric reflection. (When I'm talking to the other side of the planet on 10m or 20m, that's long range.) Although I haven't put it through any sort of endurance test, it's worked fine within a few city blocks of my wife's handheld. She can hear me clearly, even when her responses are filled with multipath interference. Any reasonable LOS use of the radio will work fine with this antenna, and if it can truly support 80W of power, you'll have more than enough power to cover LOS distance. My use case is from a few hundred meters to a few kilometers, but if we crossed the 1km mark in a city environment, I wouldn't expect any vehicle antenna to be able to overcome the laws of physics.This is a great little antenna. It's small, inconspicuous, and effective. It won't turn your car into a 40-meter tall 1500W tower on a mountain top, but if you find something that will, let me know.

These little stubby antennas always get a bad reputation with most operators. For what I use out for, it works great. Simplex in a hilly city environment is about 18-20 miles on a 50w radio. In the mountains I can hit any repeater. I've never had an issue with my antenna. If you're serious about your antenna, you shouldn't be looking at this product because you'll just buy it and leave a bad review... man up and buy the $200.00 antenna. This stubby should work fine for 90% of the mobile operators out there that are looking for something compact with good reception and gain. Mine has hit trees and been submerged, it's still going strong. 5 of 5 stars.

it is short and works well as long as you are in line of sight of a repeater. I did manage to talk through a repeater located in downtown Fort Worth from downtown Dallas. I also had no issue with the SWR.

I so wanted this antenna to work! It's low profile, so it doesn't grab attention or get snagged on branches. Problem is, it just doesn't work on 144 mhz. When I installed it, I thought my radio had gone deaf. Not sure where the problem was, I attached my trusty swr meter and was rewarded with an SWR of 7?! No wonder I couldn't transmit! (Compare this to a 1/4 wave whip, or even just a piece of wire which gives a reading of 1.3). All told, love the form factor, but it just doesn't work.

Great product works great

Excellent purchased

Works well for a small antenna, also attaches easily.

Just because I had to give a star rating. Avoid this so called antenna. It will work no better then putting a dummy load on the end if your coax. Just for fun a cut it open to see how it was constructed.

Ok, this antenna is really small and really should not work well, but I have been impressed that it does. Great for the urban area and for it's size, it can access 2 meter and 70cm repeaters easily. When I head out to the country, I use a full sized whip, but for downtown, this antenna is great.