Product Review
Nagoya NMO-72
Dual Band 2m, 70cm Antenna
John 'Miklor' July 2017
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Nagoya has
recently released the NMO-72 Dual Band antenna. Having
an NMO magnetic mount base for my tri-band antenna,
I figured I'd this on to the collection.
What's in the Package The NMO-72 measures 19.2" and terminated with an NMO male connector.
This is definitely a heavy duty antenna that will take a lot of abuse. The picture below doesn't due the antenna justice. The center element is just under 1/8" (2.5mm) thick.
Performance I plan on putting a permanent NMO base on my vehicle, but for now I paired mine with an NMO magnetic base mounted in the center of the car roof. The results were excellent. No sign of whistling or road static. What drew me to this antenna was the length. 19.2 inches is a true quarter wave VHF antenna. On UHF the antenna functions as a 5/8 wavelength antenna, which provides just over 2db gain. I did an SWR check and verified it with two separate meters to verify the results. The readings were excellent. The SWR on both the Ham Bands and GMRS never exceeded 1.2:1
I attached a copy of the factory antenna sweeps showing the antenna's best performance is on the ham bands but spreads wide enough to be effective on GMRS as well.
The antenna is rated for 100W on both bands so it will handle pretty much anything you throw at it. I specifically wanted this acquired this antenna for a dual function. For mobile use, I paired it with my RB-50 magnetic mount base, but also for use with my GPK-01 Ground Plane kit for Field Day and portable use.
If you are looking for a heavy duty high performance dual band for your car, the Nagoya NMO-72 antenna should definitely be considered. Note: This equipment was received for the purpose of a fair and unbiased review. All findings are factual based on the equipment I received. Any issues found have been reported both here and back to the seller or manufacturer. Amazon: NMO Antenna NMO-72 Magnetic Mount RB-50 Ground Plane Kit GPK-01 BTech: NMO Antenna NMO-72 Magnetic Mount RB-50 Ground Plane Kit GPK-01 Nagoya NMO-72 |
