Uniden AT820

Performance as expected from 2.5dBi antenna with 5 Watt handheld UHF radio – The standard antenna lead-to-radio connector is made for Uniden radios. Others may be different. For example, when used with a GME handheld, an "Adapter SMA plug to FME plug" is essential (Jaycar Item PA0618, $5.95), then all is good. Otherwise, no reception nor transmission. Magnetic base stays in place mid-roof on vehicle at 110 kph. Antenna and… Read more

lead are lighter and much less robust than permanent UHF units, so handle both with care. Obviously performance cannot match larger gain antennas, reception is as expected for 2.5 dBi gain with 5 watt handheld, provided transmission distances are not great (say 3 to 5kms) and provided there are not too many hills, hollows, forests, buildings, etc, between source and receiver. It is better in dead flat open country and also better when repeaters are in range. Maybe not so good with 1 watt or 2 watt radios. Better with separate microphone so that antenna lead does not get much handling. So, for around $20~$30 depending where bought (paid $19.86), the AT820 is fit-for-purpose for convoy communications or general use when vehicles are without permanent UHF units and carry 5 watt hand held units.

Not made for long term use – These antennas work ok, improve the reception distance, to double what the supplied antenna that screws onto the hand set does. The issue with them, is the magnetic is very strong, but the antenna pole is not so strong, so when you remove it from your roof of your vehicle, the pole of the antenna cracks - then not serviceable. They don't take much force for this to happen and not much time either, our first trip away we had this issue.

Terrible product that reduces range and limits handheld UHF performance – Purchased to improve reception on a 5W handheld radio during 4WD trips. The intent was to get the antenna out of the car, mounted on the roof, so the metal in the car was not inhibiting the signal. Unfortunately, this product doesn't perform as promised. I couldn't get a signal from it other than from a small UHF within a couple of metres of… Read more

the antenna. When operating from its own antenna, my 5-Watt radio picks up traffic from kilometres away. Plug in the at820 and it stops receiving those signals. Even my 0.5w radio picked up the signals but anything plugged into the at820 does not. This non-performance is the case whether the antenna is mounted on the car, sitting on a table in the house or just held in the open air. The consistent theme is that the stock antenna will pick up lots of activity but the Uniden AT820 can't. Essentially, there's no point having this product as it will actually kill the signal rather than boost it.

Uniden seemed to think the product was faulty, so a new one was sent. This too has the same issue, which leads me to believe it's just a bad product that doesn't do what it's meant to do.