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Reviews For: Wilson 2 Mtr 5/8 Wave Mag Antenna

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

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Review Summary For : Wilson 2 Mtr 5/8 Wave Mag Antenna
Reviews: 27MSRP: 40.95
Description:
500 Watt, 144-148MHz, 5/8 wave, 3.4db gain, 53" total
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.wilsonantenna.com/vhf.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00274.3
K1HPD Rating: 2008-02-24
excellant antenna Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I just bought the Wilson to replace a dualbander that was on my Jeep (I currently have a Motorola GM300 programmed to 2 meter) I was suprised at the difference! I was able to hit repeaters in areas that were "dead spots" with both the comtelco dual band and the Larson 150 that I had prior. The recieve is also much clearer. All and all a very good antenna for under 40 dollars.
KI4RDT Rating: 2006-12-31
Great antenna, at first. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Antenna worked fantastic for first two months! Then the base cracked for no apparent reason. My only guess is that the top of antenna was not properly sealed allowed rain to enter and freeze. I disassembled the antenna and sure enough, there was some haphazardly applied sealant. Also the top nut on the antenna showed extensive corrosion for only two months of use. Retailor would not take back and manufacturer offered to replace if I shipped the base to them, at my cost of course. There is some good news though, Wilson did offer to ship replacement back to me for free.

Great antenna, badly manufacted, bad service. I will fix the antenna myself and try a different brand next time. The shame is this is American made manufacturing; good jobs guys.
KC9HWJ Rating: 2006-10-27
Perfection Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have hit repeaters 40 + miles away at 640 ft elevation in the mobile at 5 watts. I do wish that wilson would make a 220 and 440 version of this antenna. i would definatly buy them. If you want a 2 meter mono band antenna, buy this one, you will not be disappointed.
OH5TK Rating: 2006-07-14
Best 5/8 whip ever Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Now I have owned this whip couple days...great mobile whip for 2 meters band.I recommed this!! If you looking other reviews they tell same thing.Very good antenna.Very well made Wilson co.
KR9Q Rating: 2006-05-13
an excellent performer and value Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had this Wilson antenna now for over three years. It has performed flawlessly! I would highly recommend this antenna to anyone. My only complaint is the antenna is only available as a magnet mount. I would love to see a NMO version. Hats off to Wilson for selling an affordable (<35.00 in my area) and outstanding performing antenna.
KE5FYR Rating: 2005-12-15
Great antenna! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This antenna replaced an MFJ that lasted about 3 months. It's exceeded all my expectations and I'll definately buy another for the XYL's truck! It's sturdy with a super strong magnet. I hit as many repeaters as I do with my 706 and base station J-pole. You can't go wrong with this Wilson antenna!
73
Mike in Louisiana
KG4JON Rating: 2005-07-09
best 2 meter mobile Time Owned: more than 12 months.
the wilson 2 meter mobile is the best antenna for indoor use i use it during bad weather and use my TE system 150 watt amp the antenna will handle 500 watts so no problem other than i might start glowing in the dark. No worries when it,s lighting outside. Easy to hit repeaters with quality built and works great if anybody knows of a better 2 meter antenna to use indoors let me know don,t think the wilson can be beat. try it you,ll like it.
N1ZPP Rating: 2005-06-27
Awesome! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I originally bought this unit in 1997 after I earned my first ham ticket. Ran it on my mobile for many years... being my first antenna, I had no idea how good it really was! Had to cut down about 1" of whip to tune to a decent SWR.

After 2 or 3 years in service, the antenna went into storage for a while. Moved around a few times, used indoors for APRS, moved some more. Then, after diagnosing a defective MFJ antenna on my current mobile (about 3 weeks ago), I pulled the Wilson out and put it back in service. Flawless! It outperforms my MFJ 1/4wave (as expected by a 5/8wave) and I'm going to leave it on the mobile for a while.

After all these years, the mounting stud could use a cleaning (really a minor maintenance issue). I also need to replace the coax due to a broken braid from being shut in the door a few years ago. For now, I only wrapped the broken spot with electrical tape and it's still working just fine ... 1.1-1.2 SWR across the entire band and excellent signal gain.

This is an extremely well built, strong antenna and is definitely an ultimate value for the money. My MFJ mobile didn't even last a year ... this Wilson is 8 years old and still going strong!
KB3KAI Rating: 2005-05-20
Highly Recommended! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned my Wilson 2 Meter mag-mount mobile antenna over 6 years. It has been through torture and worked perfect every time! Wore out two cars before the coax finally hardened from the weather.

The antenna receives very well with no undue noise pickup. Transmits very efficiently, even HT power goes a long way, and can still handle just about any brick you put behind it.

It has survived countless beatings in parking garages, tree limb impacts, a major automobile accident and even a bird strike. It's been baked to a crisp during the summer, soaked by hundreds of rain showers, encased in ice during winter storms and attacked by road salt.

Despite my best abuse and neglect, the antenna has always performed flawlessly. I would definitely purchase another one!

Dave www.KB3KAI.com
AL2I Rating: 2005-05-19
Correction! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
After using it for a year, I began to have problems with my Wilson and took another look at the Comet dual-bander I mentioned in my previous review. I found a flaw in the Comet where if I screwed it onto the NMO mount very firmly, it would lose more than 10 dB. Now that I found that problem, its performance seems to be within about 2dB of the performance of the much larger Wilson.

My "problem" with the Wilson seemed to evaporate as well, because I found that it is really important to get a good clean contact between the base magnet and the vehicle. Both antennas work well when properly used.

73,
Dave/al2i