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Reviews For: Radio Shack 2-meter 5/8´s magmount antenna,

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

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Review Summary For : Radio Shack 2-meter 5/8´s magmount antenna,
Reviews: 18MSRP: 49.99
Description:
This is a strong, well-made 2-meter 5/8´s magmount antenna, which is unfortunately no longer on the Radio Shack web site.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.radioshack.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00184.4
AA1BA Rating: 2020-06-21
Part No. 19-210 Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is part no. 19-210 and was listed at $39.99 in the 1998 Radio Shack catalog. The antenna is well-built and I second the reviews -- pick this up if you can.
NO4L Rating: 2010-09-12
Almost 10yrs. & Still Going Strong! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Have used it on different vehicles, its been through a lot of southern heat and rain, and I've put 1-50 watts through it. I'd grab up another tomorrow if I could find one -- it was the last one my local radio shack ever carried. For the price, I paid around $15-$20, it has done its job well.
KH6OWL Rating: 2008-11-15
Great for me! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I picked this up for $5.00 to try it out. It is much better than an old antenna I had used. I get better signal reports and can hit repeaters in places I could not before. I like it and would recommned it.
KC0LAO Rating: 2008-03-18
great antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
great antenna to use when out doing public service events out in the hills of se nebraska, the 6/8 wave will outperform any dual band antenna made. The only hams that had no problems were the ones with a 5/8 wave on their vehicles. I have mine tuned 1:1.4 with my analyzer and it is a naildriver of an antenna, I just wished radio shack was still making them yet.
KJ4DX Rating: 2006-10-12
Strong antenna. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought this antenna in 1993. Since then, it has performed without a problem on 4 vehicles. I just used it this morning. Reliable and tough. It just plain works. Regarding the coax -- yeah it's cheap, but it's only 10 feet. I've never noticed any degradation between this antenna and any other I've used. Power handling is good, as I run power from an old Mirage 80W amp into it. If you find one of these antennas, snap it up.
N1RIK Rating: 2006-04-09
Good Simple Antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is the second Radio Shack 5/8 I've owned. The first one got destroyed in an accident when my 88 Eldorado hit a telephone pole. This antenna is fairly simple and works. Decent SWR. I've since replaced this antenna with a Lakeview DualBand DB-5 antenna, which is phyisically shorter and performs better on 2m and has 70cm. I now use my Radio Shack 2m 5/8 whip as a 6-meter antenna. On 6 meters it's actually very broadbanded. My swr was around 1.2 @ 50.2 MHz and 2.5 @ 53 MHz in the car. On the back porch of my apartment was 2.5 @ 50.1 MHz and off the map @ 53 MHz. I first tried lowering the antenna with an alan wrench at first, but that actually made my swr go up !? Next, I made a small choke by coiling my coax near the antenna by 5 turns. That dropped my swr at my apartment to 1.5 @ 50.2 MHz, 2.0 @ 53 MHz and 2.5 @ 54 MHz. I tried it in the car and got below 1.2 @ 50.2 MHz and just under 2.0 @ 54 MHz!!!! It does the job on 6 meter FM mainly. Nothing spectacular, but I can hit the Raleigh 53.030 repeater and the Chapel Hill 43.450 MHz repeaters from here in Southern Pines, NC and that's more than 50 miles away on each repeater. I would give the antenna a 5 if it atleast equalled the performance of my Lakeview antenna which I mesured @ 36 inches tall! If you need a cheap 6-meter FM/SSB DX Mobile antenna that's not 8 feet tall, find one of these used!
KM5TC Rating: 2006-02-25
Very Good Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Bought this about 8 yrs ago, set the swr once
still good after off and on several vehicles.

Since R/S is basically out of the ham business and on a down slide otherwise, I don't know if
they are still in inventory, if so, a good 2 mtr
antenna and worth a look.
73's
KM5TC
KE4RWS Rating: 2004-07-30
Very Good Antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have three of these antenna's and they perform quite well for a mag-mount system. The supplied coax isn't much to rave about, and I believe this to be one of two weak links with this antenna, second being the cheap*** PL-259 they supply. I replaced the coax with a good brand RG-58 and soldered an Amphenol PL-259 to it. This was a significant improvement and really makes this antenna sing.

Aside from exceptional 2-meter performance, the antenna setup is also excellent for 6-meter operation. Although I can't say what the pattern is, it seems to perform great across the entire 6-meter band in general. Radio Shack makes no mention of this, but it does work great on 6-meters nonetheless.

I purchased the prior two antenna's on closeout for only $9.97 each, which is an absolute steal from the original price of around $40 each. If you can still find them they're worth the money. If you replace the coax and PL-259 you have an even better setup
N3NDW Rating: 2004-07-29
good antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
It was my first antenna, and I used it on my first radio, a HTX-202. I used this for a few years with good results. The only problem I ever had with the antenna was that the metal cup the magnet sat in got rusty and the magnet came out. I took it back to a dealer in a town where I was working at the time and he replaced it for me. I had been buying some other stuff from him over the past few weeks so maybe that is why he helped me out. I finally took the antenna whip and coil off the mount and put it on a mount I built and gave it to another ham who had good results with it. I did not know that there were still some floating around for less that $15. I will have to visit RS and look around.
AD6PQ Rating: 2004-07-29
Sturdy; replaced delicate coax Time Owned: more than 12 months.
We have two (htx-202, spkr/mic, lighter cord, 5/8mag) - two sets as I got the XYL's feet wet - (now she wants to run DX on HF, but life intervenes with her study, and station upgrade plans...)

- they have worked fine for us. (I could reliably knock mine off the old Saab in the low-pipes corner under SouPlantation in Pasadena, even dragged it by the coax a bit, the base by the window, tip scraping off another kilocycle or two.) Given those mishaps are hard on coax, and oh! - the XYL crimped hers in the minivan door (Ow!) - we can't complain. We could hit the Pasadena TelCo machine from I-15 (some 45 miles) with 7W from the -202.

I had put a BNC on her 18" stub of (admittedly inexpensive/cheap) RG-58-clone coax, a barrel, another BNC and Coax-Seal over-and-under some Scotch-33, after cutting out the pinched inches. and we were good for another year or so, until the next mishap. Now it's other coax.

Tandy's coax line has been inexpensive for a reason, I agree. Coverage of the braid is known to be light (did I see 60%?), therefore leaky. Check that spec before buying; 90-95% is a good target value to avoid strange problems of EMC later.

I'll keep the antennas (now she has matching NMOs for 2/440 and 220 on the forehead of the Sienna, spaced for reaching, grabbing a Comet/Diamond to pull up/lay over when going underground - or a smaller Duck she can ignore) and from time-to-time, we'll find uses for the mags, once they've been rewired with fresh stock. 4-5 years' weather is always hard on _anybody's_ coax.

COAX ROUTING NOTES
Make sure to leave a drip loop _downhill_ next to whatever thick cushy gasket it snakes through (_uphill_) coming into the car. Think rain, wind. Often, once in, you can route it under a doorsill, _unless_ there's already a bundle there. Avoid those. In the '79 Saab, I snaked a scrap of old garden hose up center by the console from under the back seat, and could pull the BNC through to change out antennas with little trouble! Try your BNC before stuffing hose, though. Some may be too thin of an ID to clear.