| NT8F |
Rating:  |
2022-08-21 | |
| A great antenna for a glass mount. |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I was surprised of how much more this antenna cost then other similar types but was very pleased with its performance. Well-built and was easy to install on my motorhome side window. A 1.2:1 match right out of the box on both 2 meters and 70cm. If you’re looking for a good antenna that is a glass mount this will do the trick. Not the performance of a full-size antenna but I can hit repeaters 20 miles away which is more then I was looking for. |
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| HB9FOB |
Rating: |
2022-08-08 | |
| Nothing better if you are looking for a V/U glass-mount antenna |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Just wanted to update you with my Larsen glass-mount V/U dual band antenna experience: this antenna has been on duty on my vehicles for more than 8 years and counting and still works like a charm.
I have recently removed it from the first car where it had been originally installed and purchased the "Larsen KG reinstall kit", because of my current need to install it on a 4x4 vehicle.
The original installation on the other vechile was very well done and it took me a lot of care and quite some efforts to remove it without damaging the antenna base components.
After that, I followed all the KG reinstall kit instructions carefully and antenna reinstallation took place without a single issue.
After reinstalling the antenna on my 4x4 vehicle, I have run a performance test and was able to hit a VHF repeater on a mountain 183kms away at the lowest RF power setting and without much of an effort.
To perfect antenna installation even more, I have run a special, customized heat-shrinkable coating all over the antenna and the annoying whistle coming out on a regular basis at medium-to-high driving speed, is now gone for ever.
Thanks again, Larsen, for making this wonderful and durable glass mount antenna which definitely still makes me happy after so many years of use!
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2014-06-30
I really want to tell you my story with this antenna.
I needed something to install on a luxury car where holes, magnets, hooks, lid mounts and tall antennas were definitely out of the question.
After extensive research on the Internet, I wound up with this Larsen dual band antenna and another similar, however much cheaper, glass-mount dual band antenna sold by many big names worldwide, nevertheless essentialy made in Taiwan.
Being the car fairly expensive (USD150,000), I did not compromise on the antenna and I purchased the Larsen dual band as the most expensive glass-mount antenna I could find on the market.
Since I live in Switzerland, I had to specifically order the Larsen KG-270 which ended up costing a pretty penny, if I consider the shipping costs: well, after testing it today, I am very happy with my choice and don't look back at all.
Antenna aesthetics perfectly match the car, the internal fit is perfect (the Taiwanese antenna coupler required the installation of a counterpoise metal arm for which I really had no space at all!) and the coupling simply fantastic: with ZERO tweaking (I did not even touch the allen screw adjust...), I am getting a 1.3-1.4 SWR on the EU ham VHF band and a 1.1 SWR at the beginning of the EU ham UHF band which becomes 1.3 at the end of the EU ham UHF band.
Judging by these results, I really believe that anyone experiencing troubles with this antenna has either performed a (very) wrong installation or mounted the antenna onto some sort of shielded/non-conductive/lead glass without even knowing about their car glass type.
At my first radio test (the transceiver in the car is an IC7100), I was able to hit a UHF repeater on a hill, 50Kms (31.25 miles approx.) away with 3,5 Watts of RF power without effort!
During another test in Italy, I could perform an extended QSO on UHF through a repeater on a mountain 80-90Kms (50-56.25 miles approx.) away while driving my car and with a 35W RF power.
There is more: before buying it, I talked to a friend of mine in the US about this antenna and he tried to discourage me from buying it because of the different ham frequency bands:
"being the Larsen pre-tuned on US ham radio frequencies, it is very likely you are going to waste your money", he said.
Well, my experience proves he was wrong.
Full thumbs up, Larsen! Thanks for making my day and solving my car situation with this truly nice and super-efficient glass-mount antenna! |
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| N8EKT |
Rating: |
2018-04-10 | |
| SIMPLY THE BEST! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
The Larsen is simply the best on glass antenna dual bander ever made.
Don't waste your money on all the cheapo on glass
antennas.
The antenna is no place to go cheap.
And Larsen makes the BEST!
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| K1VI |
Rating: |
2013-06-13 | |
| Looking forward to a second good 10 years |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Traded a 2003 CRV for a 2013 CRV. Ten excellent years with this rock-solid antenna. Really had to work to remove it from the old car, showing how strong the glass-mount is. Bought their $9.99 remount kit, so this will go on the new car for perhaps another 10 years. Constant use during rush-hour, second to none for performance.
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Earlier 5-star review posted by K1VI on 2012-04-14
Just realized it's been 19 years for this one antenna: 10 years on a 1992 Ford Tempo, followed by 9 years now on a 2003 Honda CRV. "Twangs" on my garage door every day, but stays stuck. Comparing to other regulars on our repeaters, seems to have fine range. |
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| K1IW |
Rating: |
2013-05-30 | |
| Good Performance, Exceptional Durability |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have two of these antennas - one is now on its third vehicle and is over 20 years old, the second one is less than a year old. Both work as I expected: not as great as permanently attached antenna, but adequate to reliably work the local repeaters. Let's face it, its not too often you try to work DX with your FM mobile.
What really stands out is the durability of the construction. If you put the two antennas side-by-side, the older one has worn so little that you can't tell the difference.
About ten years ago, trying to save $20, I strayed and bought a knock-off design from another company. Within a year, that antenna had visibly rusted. That one's now in the trash heap.
There are several negative reviews in here from people who couldn't get the antenna to work. Let's remember, Larsen has no control of the thickness or composition of the glass which is right smack in the middle of their antenna. I don't see why anyone can hold them responsible for that. If your vehicle's glass is compatible with their design, you will get an extremely well-built antenna with adequate performance for working local repeaters. If not, return it to the store for a refund.
Finally: customer service gets an A+. One day, my teenage son somehow managed to bend the mount on the antenna (let's just say the truck had a lot of mud on it too). In an attempt to bend it back, the small metal piece that the whip threads on to broke. I called Larsen, expecting to order a replacement part. I was told they would send me the part for free - they won't even charge me for shipping. In the past, when I moved the antenna from one vehicle to another, they sent me new attachment kit as well. |
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| N4RPG |
Rating: |
2013-05-25 | |
| High SWR |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I wish I had the success some of you had. I installed the KG 2/70 on a 2013 Toyota Corolla, center top of rear window. Arrows aligned. Initial SWR was 3.0. After cutting close to 3 inches off the whip (in 1/8th inch segments) the best I could achieve was 1.6. I couldn't bear to cut any more off and the UHF function is kaput. At least I achieved their marketing claims of 2.5 or less. Really disappointed... |
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| N8ZCC |
Rating: |
2013-01-31 | |
| Great antenna but even better customer service. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I have been using the KG2/70 glass mount antenna since I bought my first mini-van back in 1995. Today I drive Tahoes but still use the glass mount antenna (not the same one though). Well, the ice got my antenna and broke the swivel mount, first time this has happened. I found the part I needed on their Web site but didn’t find a way to order the part. I gave Larsen a call and spoke with Rita, a customer service specialist. She sent me the part free of charge which arrived two days later. In the package Rita included her business card and took the time to write on the card thanking me for being a Larsen customer. Larsen has a customer for life, I wish all companies treated their customers like Larsen. |
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| JASANDERS |
Rating: |
2012-03-11 | |
| So far so good! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Bought this antenna for a suzuki xl-7 suv with dark factory installed window tint. Hooked to it, I have an icom id-880h. As soon as I installed it I keyed up on my usual repeater (which was about 20 miles away) and reporting stations said I came through with full quieting. Then went even further from the repeater (about 30 miles away) and was moving at a speed of appx 65 mph and still full quieting. I would have much rather have had an nmo mount, but wife didn't want any holes in the vehicle. But after taking the plunge I am very pleased! I noticed the whistling issue once, but the suv is very quiet so I can hardly hear it. |
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| WOODSTER2 |
Rating: |
2012-02-02 | |
| Mounting with tint |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I mounted a glass mount on my truck window which had a light tint. I outlined the base and used an exacto knife to remove the tint where the mounting point was going to be. Worked great. Had no issues at all. |
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| KB2UKA |
Rating: |
2012-02-01 | |
| I'm a believer |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I just installed one on my new 2012 Cherokee Overland. Same reasons as everyone else. Didnt want to drill and wanted something that looked nice. Well, with my IC-92AD HT on 5 watts, I'm hitting repeaters 60-70 miles away. I live in Waterbury, CT and I'm making it into repeaters in Carmel, NY.
So far 5 out of 5. I'll update all of you after bad weather and some run-ins with parking garages. |
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