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Reviews For: Maldol MH-209SMA

Category: Antennas: VHF/UHF+ Omnidirectional: verticals, mobile, etc

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Review Summary For : Maldol MH-209SMA
Reviews: 37MSRP: 23.95
Description:
The Maldol Comet MH-209SMA Active Hunter is a tiny HT antenna for 2 meters and 440 MHz. It is 3 inches tall and is flexible. 0 dBi 1/4 wave. VSWR: 2.1 or less. Maximum power: 5 watts. Black color. This antenna terminates to an SMA.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.cometantenna.com/products.php?CatID=1&famID=8&childID=0
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00374.4
W4VD Rating: 2003-07-19
Pretty Amazing Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
All I do with my F6A is Cross Band Repeat to my 8900 in my vehicle, and listen to public service channels and occasionally listen to local repeaters. This antenna does all that as good as the original for my needs (yours may differ) and since there is no 220 activity, nothings lost there. I was surprised at how flexible it is for the small size, it would be hard to break. The actual connector is much more well built that the original. I ran across this one after the center pin in my orignial broke, given the replacement was 90 dollars! And my needs, the thought of downsizing became attractive. And it 19.95, you just can't beat it. Only wish I have gotten one when I bought the rig a year and a half ago.
KG6PHX Rating: 2003-03-22
Works amazingly well Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just bought this antenna for a little more than $20 at HRO. For its size (about 3 inches) this little antenna rivals the performance of the stock OEM antenna included with the Yaesu VX-7r. As others have mentioned here, it still doesn't compare to a good quality, longer gain antenna (like the excellent Comet SMA-24, which I also own), but its performance is very good, especially when you compare it to other stubby and/or short antennas by Pryme, Comet, and Diamond. Just don't expect to hit repeaters 30+ miles away on a regular basis.
N6UP Rating: 2003-03-20
Great performance for the size Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I was looking for an antenna for my VX-7R that provided a good compromise between size and performance over the stock antenna. What I wanted was something that was unobtrusive and would fit in my pocket, but still be useful for local repeater work on both UHF and VHF. I thought I'd share my empirical test results with you.

I took my radio to HRO and compared receive performance between the Diamond SRH-519, the Comet SMA-3, the SMA-24, the SMA-501 "Miracle Baby", and the MH-209SMA "Active Hunter". I tuned to an active 2m repeater that had about 50% quieting with the stock antenna and screwed on different antennas while keeping the radio in exactly the same spot and noting the s-meter. I found the results surprising. What I observed was that with both the SRH-519 (the 8" antenna I intended to buy) and the SMA-3, I lost about 2 to 3 s-units of signal - I even tried other antennas of the same models just in case the first one was a dud and got the same results. With the SMA-24 however, the signal went to S9+ (not surprising given that it is 17 inches long). With the MH-209SMA, I only lost about one S unit over the stock antenna. When I attached the SMA-501, I lost the signal all together. I also tried the above while monitoring WX on 162.55, moving the radio to another location, etc., and had about the same results. To be fair, I didn't try this testing on UHF and the other antennas might be much better performers on this band.

After using the MH-209 for a week at home, I am still amazed at its TX and RX performance on VHF and UHF as well as wide-band receive given that it is only 3 inches tall - almost as good at the big and stiff stock antenna. It is very flexible, has good quality construction, and screws all the way down to mate with the VX-7's rubber gasket. Also, I was so impressed with the Comet SMA-24, that I bought one for operating in fringe areas. Both of these antennas go for about $20
KC2IGY Rating: 2003-03-12
Pretty amazing Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've tried a couple of other stubby antennnas, and was never impressed with any of them. The MH-209SMA is different though. It actually works. It does not compare to larger antennas, but it does work great for its size. I have no problems hitting any of the local repeaters. It also has a good, wide RX. If you want a "stubby", this is the one.
K4KB Rating: 2003-03-02
EXCELLENT!!!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Upon seeing the reviews here, I picked up one of these "stubby" antennas and screwed it into the SMA connector of my Kenwood TH-G71. I can't tell the difference between the "stock" Kenwood antenna and the Maldol MH-209SMA. The Maldol makes carrying the HT on the belt and just walking around with it much more comfortable due to it's small size.

As far as performance goes, I have been able to hit repeaters within a 35-40 miles radius from "inside" my house. Power was at 5 watts.

Great toy and excellent performer
K7RTM Rating: 2003-02-20
Very happy Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I can't believe how well this antenna performs for its size! It is a wonderful match for my Kenwood TH-F6a, wish I would have bought it sooner. Buy it!
KC7MMI Rating: 2003-02-09
Great compromise! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is a short and very flexible antenna perfect for the smaller radios. I've been using this model on my VX-5R for over two years and it has performed better than what anyone would expect out of a stubby antenna. It's also fairly wide-band so it can be used for scanning too. I give it a three thumbs up (if it were physically possible) and six stars. If you want your radio's antenna to be non-intrusive while providing superb performance, get this one!