Best UHF Antenna 

Do a test with the antenna comparison on the roof and bull bar.

Hi guys, i have used the 2.1 d b for a long time at least 10 years overall i find it better even in the city it rules when near high buildings it is also a clear winner in hills, mine is only on the bullbar, good test guys

You need to do a test in the hills next, metres of altitude 2db vs 6db

A huge shout out to the both of you for taking the time to make this video Ronny! Your videos are a boatload of information for those of us who don't have the money to experiment with multiple, expensive items. I as well as many others who are involved with overlanding, look to you for help and guidance, regarding products, driving techniques and so much more. The bottom line is, your videos are extremely fun, informative and most of all, you emphasize the importance of safety. Good Job Mate!!

I used to fly over rural NSW quite a bit. At altitude you can hear your mates almost out to the horizon. Downside is that you can hear anyone else on the same frequency at that range. Lots of people seem to use CB channels as if they were phones, meaning long, personal, sometimes painfully personal conversations, all playing in your ear, hours on end. There were many times when I'd have been happier with less antenna performance.

Thanks Ronny for taking the time to make videos like these. This kind of stuff helps so many people like myself who are not sure how certain products work and perform. Your channel is helping to educate a lot of people in how to have fun and stay safe and be prepared when off road. Thank you :)

Thanks Ronny! This was one of the most useful video's I've seen and nothing beats a real world test! Keep up the great work.

This is really well done. I'm getting the same UHF installed shortly and was looking for a decent comparison

This test confirms the test's I have done over the years. I have all 3 in the GME range, the 2.1, 6.6 and 9dBi antenna's. The beam pattern really plays a huge part in it as you said. So my everyday antenna is the 2.1dBi and I use it when the terrain gets undulation and can sometimes get better reception than the 6.6dBi, especially as you have found at that few km apart range. I use the 6.6dBi for my trips just for the extra distance when separated in convoy. My 9dBi is absolutely hopeless in convoy. it just fires the beam right across the top of the other vehicle antennas, its not until you are a good 6 or more km apart that you can start talking clearly with the other vehicles. So the 9dBi is fantastic for talking long distance over flat ground but that is absolutely it. Great vid guys, keep it up!

Mate, that was very interesting..... I’ve got two aerials on my vehicle, one a short little stubby for hill work and a 6.6 dbi on a mast and it works antrrat. We were up on top of a hill in the middle of nowhere and when asking for a radio check, picked up a 4x4 driving course convoy 26 k’s away. Obviously it worked because we were up quite high but yeah, I was super surprised to get a response from that far away. Great video mate, thanks for sharing 👍👍

I’m watching this for comparison, I’m definitely getting 2.1dbi! Thanks for the vlog! 💯

Hey fellas, awesome informative video. Back in the day we would have the 2.1dbi on when we were in club convoys in hilly terrain. The omni directional antennas go over hills better. When I've been touring ive use to always have bigger antennas. However saying that, the best I have ever found was a 2.1dbi on my Kombi roof rack driving across Australia. Better usable sound, and mounted on the roof rack, it got a fair distance, even on the Nullarbor.

Good job. Thanks for your time in doing the comparison.

I use my 6.6dBi on the bull bar as a height indicator for car parks. Dual use!

Great episode Ronny! thanks

Great video guys! hope to see the next test.

I chose the 2.1dbi, and went with medium duty because it was cheaper, absolutely love it, has never let me down once, great range on the highway, and can hear a mate loud and clear when we’re both at home, 5.6km as the crow flies, through hills, trees, buildings etc, best all rounder antenna I believe

Should test out the GME location services with the XRS units at range aswell. Good informative vids as usual Ronny & Torbs. 👍

Thanks for the Video guys, I have a 3.1 Dbi on my rack as well, far clearer than the 6 on the bar. Around town just leave it down and still get good reasonable distance around me. It is hooked up to a Oricom DTX 4700x.

I would like to see a 2.1-2.1 test. Would definitely be interested in a bullbar vs rack mount test too

The result was very surprising. Great comparison video guys 👍🍻

I use a 4.5 dbi ground plane dependant antenna mounted in the middle of the roof. It provides a good balance of range vs different terrains and it fits under carparks and other obstacles.

An amazing comparison, both antennas have their applications, my choice 2.1 dbi

Thanks for an interesting test!

So interesting test as a senior communications network engineer for a large regional, rural, & remote communications, telecommunications & telemetry company who travels the entire east coast both coastal and inland for work I would love to not only see this same test done on the bull bar but would love to see it done against the other great antenna that being RFI Like pencil beam headlights v’s wide. Pencil cast light longer, but not as wide. The same goes for dBi. Lower dBi means wider but less travel (3 to 5). Higher (6-9+) means longer travel less width. Higher dBI: awesome performance on flat terrain Lower dBI: awresome performance on hill terrain Middle dBI: great all rounder On our fleet of XLT Rangers & we run 2 x different types of antennas 1 for our Telstra Cel-Fi Go Mobile Boosters and one for our CB's So In the metro & outer metro areas of Melb, Syd, Newcastle, Brisd, Ipswitch because of under ground car parts etc. we run the RFI CDQ7194 3dBI for the Cel-Fi Booster & the RFI CDQ3000 3dBI for the CB's & yeah they are ok generally speaking for the immediate general area say maybe up to 10K's depending on a lot of things on the CB if we are lucky and can be a bit hit and miss on the Telstra Cel-Fi Go Mobile Boosters. If we want range & performance we swap out to the RFI CDQ7195 6.5dBI for the Telstra Cel-Fi Go Mobile Boosters & the RFI CDQ5000 6.5dBI for the CB, the range difference & signal quality are not comparable it has to be seen to be believed the difference is massive the RFI CDQ7195 6.5dBI & RFI CDQ5000 6.5dBI eat the RFI CDQ7194 3dBI & the RFI CDQ3000 3dBI for breakfast in challenging areas & spit them out the other end in every facet of communications. As for hilly & high country communications both simplex on the CB ( vehicle to vehicle ) as well as duplex via a distant repeater & wanting stable reliable mobile coverage for the Telstra Cel-Fi Go Mobile Boosters there is only 1 options the RFI CDQ7195 6.5dBI & RFI CDQ5000 6.5dBI for the CB everything else you are wasting your time with. We only use the RFI CDQ7195 6.5dBI & RFI CDQ5000 6.5dBI on our major highways including but not limited to the Hume, ( Melb to Syd ) The Pacific ( Syd yo Bris ) including up the back way Melb to Bris via Dubbo. We also have our vehicles fitted with the RFI CDQ7195 6.5dBI & RFI CDQ5000 6.5dBI running around Roma for a range of 700 + km's and other places in western QLD without any reception problems. Lets also not forget about ground plane quality and the radiation pattern as well as they also play a major part in range of transmission and reception. Regards Wayne

No surprises there. A 2.1 gives a nice round signal combating hills and obstacles. For most applications the 2.1 is best. On the bull bar the 2.1 will be even better than the 6.6 as the cab of the vehicle will further obstruct the 6.6. Loved this video guys!

maybe do a test between a 2.1 to 2.1 and a 6.6 to 6.6, to see if there is any difference which 2 short antennas vs 2 long antennas

Great test. I'm running the 2.1 on my bullbar. Radio checked a fella on Mt Tamborine about 10 km from me (line of sight) yesturday. Didnt check the strength bar but he was Land C. Pretty impressed with a bullbar mount but I do intend to roof mount it later on. Would love to see the bullbar test.

When I was playing with drones (when you had to make them yourself rather than buy at JBHIFI) we had these little magic boxes that had a high gain antenna (usually a yagi) and a low gain whip connected, and it would seamlessly switch to the antenna with the highest signal quality. Someone smart should design a little magic box that does that for UHF stuff.

Nice vid guys...wish me luck for today is my Radio Amateur exam here....cheers mate! 😉🤙🏻

Very insightful

Another great video Ronny! I just installed a value pack GME UHF on my budget super tourer. It has an interchangeable 2.1 and 6.6 whip. Very happy with it so far. I am doing an install guide on my channel next week. I will be experimenting with the different DBI’s. In Cairns we have flat coastal roads until we get into national parks, so I’m still trying to figure out which one to use. I’m open to suggestions.

Well done Ronny and Torbs good antenna test, not one mention of poor old Scratchy in those signal reports.

I have a centrally drilled roof-mounted (iMax) no dbi short UHF whip. Ideal position, but obviously not suited to all install situations owing gear you carry. Your 2.1db is fine. Great test.

Really good comparison fellas, the shorty on the roof wins in my book. Would like to see longy on bullbar vs shprty on roof!! Love ya work..

Great work mounting on the roof, probably the first 4WD channel I’ve seen properly explain signal coverage and dead spots when mounting to a Bull bar. Unless you’re transmitting in HF, antenna gain isn’t as important as elevation and terrain analysis, especially without an amplifier. They’re line-of-sight radios.

A bull bar vs roof rack of the 2.1db would be perfect, may as well compare the 6.6 at the same time then you’ve covered the lot boys!! Great vids by the way, invaluable.

Great vid very interesting results

It’s interesting to see basically the same result I think I’ll stick to my 5watt handheld and if in convoy use same channel and try and stick to line of sight

Well, I’m surprised too ! Just about to get a roo bar fitted and an XRS to boot, I think I know what I’m going to do now. 👍

Please do the roof vs bar test. I’m yet to install my uhf in my new rig and have been debating which way to go. Roof would mean I might have to take it off for day to day use. But great vid at this stage I would go the shorter one in the roof. Love your work.

I've got a 2dbi GME stubby and been great for nearly 10yrs. I never communicate with ppl over 1km away anyway but may be over hills.

I will go for Short one, because its more clearer than the long one, only long one has a few kilometres extra range... So 2.1dbi is my choice.

I drive mostly in hilly terrain and was considering switching from the 6db i have on my bullbar to a 2.1db mounted on my rollbar, my only concern was losing range, but this video shows that unless I'm on the Nullarbor, it's really a non-issue.

Cool comparison guys. I actually need a new antenna on my uhf. So I might look into a 2.1 mounted on the roof.

What a neat practical test, though I can't say I'm surprised at the result. The math says ~16km is the max you would be able to get between two antennae at 4 meters high for pure radio horizon. With simplex transmission on VHF/UHF low gain is where it's at. With a high gain antenna, your major advantage is hitting high mountain repeaters. As others have said, a good ground plane and pattern are going to be your best bets for distance. I don't know how it it is there, but in the US most of our comms is duplex off the repeaters so a high gain pays dividends.

I would go with the long one on the bull bar. But thats more based on the looks lol. Thanks for the video it is interesting to see how you guys do your radio communications over there compared to here in canada

Thank you for the entertaining video! Without looking up on the internet that particular model of transceiver that you were using that you mentioned, you didn’t actually mention anywhere what *frequency* or even band you were testing on. This DOES matter. If you hold an amateur radio operator license you could be operating on either HF, 6m, VHF, or UHF. If you are operating on CB in Australia (citizens band) you could be operating on either HF (about 27MHz) or UHF (about 477MHz). Frequency does matter and does make a difference!! Also, probably a better comparison which would eliminate a lot of the variables in your testing methodology would be to have both antennas connected at the same time and use an A/B switch to switch between them to get simultaneous comparisons of signal strength and readability. But again, thanks for the entertaining video!

Maybe it's my boating life but i've never heard anybody on a radio use anything other than 5/5 for signal quality. Anyway sweet video, cheers. Good range for UHF. Grab a HF and talk to people in Sweden :)

Most db/dbi figures for mobile antennas are way over estimated. It has to do more with ground plane quality and the radiation pattern.

I use 2 xrs GME radios, 1 with the 2.1 and the other with the 6.6, so depending on the surroundings as to what radio I use as the main and keep the other on scan. Great Vid, but there are heaps of combinations for you to do follow up vids on, keep them coming :-)

Hi guys, well done with your antenna trial. Antennae are a weird beast at the best of times, but as far as actual location on a vehicle, the very center of a steel ( or aluminum ) is the best location as the radiation pattern will be nearly a perfect circle from the antenna. If the antenna is on the side (as was yours) the pattern will be more elliptical and pointed out across the roof of the vehicle. Also, hills (higher than your vehicle ) will certainly create a "shadow" for either of you. next time try parking at the top of the hill and I recon you should crack 30Km's apart before losing contact. Also, if you are just operating car to car or car to portable a 5/8th wavelength design antenna work even better as the wave pattern is more "squashed" like a doughnut. Best of all for (probably) 100+Km would be a yagi beam antenna, but they have to be pointing toward each other all the time, so not so practical on a vehicle.

Brilliant video and a great demo, I am now smarter than 15 min ago! 👍🍺🤓🇦🇺

I run the 6.6 just personal choice and I like the bigness of it. Also doubles as my gauge when up bush as it sits fairly level when my swag is on me roof rack. So I know if my swag wasn’t to fit under a low lying branch say. Or Maccas drive through. Best range was travelling north of Auski rd house and was still picking up iron ore rd trains that pull out of there. Was 22km night driving with cloud cover. Cheers

I have a 2.1db gme behind the roof platform on a fold bracket works great

yes ... definitely do the bullbar location comparo ... 90% are usually mounted on the bullbar

awesome great content

I run the RFI CD34 MBC 2.1dBI aerial on my roof. Awesome.

cheers gents, and yes, would love a comparison between roof and bull bar. Ground Control to Maj Ron ! LOL

Go to your local amateur radio club and introduce yourself then get a standard license. Then get something like Yaesu FT-891 all band transceiver. Life is all about learning.

ive got the big one on my bullbar simply because its the exact height of my roof top tent so it lets me know if I'm going to clear low hanging things or not

Thanks for the vid RD. I'm on the market for one a d this video has been very helpful. Are you going to do the bull at comparison too?

Love your work Ronny and Torbs , It must be hard to alway Come out with new content , How about one day put some skinniest on the cruiser and test them in different terrain compared to your. 35"

Great video. Thanks very much. I have the 2.1db on my roof as well. Would be great to know if there is much of a difference if it was mounted on the bullbar.

that comparison would be awsome

I run the 6.6 when out and about then the 2.1 when working in hilly areas they both perform very well

Thanks! Very interesting, would have bet top bucks on the wrong horse...

After your previous video about roof mounting, I moved my UHF from bullbar to roof and also bought the exact same pair of GME antennas. I've been using the 6.6db, but will now swap out for the 2.1db after watching this video. Thanks for your efforts. PS: my vehicle is a Chev Silverado 6.6 litre (that's why I preferred the 6.6db....hahaha).

Very surprising 👍

I'm definitely going to swap my 6.6 on the bullbar to a 2.1 on the roof with a fold down mount 😀 I think with the same test done in the hills, the 2.1 will be an even clearer winner... so to speak.

2.1 will be my choice. Small and compact best for offroad training. Just got my brother to bring one back from Australia to South Africa. GME is the best CB communication device on the market for my Jimny JB74

Good stuff boys. if you are looking for another exercise, try a winding road through hilly/mountainous roads in a forested landscape. I, for one would be very interested to see the outcome. I'm not really familiar with the landscape in Western Australia, but maybe in the south-west of the state. I have have had some less than satisfactory experiences with the equipment I currently use, here in the mountains of the south-east of the Aussie continent.

Always run a 6dbi, good balance i've found, in all situations, would have been interesting matching the same aerials on both ends, result might have been different

Yes a bull bar to roof comparison would be good. However I really want to see the figures on a digital screen showing the incoming signal strength comparing a central mount point to the side gutter mount point. Why : “ ground plane “ Thanks Ronny.

I didn't expect that result. I thought Torbs guess was on the money. And yes. Please do a comparison - roof and bar.

I tested this myself last year. Using a combination of Google earth and an earth curvature calculator website I selected hill (870m elevation) that allowed a line of sight back to the base (22m elevation). I was able to transmit 67km between a 5 watt GME TX4500s with the antenna at roof height like Ronny's and a 2 watt Uniden UH820S. At this range, the 2.1dbi antenna was barely legible and the 6.6 was legible but not totally clear. This just proved to me that the antenna and wattage of a radio come in a distant second behind the obstacles in the way of the transmission.

I use the 5.5 at .900 mm sits on my bull bar. Sort of get the best of both worlds ive had reception at 27km away. Good n clear flat ground

I have a rugged radio vhf 60 watt radio with a 2.4 db antenna. I'm happy with seeing your results, with my setup. Awesome video display of function. This is why I subscribe to Ronny Dahl's videos. Function over Form. Good Work you guys!

I’ve got a 6.6dbi on the bull bar and my mrs hates it there 😂.I I was pretty impressed with the range of the 2.1dbi

The higher the dB a antenna has the flatter the signal that gets transmitted , higher dB antennas for flat ground, lower dB for hilly areas , also roof mount is best , height is might with UHF

Sick vid mate, please do a bullbar to bullbar test 👍

i have a 6.6 on my patrol bullbar and i find it not very clear most of the time, but i know guys who have a 2.1 and find it much better for most areas. as you said with the bubble of radio ive known people to be on Mt Coree in canberra which is highest point in canberra and radio to the calwell which is 60km line of sight with a little whip. But i think im going to get a 2.1 oneday.

For anyone wondering if mounting up on the roof is any better than on a bullbar where you so commonly see, this is my take on it. Only an opinion but sharing to maybe help others. When it’s up high on the roof, you have no obstructions around it so it can send out a strong 360 degree signal where as when it’s on the bullbar, the signal will transmit out in the same 360 degree circle however the signal going forward will be stronger / clearer then the signal going backwards towards the cabin of the vehicle it’s mounted on. The vehicle behind you won’t get a clear signal because the body of car ( the one with it on the bullbar ) acts like a big signal blocker, it gets in the way, all that glass and metal to bounce around on / off. The same reason you mount your TV antenna high up on the ridge capping of your house as opposed to mounting it down low on the side of your house, less obstructions means a clearer stronger cleaner signal. 👍

I run the 6.6 all the time and swap out for the 2.1 when tackling glass house mountains. I run the tall one because am constantly going up the beach, Fraser Island, double island etc.

I would like to see testing in some bush and hills.

I will run the 2dB antenna because sound quality was better over the same distance AND you get better coverage over changing terrain PLUS you don’t have to worry about height on the vehicle. I was surprised. Guess that’s why I watched because I’m not convinced a higher dB antenna is always the best for Simplex communication.

Nice, I love real world tests.

i run a 3db on my bullbar most of the time, fits in my garage without hitting the door and I travel mostly in the vic high county which is all hills. For outback trips i run a 6.6db but after you test I might not bother.

I run 2 UHF’s, 1 with a 2.2db (for off-road hilly terrain), the other a 6.6db (for flatter terrain and highway use). Both mounted on the bullbar approx 6 inches apart. I find the 2.2 less effective for long range highway, the 6.6 around the same off-road as the 2.2.

If you were doing inland desert travel or open highway the 6.6 would be a better option, but for most applications like beach travel, mountains, tree cover the 2.1 may be the better fit. Having the two detachable aerials however gives you the best of both worlds if doing long trips across varied terrain/conditions for sure. Great real world test guys.

I use 2.1 always, mostly cause I live in the west coast of Tasmania and it’s mountains and rainforests.

Great video Ronny. Would definitely like to see bar mounted vs roof, as yours is basically in the perfect spot, whereas most people don't bother and just whack it on the front bar.

I've got a 4.5db ground dependant on a rotating gutter mount. going to swap it out for a 3.3dbi.

I would have thought that the taller aerial would win, let's see... Yes well it did but I was surprised at what seemed to be more static. With UHF anything over 10km on the flat and I think you are doing pretty well.

good test ,, antene in the middle of the car wil work beter it also if there are contions can help alot we did the test on (2m 144 mhz /145mhz) we did a test like this ,, can not remeber the clicks is to long ago lower signal open the squelch is normal you have to

Ok 2.1 sounded better nearly all the way before fading out. The 6.6 ok up to about 12km then gets harder to read because of more background static. So I'm thinking is there not something that would come somewhere between like 4.0 and give better all round? I'm no expert but who knows! I use a 2.15 on the truck roof magmounted around 13'9" above ground level. Seems a good choice for what I want. Nice vid guys, try some more for range tests, good on ya 😄👊👍

i use a 2.1db antenna on side of bonnet with 330c xrs. no problems at all.

I use both

Nice. 15.2 km is 9.4 miles. I’d go with 2.1 db on the roof but a 6 down low may be better for wheeling (height and terrain / trees)

From the US here, I would prefer the 2.1 on a roof mount, only due to height restrictions. That being said, different types of antennas provide a different radiation pattern so there is that...