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Smiley Antenna Always Delivers
2 July 2011 | by 
I’m not shy about expressing my opinion if I feel that I’ve been wronged by a company or product. Amateur Radio operators are the ultimate social network. Hams talk — quite literally. If you market a product or service to hams, you must be prepared to have every aspect put under a microscope. If you create poor products, or don’t stand behind them, you had better be prepared to find another line of work. While I can think of a couple of examples in our hobby where crappy companies continue to survive, it is mostly due to the lack of a suitable replacement. While I’m quick to complain, I’m also quick to offer up well deserved praise.
Enter Smiley Antennas. I’ve been buying their products for many years. They are well constructed, high quality, and customer service is always top notch. If you’ve never purchased one of their antennas for your HT, I believe that you are really missing out. In fact, whenever I buy a new or used HT, the first thing I do is throw away the stock antenna and replace it with a Smiley. Their 270A Dual Band antenna is small, sturdy, and really makes a big difference, especially when I’m trying to hit those distant 440 machines. In my opinion, it’s the best $22 you can spend to improve your signal.
I recently had a need for a customized HT antenna for a very specific application. Within a week of ordering it, I had it at my door. A custom HT antenna built to order. Incredible.
I couldn’t recommend this company more. Check them out at http://www.smileyantenna.com or you can call them at 1-800-527-5439.
It’s always a pleasure to recognize publicly a company that goes above and beyond.
5 Responses to “Smiley Antenna Always Delivers”
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I am very happy with my 270A, used for satellite communications as well as doing an excellent job otherwise too.
This is the third or fourth time I have heard praises for this antenna – so today I bought one! It will be interesting to compare it to my trusty Diamond SR320H antennas.
OK…on your recommendation, and those on E-Ham, I just ordered this antenna. Thanks for your heads up. 73, Al K1QEX
I have purchased and used two of them, the Smiley 2 m 1/2-wave telescopic (for my Yaesu FT-60R) and the Smiley Super Stick II 2 m 5/8-wave telescopic (for my Baofeng UV-82), and their performance is unmatched IMO. They perform much better than the Retech RHA-771 (on my Yaesu) Nagoya NA-775 (on my Baofeng) and a little better than the Nagoya UT-108 mag mount, but not quite as good as my homemade 2 m 1/4-wave ground plane.
Their only drawback is that they tend to be top-heavy when carrying them around on your HT, and put quite a heavy strain on your HT’s PC board. So, when I’m not using the radio, I remove the antenna to preserve my HT, but that kind of defeats the purpose of my wanting to hear what’s going on when I’m hiking, etc. I purchased the BNC version of these antennas, then bought BNC-to-SMA connectors that have large cowls that touch the HT when attached, to help relieve some of the strain.
Overall, the performance outweighs the drawbacks, and I highly recommend them. They perform better than any 2 m HT vertical I have ever used.
I totally agree with your review. I purchased the Smiley 1/2 wave for my ht and means getting into the repeater that I cannot with others.