Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: Nagoya NA-771

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

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : Nagoya NA-771
Reviews: 46MSRP: 15
Description:
Handheld 144/430MHz dual band antenna. Gain: 2.15db / 3.0db. Max power: 10 Watts
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
13463.5
DV7GDL Rating: 2024-12-30
Better than the stock rubber attenuator Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I got two known-counterfeit (orange package) NA-771s with SMA female connectors for $2.35 plus $1.45 shipping to try on my Vero VGC-N76 5W HT plus have one as a spare. The seller had a 2 for 1 deal. The one I unpackaged and tested works better than the stock antenna that came with the radio, which isn't saying much as a wet noodle would probably work better too, but for $3.80 for a pair of them they're all right. I knew what they were and what I was getting when I ordered them. They're thin and feel flimsy and cheap so I don't expect them to hold up well in field use, but whatever.
VA6BOT Rating: 2022-02-06
Poor quality! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Finally checked with antenna analyzer and 70cm was totally absent!!!
N9SSU Rating: 2018-04-16
This review is for an authentic unit, NOT a counterfeit! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I don't understand a lot of Hams. WHY review a counterfeit which lowers the true reviews of the authentic ones?

If I have a 200 dollar HT, I will buy an expensive Diamond antenna. If I have a 25 dollar Chinese HT, I will look toward Nagoya, so the antenna isn't 2 to 3 times the price of the HT!

The NA-771 outstrips all the stock Chinese dummy loads. Have tested a few of them on test equipment and there are QC instances where some antennas will have higher SWR than others. But this is the exception to the norm.

I learned my lesson to buy Diamond and Nagoya from one of the reputable HAM stores. If you go to E or A, you WILL increase your chances to receive a counterfeit with the Nagoya and Diamond (fake) label, because many of the sellers are just that, sellers, not HAMS. The reputable stores will NOT sell these.
NE4TN Rating: 2018-01-18
Disappointed Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently purchased this antenna to use on my Yaesu FT-70D. I tried several different repeaters and simplex on both 2 meters and 440. I could not find a single instance where the NA-771 gave a stronger signal strength than the supplied rubber duck which is half the size. If you have an FT-70D and found an after-market antenna which works better than the supplied one, please let me know!
W5ACA Rating: 2017-04-29
SWR is out of sight, don't buy Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I was at a ham fest and seen these Nagoya NA-771 Vhf/Uhf antennas. I thought I would purchase one ($7.00) for my dual band radio. I have another after market antenna I purchased before this one and I was using it thinking the longer antenna would be better...(and of course, that's what I get for thinking instead of testing)..So, when I got home I put the NA-771 antenna on the radio and I was talking and receiving just fine...I started wondering, was it "really" talking and receiving any better then the stock antenna? Well, it was at this time I decided to get out the O'l antenna analyzer and test these antennas (after all why did I have an antenna analyzer for?).
I connected the Nagoya NA-771 to the MFJ antenna analyzer and check it at 146 MHz and the analyzer showed the antenna to be 7.4 swr and was closer to resonant at 187MHz but still to high for any use. Well, I decided that this purchase of the NA-771 just looks,but was worthless. I then tested the antenna I had been using the last three years. It must have been one of those antennas the maker was ashamed of because there was no brand or name on it...again this is my fault...I tested this nameless antenna and found it was better then the NA-771 but, was still way out of line for use with ham radio requencies..at 146MHz it was 4.6 (these are readings from the digital read on the analyzer).
Well, I then tested the stock antenna that came with the Radio and it tested to be 1.2:1 swr at 146MHz and was flat swr on UHF (by the way, the other antennas on UHF showed to be off the scale). So, guess which antenna I am using on my Radio? Yep, the stock antenna....
$7.00 isn't a lot of money, but, it's too much to have it destroy your equipment.
If you purchased one of these antenna's and just connected it and used it and called it good, thank again, you need to test the antenna to be sure. Too high swr will damage your radio sooner or later.



VE6ICE Rating: 2016-09-12
Buy genuine or risk radio damage Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Technical considerations:

There are at least three versions of this antenna:

-SMA Male,
-SMA-RP Female (Reverse Polarity SMA), and
-BNC

Make sure you order the correct one for your radio. Kenwood NXDN commercial radios and Baofeng take SMA-RP Female.

Buying advice - cautionary tale:

It is very easy to purchase a counterfeit version of this antenna on eBay. I did, and was able to get a full refund by contacting the seller with evidence of counterfeit. The seller did not require me to return the item.

Best to ask the seller to confirm it is an original item before buying. An orange bag, or a yellow bag is a dead give-away of counterfeit. If you get a green bag, and there is no spacer included in the bag, this is also a counterfeit. So a good way to distinguish may be to ask the seller if a spacer is included.

This website provides more detail:

http://www.nagoya.com.tw/style/frame/templates17/news_detail.asp?lang=2&customer_id=2277&content_set=color_4&name_id=98129&Directory_ID=0&id=31478

So what if it is a counterfeit? I notice a lot of discussion in the forums regarding the merits of buying counterfeits so I thought it best to apply the scientific method. Fortunately the outcomes are not in the least bit ambiguous.

Unit under test:

I bought an SMA-RP Female version of the NA-771. It came in and orange bag like the one shown on the counterfeit identification website. (There was no orange bag in the photo that the seller displayed on eBay.)

Test Results:

I tested the alleged Nagoya NA-771 antenna on a Rohde & Schwarz ZVH8 Antenna tester using an N-to-SMA Male adapter. For comparison purposes, I tested a Diamond SRH77CA at the same time using an N-to-SMA Female Adapter. Here are the VSWR test results:


NA-771 (Orange Bag) Counterfeit
===============================
VSWR = 1:4.9/1:4.7/1:4.7 @ 144/146/148MHz (yes two were 1:4.7 not a typo, the profile had a minimum there)
VSWR = 1:13.5/1:13.0/1:11.0 @ 420/435/450MHz


Diamond SRH77CA 2m/70cm (Yellow Bag) Genuine
============================================
VSWR = 1:2.6/1:2.4/1:2.1 @ 144/146/148MHz
VSWR = 1:3.0/1:1.7/1:1.2 @ 420/435/450MHz

So, the NA-771 under test was not only a counterfeit, it was a badly made counterfeit. A VSWR this high could easily damage your radio.
K4ISR Rating: 2016-01-25
Legit 771 is great Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I am familiar with the real versus fakes when it comes to these antennas (and Baofeng radios which have fakes too). I actually have one of each, 1 real, 1 fake, and I've done the testing and numbers with several of each. The (real) 771 is a great antenna for 2m and quality built. For UHF 70cm, it is on par with stock rubber ducky (as in not great, 2/5), and for primarily UHF use (or do both 2m/70cm bands), the 701 is a much better all around antenna. For 1.25m/220MHz there is a 702.

The fake 771/701s can come in anywhere from same quality as the real ones (3 or 4 out of 5), to complete junk (0/5). There are resources out there on how to determine real versus fake.
K2II Rating: 2015-08-24
Chinese counterfeit Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Many alleged Nagoya N-771 are in reality Chinese counterfeit junk.
The one I received has a blue label on the base; the authentic Nagoya is a grey-ish silver and the packaging sleeve of the authentic Nagoya is YELLOW.
The packaging sleeve for this counterfeit copy that I received is ORANGE.
Ebay and Amazon are unknowingly the selling marketplace for Chinese knock off Nagoya antennas. Beware.
KE4ZHN Rating: 2015-05-20
Junk Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought one of these thinking it would boost the performance of my BF-F8HP. It is built nicely, it looks great. The extra length would lead you to believe it should have a little gain over the stock duck antenna. Running side by side comparisons on 2 meters and 70 cm and the stock duck antenna blows this thing away. Listening to the FM broadcast band on it and the stock duck picks up stations this piece of garbage can't even hear! Apparently, the extra length it has must be a built in internal dummy load. Save your money, this thing is garbage.
N8ZEE Rating: 2015-03-03
Great add on Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I put it on my BF-FH8P, which had a good antenna in the first place. I hit a repeater with the 771, at full extension, that I could not hit with the original in Detroit. It said Max watt is 5, I have used it now for two weeks at the full 8watts, and it is still working great. Not extended, it was similar to the original. A friend of mine who has in the past, helped me with testing different antennas came through again. My baofeng uv5r with the org. Antenna talking simplex, he gave me a s7, with the 771, he gave me10 over, some will say, not a big increase, but it still is an increase. I will be testing my FH8P in the future, ran out of time that night. I have bought 3 more for my other radios. The antenna left a thin gap between it and the radio. But the rubber gasket that came with it, filled it.
I am very pleased with it, and recommend it highly.

My friend and I have tested 5 different antennas and this is the one I am using on all my radios.
I recommend testing it with a friend, as I did to really see the difference.
I will report on the F8HP in a few weeks.