"high performance" saber antenna?

cracked · Post by **cracked** » Wed Mar 13, 2002 8:02 pm

seeking a UHF (440-470 MHz) saber antenna that will provide better coverage than a factory helical antenna or whip. is there any product out there which will attach in place of the stock antenna? maybe something along the lines of the better performing "dipole" whips for XTS series portables? the saber antenna connector seems to be unpopular among any other radio or aftermarket antenna of any make i've ever seen. i'd prefer an antenna that wouldn't require attachment of an adapter, cables, mounts etc to the accessory outlet of the saber. application is for rugged remote locations where weight, portability, size and simplicity are concerns.

i'm also somewhat less interested in any similar VHF option for reference.

Will · Post by **Will** » Wed Mar 13, 2002 9:02 pm

Saber radio have two different antenna mounts, the one you have seems to be a SMA, small male pin in the radio that mates with the antenna. There is a full enth 6.5" UHF whip antenna, 450to 470mhz made by Antenex that works well for us, way beter than the "helical". DEXC450SF
There are other manufactuers also.
http://www.antenex.com

cracked · Post by **cracked** » Wed Mar 13, 2002 9:48 pm

On 2002-03-14 00:02, Will wrote:
Saber radio have two different antenna mounts, the one you have seems to be a SMA, small male pin in the radio that mates with the antenna. There is a full enth 6.5" UHF whip antenna, 450to 470mhz made by Antenex that works well for us, way beter than the "helical". DEXC450SF
There are other manufactuers also.
http://www.antenex.com

i've never seen a saber with an SMA connector, only MX. no center pin. currently i have both 3" helical stubby antennas and 6.5" whips, both with MX style connectors.

it looks like either the antenex "DEXR" 1/2-wave or "DEXW" "highly efficient" antenna may outperform the motorola 6.5" whip. (?)

April · Post by **April** » Wed Mar 13, 2002 10:01 pm

Give them a try, I have used them too.
Some Sabers have SMA connectors. The original Sabers have the same as a GP300/P200 ect use. 1/4 X 32 thread X 7/32ths.

Hightower · Post by **Hightower** » Fri Mar 15, 2002 12:29 am

My Astro Saber has what is called reverse-SMA connector on it. Wish it was the single thread type.

Hightower

Elroy Jetson · Post by **Elroy Jetson** » Fri Mar 15, 2002 6:56 am

I don't know what you guys are talking about. Having been all over all the radios mentioned, I can state for certain that all Astro products use standards SMA connectors. I've used standards SMA female to N male connectors for putting the radios on the service monitor many times. ALL Astro portables have SMA connectors of the ordinary variety, and no other.

Same applies to Jedi series radios.

The 800 MHz MX portables also used SMA's, but all other MX models used threaded stud antennas.

STX's use the SMA connector.

The Genesis series (HT600, MT1000) used the MX pattern threaded stud, and the MTX800/MTX900 series, being 800 or 900 MHz, used SMA's as well.

Elroy

cracked · Post by **cracked** » Fri Mar 15, 2002 7:22 am

it appears that astro sabers use the SMA connector, and the rest use the MX connector. i'm used to conventional saber I/II/III models with the MX connector. but i'm not as sure about the securenet, SI etc models. antenex tells me that neither of the products i mentioned above will really outperform the factory whip. so i'm still open for more suggestions re: an portable MX connector equipped antenna with some real gain.

Elroy Jetson · Post by **Elroy Jetson** » Fri Mar 15, 2002 7:52 am

I just told you the entire truth in the above posting. I only need to add that Securenet does NOT change the antenna type of a radio, and Saber SI's use the SMA connector as well.

Elroy