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Reviews For: Maxrad antennas

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

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Review Summary For : Maxrad antennas
Reviews: 11MSRP:
Description:
VHF/UHF antennas
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.maxrad.com/_mobile.sht
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00114.5
HA7WX Rating: 2014-01-21
MHB-5800 = great antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought this at least 6 years ago along with the small magnet base at a decent price for a commercial grade quality antenna.
First this is a great performer and does as a 5/8 wave should on 2m band.
Also, it's a very low profile antenna and not easily noticed ; this is why the small magnetic base will keep this antenna "sticked" to the roof even at high speeds like 90 mph here in Europe.
I even used it as a 6m antenna with my KX3 and its ATU and had a nice contact from HA to SV at 8W PWR, sure propagation was there, but anyway you have a 2-band antenna, don't forget about that.
As i do not use it on a daily basis i cannot tell about water ingress a reviewer mentioned, although i drove several times in rainy weather and did not experience any performance problem.
All in all, money well spent on this low-profile, quality, able to handle high power, good performing antenna. Would recommend to anyone looking for these features. Best 73s Chris
W2TXB Rating: 2012-04-06
So Far, So Good Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Having used Larsen for decades, I had almost no problems until the past few years. At the recommendation of a good friend who was in the commercial two-way business, I installed a Maxrad MDB-1444 on the Jeep. Performance (as expected when compared with the old Larsen) was markedly improved. Been through some rain and a car wash with no water leakage. The Maxrad appears to be much better built than the other brands, and really does not cost any more than the others.

I have another one of these to install on my wife's Jeep today, along with a 6-meter Maxrad.
W8AAZ Rating: 2011-04-21
Good for me! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have a dual band mag mount Maxrad in the trunk. Guess it is just a half wave at 2 meters but it does little different than the A/S pro 5/8 antenna that I can tell, and this shorter one disagrees with the garage door less. First one I got had a bottom section that was out of tolerance or wrong. Exchanged it with the dealer. Seems to work on UHF great, too. I do know that I was able to tune it to almost no reflected on the Bird, on 2M.(Just barely moved the needle)Think it was comparable on UHF. That is better than any 5/8 or other gain type I have used(many boast of a 1.5/1 match). I have not had water problems with it when used in the rain. I do add sealant to all my antennas at the joints, though. And it is stored when not in use. I would recommend it as long as the price is more than competitive with the "premium" brands. Certainly was bargain priced for me.
AD7JR Rating: 2010-02-15
good antenna Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
MHB-5800 is a well made antenna with two setscrews, thick brass nmo base and a very tough stainless steel whip. At $39 I think that it's hard to beat. It tunes down to a minimal SWR with a little pruning.
N8EKT Rating: 2008-06-15
POOR DESIGN Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Having been a commercial radio tech for many years, I have had the opportunity to see how antennas last in police and fire service.
Maxrads have alot of problems with water intrusion.
Just yesterday, I had to replace a Maxrad MUF450 that was less than a month old!
Complaint was it wasn't transmitting or receiving well. Found that the antenna was FULL of water! I have seen this many times with Maxrads.
I will only use Larsen or ASP antennas when lives are on the line!
VE5NAT Rating: 2006-09-04
overall happy Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have a quite a few of thier antennas and have had no troubles with the whip or coils so far. I have a dual band 2/70 on my roof with a maxrad mag mount and a 5/8 2m on my car with a maxrad mag mount as well as several 800mhz whips I am currently using for recieving because I have no 900mhz ham equipment I can tune it for.
KD7ZD Rating: 2005-02-06
Maxrad Dual Band Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I’ve sold Maxrad antennas commercially for about 10 years. Maxrad are the only ones I’ll sell. No other product will stand up as well to commercial use here in the Pacific North West.

I personally have used the Maxrad dual band antenna on my truck for about two years now. I travel logging roads often and have hit many tree branches without damage. The SWR is quite low across both 2 meter and 70 CM bands even after this abuse.

The cost may be a little more for these antennas but they hold up very well to abuse.
VE3YES Rating: 2002-12-28
Maxrad - I've had good luck with these Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Having worked for a company that sold much Maxrad product, I too have had good luck with their mobile antennas. However, my experience with the low-band VHF mobiles has not been as good as others. They suffer from very narrow-banding when compared to others in this space. That said, they certainly put a good signal out - just don't expect to cover the 10m SSB and FM bands with this antenna! The dual-band mobile works fine, every bit as good as the Larsen in performance & quality. Other notable mobile antennas of Maxrad's are the wide-band UHF which really does cover from 406-512MHz without tuning. Also, the MLPV series of "bobbin" style UHF antennas work much better than expected and have excellent VSWR and bandwidth (not cheap though). I also like the Maxrad NMO mounts because they don't rust, spin loose or leak and come in a 3/8" hole mount that is easier to work with than the standard 3/4" one.
KB2VUQ Rating: 2002-02-10
Great antennas Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've use Maxrad and only Maxrad for the mobiles.

My favorites....

MDB-1444S
Maxrad's 2m / 70cm nmo mount gain antenna.
Only 41" but out performs all the bigger ones.
Vhf-air rx is pretty decent too!

MLB-2700S
Maxrad's 10m / 11m nmo mount antenna.

MHB-5800 (Please read)
This 2 meter 3db gain 5/8 wave antenna
works decently on 2m fm.

However, it works even better on 6m,
yes SIX meters, in the ssb portion of
the band!
Icom 706 and no tuner....worked several
European stations while mobile in NY
WA2WAG worked several band openings
with this antenna.

Best Regards,
Dennis
KC0EAO Rating: 2000-10-01
Good performing antennas Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned several MaxRad antennas for Lowband (10 Meters), VHF, and UHF frequencies. I've had very good results with them and have been fairly impressed with their durability, design, and performance. Their coils are not made of a cheap plastic -- they are made of a "molded polymer with copper, nickel and chrome plated brass bushings" and they look very sharp. All of their gain antennas also have TWO set screws instead of just one, adding to their durability. Their performance is excellent as well, giving my Larsen antennas a run for their money.

Recently I purchased the MHB-5800 for a VHF mobile radio. It came pretuned for 144Mhz (w/ a SWR of only 1.3:1 at 148), but after a little tuning I was able to get the SWR from 146-148 under 1.15:1 all the way across that 2MHz spread.

My only 2 disappointments are that I think their MLB (low band) antennas could be just a bit taller -- perhaps that would make them even more efficient? And, I also purchased the MHB-1440 which was supposed to be tuned for 148Mhz, but for whatever reason it was much too long and the SWR on the 2M band was a bit too high. The "factory tuned" antennas are impossible to tune, too.

All in all, I think MaxRad gives you a lot of Bang for your buck... especially their MHB-5800 VHF antenna. I would not hesitate recommending MaxRad to anybody looking for a high performance, durable, commercial grade antenna. If anybody has any further questions about MaxRad antennas, please don't hesitate to contact me at: kc0eao@qsl.net.