I made the big mistake of buying a new VX-7R recently. The radio is a cute deal but performs terribly, expecially with the stock antenna. I am on my 2nd unit (warranty replacement 3 weeks after purchase). At the moment, I am using the Diamond SRH320A. Its a bit longer than the original antenna, but is very flexible. It will transmit on all 4 bands. I cant really compare it to anything else, because the radio still has horrible receive, even with the longer antenna. Dont expect any miracles with this radio.