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Reviews For: Radio Shack TX and RX Telescoping antenna model# 20-006A

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

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Review Summary For : Radio Shack TX and RX Telescoping antenna model# 20-006A
Reviews: 7MSRP: $15.00
Description:
Radio Shack 1/4 Wave Telescoping Antenna recieves from 25MHZ-1300MHZ. Transmits on 144MHZ/220MHZ/440MHZ Ham Bands or from 130MHZ-530MHZ
Product is in production
More Info: http://radioshack.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0074.6
KK4FKS Rating: 2012-12-27
Surprisingly good! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Went to Radio Shack looking for a SMA-to-BNC pigtail for connecting my FT-60r to my home bre Yagi...Even though the guys working there had no clue what a pigtail was even after explaining it to them...I decided to do as I always do and look for myself. During my venture I ran across this telescopic antenna and thought to myself I wonder how this would work during my camping and hiking adventures...It out performed my expectations and found it's way into my inventory for daily walks and hikes with my little Yaesu...$15.00, is a price I couldn't pass up. SWR level with just the top four sections extended were 1.1 - 1. Exactly what I was looking for for my HT... 73
KD8EZU Rating: 2011-12-01
Sleeper 2M antenna GREAT Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
When I go hunting I carry this collapsed as an emergency antenna along with my 2Meter HT. Vastly superior to a rubber duckie.

If you extend the joints above the black loading coll ONLY to four joints it will be tuned at 1.2:1 for 2meters. Great RX and TX, and it is inexpensive. When I hooked it up to an analyser I was amazed that a RatShack antenna could be so good

Just remember to mark and ONLY extend it four joints ABOVE The black loading coil thingie.
OLDWORLDER Rating: 2011-03-31
Really good Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This little gem was an impulse buy but I don't regret buying it. I never expected the Rx/Tx to be so good. It is comparable to the Diamond RH77CA and for the price I would encourage anyone looking for a cheap telescoping antenna that is worth more than you pay for it to buy this little diamond in the rough.
KE7TMH Rating: 2008-07-10
Better than better. Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Well, the fact it is tuneable is a mixed blessing. Outstanding as a scanner antenna. I have bought other aftermarket antennas that have been shoved at me at radio shops that are not as good as this at TX and/or RX. I like it and I get better overall results than with duck or "better duck".
The bad: Unwieldy heavy, fragile in appearance, and I am always scared that if it falls with my little ht, the antenna will take the connector off the radio, leaving me with a paperweight.
That having been said, if you're careful, you will have a good experience, but it is something that you must think about at all times.
KB2NAT Rating: 2008-07-01
Good, but with limits Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This antenna does better at any specific frequency than a rubber duckie. Since it's tunable, it's far more sensitive at the freqs for which it is tuned at the expense of the frequencies for which it is out of tune. Hence, while strong in one area of the frequency spectrum, you may miss other xmsns in areas which you've detuned. Another negative is that one must be careful since the antenna is larger and can induce more (and plastic damaging) torque on the antenna input jack. However, with the aforementioned stated, the antenna does a very nice of bridging the gap between a duckie and dx antenna. It also can transmit (10 watts). I always keep it on hand with my portable scanner. It is definitely worth the $15.
W4JBM Rating: 2008-07-01
Drastic improvement over a rubber duckie Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I bought this to use with a Sony WaveHawk scanner where I'd lost the rubber duckie (during a move). The combination is unbelievably more sensitive than anything else I've got that's not way up in the air. Since then I've found the rubber duckie and also tried the telescoping antenna on my Bearcat 245. One VHF, I can hear police traffic from a town about twenty miles away indoors with a consistently strong signal. With the rubber duckie, it's not there with the Bearcat and is too weak for regular solid reception with the WaveHawk.

To be fair, it's a lot bigger and more fragile than the rubber duckie, but for any scanner application where I'm not going to be wearing the radio on my belt or having it knocked around I'll be using this antenna.
KB3GJP Rating: 2005-05-15
EXCELLENT Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
It is exellent on Transmit 1.25 meters (220mhz) and above average on recieve. I own two.