Yaesu FTM-6000R Manual page 13

Figure 8 —­The­COMPACtenna­2M/440+­balcony­station­
installation­with­CompacCounterpoise­ground­plane.
to visit my friends for their wedding. This was the per-
fect opportunity to test the antenna. I connected it to
my Kenwood TM-V7A and positioned the antenna on
the roof of my Ford Focus in the rear passenger corner
(see Figure 9), as the instructions suggested better
omnidirectional performance on a corner. Throughout
my 10-hour trip, I tried hitting several 2-meter and
70-centimeter repeaters. I found I was able to hit sev-
eral of them. Specifically, while I was near Nashville, I
was able to hit NE4MA at 442.800 MHz with a good
signal from 21 miles away. Then on my trip home, I
was able to hit WC8OH at 145.110 MHz with a good
signal from over 25 miles away, and I could still hear it
faintly at 40 miles away.
50 August 2022 QST www.arrl.org
Figure 9 —­The­COMPACtenna­2M/440+­vehicle­installation­with­
the­Larsen­NMO­magnetic­mount.
Satellites
Satellite operation was one of the other use cases
suggested in the instructions. While using the radio in
my car, I tried a couple of FM satellite passes with the
new ISS repeater and SO-50. On both occasions I was
able to get into the satellites and make a couple of
contacts. This could be a good option for those without
a handheld Yagi or those who would prefer a simple
setup that does not require moving an antenna.
Base Station
With the antenna mounted on the CompacCounter-
poise on my deck and plugged into my Kenwood
TM-V7A, I was able to hit several of my local repeaters
with ease. I have not had a base-station antenna for
VHF/UHF and have relied on a Diamond NR22L dual-
band 5/8-wave vehicle-mounted antenna in the past to
call into nets on repeaters that were too hard to hit with
a handheld. The performance of the COMPACtenna
2M/440+ installed at low height was comparable to the
performance of my Diamond antenna mounted on the
vehicle.
Final Thoughts
The COMPACtenna 2M/440+ antenna performed well
for its small footprint. I highly suggest this antenna for
anyone who needs the short form factor but doesn't
want to compromise on the performance.
Manufacturer: COMPACtenna, www.compactenna.
com. COMPACtenna 2M/440+ Antenna, price:
$109.95. COMPACtenna CompacCounterpoise NMO
Mount Base Station Ground Plane, price: $99.95.
Larsen NMOMMRPL Mobile Antenna Magnet NMO
Mount, price: $69.99.