Here are three affordable accessories that can help round out your VHF/UHF handheld transceiver (HT) kit. These items can significantly improve the performance of your radio and make it more useful.
1. A Halfwave Antenna for 2m
I’ve already written about the RH660 antenna, which is a huge improvement over a typical rubber duck antenna. Make sure you get the version with the proper connector for your HT.
2. A Compact Magmount Antenna
Another handy antenna is a small magnetic-mount antenna for the 2m and 70cm bands. The primary usage of this antenna is on the roof of a vehicle, connected to your HT inside your vehicle. This puts the antenna on the roof, outside of the vehicle, working in concert with the effective ground plane of the metal roof. Note that for the magnet to hold, the roof needs to be made of a ferrous metal, not aluminum, fiberglass, fabric, etc.
This antenna can also function as a portable/temporary antenna by placing it on a steel object such as the top of a refrigerator, a cookie sheet, metal door frame, filing cabinet, metal folding chair, etc. The antenna is about 19 inches in length, so it packs well for travel. There are many models available, including this one on Amazon.
3. A Few RF Adapters
It seems that we often encounter incompatible RF connectors, so it is good to have a few adapters available to make the connection.
SMA Male/Female Adapters
These days, handheld transceivers have SMA antenna connectors, but some models provide a male connector, while other radios have a female connector. Having a few SMA adapters can deal with this issue.
SMA to BNC Adapters
BNC connectors often show on on various radios and cables, so it can be handy to adapt this popular connector to an SMA.
SMA to PL-259 Adapters
The PL-259 and its companion SO-239 are the most popular RF connectors for ham radio use, so you may encounter one of these. (I try not to call them UHF connectors: see About That UHF Connector.) They are not used on HTs, but you may find an antenna cable with one of these attached. Again, an adapter or two can help you make the connection to an SMA connector.
These are some handy devices to have along with your HT.
Any other suggestions?
73 Bob K0NR
P.S. If you are having trouble identifying the connector on your HT, take a look at this article: What’s That Connector On My HT?
Hello!
I quite agree with having a “better” antenna, but the rubber duck is a very good antenna when walking with your HT. I once managed to break my antenna connector (BNC) while walking with a longer antenna on my HT. Of course, a mobile antenna mounted on a pack frame, and connected to the HT via a short length of coax would be a very good and sturdy alternative, especially if you could use the pack frame for the ground plane.
Another good addition would be an external mic. That would permit you to secure the HT to the belt or pack frame, saving wear on the antenna connector.
Still another addition would be an external power pack. An HT could often increase its output power when fed from a higher voltage, but check the instructions for the rig first!
Admittedly, all these changes would transform your HT to a very small mobile rig, but you would still get much better performance from the package. The choice is, of course, yours.
Jan/SM0WHH
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How do you route the cable from the mag mount into the car where the HT is located?
There are generally two options for cable routing:
1) leave a car window open just a bit and run the cable through the window. This minimizes stress on the cable but you will surely have some wind noise. 2) Route the cable out through door seal. This means closing the door on the cable, which does tend to smash it a bit. Over time it may wear the cable out.
I generally do option 2.