Pulse Larsen 144-148/440-450 MHz Dual Band 37.25" Antenna - Black

Overall I am very impressed and have been able to make contacts that are well over 50 miles away.Picture for the product needs to be changed but that’s the only negative.

First of all, my setup:This antenna (Larsen NMO2/70BK).Laird MBOX NMO mount.Times Microwave LMR-240 UltraFlex coax, 11' feet, terminated with a PL-259 connector, connected to a PL-259 to BNC adapter.Icom ID-51A HT with an SMA to BNC adapter. BNC is for quick connect/disconnect and it takes a lot of stress off of the HT's SMA connector.Accessories Unlimited AUJ1 fender mount (drilled to 3/4" to accommodate a 3/4" NMO mount)2008 Jeep WranglerMost NMO cable assemblies come with RG-58 or RG-8X coax, however, I wanted the absolutely lowest-loss installation possible. I could not find a LMR-240 NMO coax assembly anywhere, so I purchased the LAIRD MBOX and crimped/soldered LMR-240 UltraFlex coax to it. Note that the MBOX is compatible with RG-8X, since RG-8X and LMR-240 have the same outer diameter. Yes it was a lot of work to gain only .1 to .4 dB over 11 feet of coax -- depending on frequency -- but my entire Jeep is set up for emergency situations and that little bit of loss might make the difference between contact or not contact.Now on to the review. This antenna has far surpassed my expectations. I have not fully tested the range yet, but sitting in my driveway I can hit repeaters 20+ miles away on 2m and 70cm, full quieting, on 5watts. I have a one story house with an awesome 8.3' attic-mount Diamond X-200A (connected through 50 feet of LMR-400 UltraFlex) and I get the same signal reports on that antenna, using the same radio into the same repeaters, as I do in my Jeep. I'm not saying that a mobile mounted Larsen will give me the same performance as an attic-mount high gain vertical on all bands, at any distance; I'm just attesting to how awesome this antenna is for ~25 miles. I imagine I can easily hit repeaters 30-35 miles out on 5 watts, full quieting. Can't imagine what I would get with a a 50W radio, out in the open, and with some elevation!Technical details aside, the antenna is highly flexible. So flexible that I am afraid of it smashing my windshield if it catches a tree limb and rebounds. Let's just say it can easily handle hitting garage doors, the car wash, or anything else you might encounter on the road or the trail.Hope this helps.

This antenna is simply amazing, I have perfect receive and transmit hitting repeaters 55 miles away in mountainous terrain, high or low terrain, I just can't believe how well this antenna works

Larsen is the choice of all professional and industrial users for the simple reason they work and rarely fail. Mounted on the center of my pickup cab this antenna has hit repeaters 40+ miles away with ease.

I had two friends that bought these and had no issues. When they help install mine the lowest SWR i could get was on 2M at 1.8 and still have high SWR of 6 on 70cm. I have to buy a new nmo mount and ill be putting my old antenna back on. Shipping and receiving was fine.

I have 2, both on Breedlove Stake pocket mounts on the back corner of my pickup trucks. Using an antenna analyzer the best SWR achieved was at 148.000 of nearly 1:1, with it climbing almost as high as 1.7:1 toward the bottom of the band. I could not achieve anything better than 1.5:1 anywhere on the 440 MHz band. Adjusting the set screws and lengthening the antenna as much as practical without losing security helped slightly, but the whip length does need to be slightly longer to achieve ideal SWR in the middle of the band.That being said, it is very well built, and in central Florida I can operate mobile with excellent reach to neighboring county repeaters with great signal reports.

Just what I was looking for. I have always know that Larsen antennas were the way to go for mobile applications.Love how it works and being pre-tuned from factory makes it that much better.

I mated this with my Yaesu FT-7900R/e and mounted it on my FJ Cruiser which is used extensively off-road and for way off the grid camping/exploring. The reception and transmission quality has been excellent. Though retired now I had over 30 years of experience using Larsen antennas during my career and never once did they fail. I can highly recommend their products.UPDATE EDIT: I am sorry to report that I must degrade my previous 5 star rating. Having now used this antenna for several trips into the desert and also the National Forests, I have found that it is not robust enough to handle serious off-road use.Let me make it clear, the antenna transmits and receives as it should. No problem there. Where it fails in my opinion, is that it is not stout enough to handle highway speed wind buffeting, nor the violent whipping back and forth of a rough trail or low hanging branches. It bends quite easily and has come loose often necessitating numerous tightenings. It is not of the same gauge wire that I remember Larsen's using, which would have shrugged off this type of use easily.To conclude, if you need an antenna for your off-road rig you would be much better served looking elsewhere such as I did with a Comet CA-2X4SRNMO coupled with their optional spring section.