Mike:
I've used (read destroyed) just about every type of HT antenna on the
market. They all have some kind of trade off, but some are clearly worse
than others. It really all depends on what you want to do with your HT,
how you intend to carry it, and how hard you are on your radio and antennas.
Both of the antennas you mention are longer and higher gain, with the
SRH999 being the larger and floppier of the two. Since you're looking at
antennas like that, I assume you want performance. They will both do
this, and in fact I have one of the SRH320A antennas and it works well.
Neither of these will survive daily use with your HT on your belt and
still be anything like straight, and one thing I hate is a bent or
damaged HT antenna.
One of my two current favorites are the MH-511, which I use extensively
for in-town and nearby communications. It's not one of the silly tiny
antennas that's more of a dummy load and it's not a big floppy one
either (in fact it doesn't bend), but it's more than adequate for our
repeaters here. The only real problem with it is that it came with a
soft outside rubber cover that quickly started showing wear and tears. I
took that cover off and put on some high-quality heat-shrink (stuff with
the internal sealant) and then found that the little rubber covers that
come on BNC connectors with some equipment and cables fit perfectly on
the top. It's now a very robust and indestructible antenna that
functions well (and looks good), but not a high gain performer.
My other favorate is the HT-224. It's longer and has more gain, but also
has a pretty strong element. It does suffer from the same problem as
most larger antennas in that it tends to get bent right at the top of
the solid base section, but is clearly less likely to do this than many,
including the two you're considering. I also fit high-quality
heat-shrink tubing from the bottom to a ways past the point where it
transitions from solid to flexible. That has essentially ended the
problem with it getting bent (did I mention I hate when that happens?).
A good performer that I would highly recommend.
The silly little antennas that have the little wires coming out of them
are pretty popular, but those get permanently bent simply by sneezing on
them (boy do I hate bent HT antennas). I also have a couple much larger
ones that also do somewhat of a job on 6 Meters, but there's no way
anyone in their right mind would walk into a restaurant and set their HT
with one of those on a table--it would be forever falling over into the
salsa (yep, salsa on antennas is also a problem).
So, it depends on what you want and expect from your HT antenna and how
you intend to use it. Since I so dislike bent antennas (did I say
that?), and I refuse to use one that is, my preference is to avoid that
problem. I'm fortunate enough to live near some good repeaters, so the
compromise on gain with the MH-511 is possible. Having used the little
miracle type dummy load antennas and not being impressed I don't
recommend them, but I don't think you're headed that way. Related to
that, I have one warning. The MH-209 type has a light spring in it that
easily vibrates when it's moved or tapped. The result is that it affects
the antenna match to the point that it becomes micro-phonic (you can
hear it over the air). I strongly advise against that antenna.
OK, I wrote too much, sorry. Good luck on your HT antenna quest.
Chuck - N8DNX
On 6/7/2010 7:28 PM, mikew9mdh wrote:
I just ordered an IC-92AD. I've read (like with all HT's) that the antenna
that comes with it is sub par. I wondered what what members of the group was
using. I currently have a SRH999 and a SRH320 that I interchange with my
VX-7R/VX-8R. I'm sure these will work, but wondered if anyone knows one that
would be better?
73's de Mike W9MDH
