TIDRADIOTD-805S Ham Radio Short Antenna 1.96inch Enhanced Ver. Long Range Dual Band VHF/UHF 144/430Mhz Antenna for BAOFENG UV-5R,5RM, BF-F8HP Pro,K5 Plus,TD-H8,TD-H3 Plus,5RH Pro,DM32,SMA-F, 2 Pack

worked better than I thought it would. I would buy again.

For short range comms, they work as expected. Long range, say more than a block or so radio to radio, or more than a few miles from a repeater, they may as well be dummy loads. They do have their use if your expectations are reasonable. I like mine.

Excellent value for money. They work well in the 430-460 MHz range but not as well in the 150 MHz range despite being marked as a dual band antenna.

If you know radios, you know that the VSWR of a given antenna is an important part of the equation that determines how efficiently the antenna mates to the radio which affects how much signal is pumped out into the atmosphere which determines how far you can transmit and receive.My GMRS TIDRADIO came with an antenna about 6" long. This antenna (depending on the frequency/channel) typically yields a VSWR at its worst case of 2.8 (lower is better). The 771 antenna reviewed here drops the VSWR to under 2 across the entire GMRS band with a reading of 1.5 on the channel that had read 2.8 with the original antenna.If you're not that familiar with VSWR this sounds a bit vague, but there a lot of factors that go into measuring VSWR with a real antenna in the real world. Take my word for it, though, that this antenna is an improvement.And that improvement shows up in the field. I tested this by walking out from a friend while talking on the radio in an urban setting. (Not the best way to use the radios, but because of buildings and the like I could do the test in a shorter distance than if I was in an open field. ) I started with the original antenna and increased my distance until reception got unusable. At this point I swapped to the 771 antenna and immediately was able to transmit and receive to my friend. I got at least a 25% increase in straight-line distance but expect I would have had more in a better setting.The trade-off for this antenna is that it is longer than the original factory version. However, at an overall length of about 15" (antenna only) it's not anything worth concern. Some bundles of the radio come with this antenna, but if you have the radio without it--and are interested in increasing your range--I highly recommend it.

Works great and love the size of the antenna! I use these on a UV-5R and a 5RM. Perfect for around the house

I bought these antennas so that I wouldn't have an antenna in the way. I like the idea of a stubby antenna. They are good for receiving. However, I would not say they are good for transmitting. I tested them on the SWR meter and the result was 19.9. They are not designed for transmitting. I did contact the company about the SWR before writing a review but did not get a response from them. The antennas are small but firm, and will look good on your radio, but looks aren't everything and I cannot recommend these to other people.

Great price for 2 antennas. These tested <2 SWR on the GMRS band in my kitchen (probably will be a little better outside in the open).2m band was a bit over 2 SWR and 70cm band was in the 5s. But this antenna isn't tuned for those frequencies, so I am not surprised.

SWR was close to 2 in both bands, as measured on a VNA for the GMRS version. One antenna was a little better than the other. They did hit correctly on the GMRS frequencies rather than the adjacent 70cm band, unlike most 771 antennas. These are not the very best performing of the antennas I have tested, but they are pretty good. They are the best I have found at this price point. They are 10 times better than some of the stubby antennas I have tested.On the other hand, the air band version performed very poorly. SWR came to a minimum of around 2.4 at 106MHz, which is near the low end of the air band. Near the upper end, it is well over 12. 3 is generally considered to be the maximum usable value, with numbers below 1.5 being desirable. When I tried to tune in the local ATIS (Airport Terminal Information System) frequency for my area, the rubber ducky antenna that came with the radio worked better than this one.