Review on 📻 Tram(r) 1477-B Pre-Tuned VHF/UHF Amateur Dual-Band Base Antenna (Black Fiberglass) - 144MHz-148MHz/430MHz-460MHz, 44.00in. x 3.00in. x 2.00in. by Shane Hartford

Likes: -- Fairly solid construction. -- The antenna generally works well. -- Large bandwidth in the range of 430/440. The SWR at resonance in this range was 1.04:1. -- SWR at resonance at 2m was 1.02:1 with narrow bandwidth. - The price is very good. -- The Revain partner it was purchased from will be shipped immediately. I would buy from them again. Dislikes: - The resonance point at 430/440 was quite low. The minimum SWR occurred at a frequency of 434 MHz. Great when working with satellites, but the SWR around 448MHz is already over 2.5:1. 450MHz was over 3:1. Things get a little higher in the band's FM/repeater section, which gets quite busy. It would be much better to have a resonance point for minimal SWR exactly at 440MHz. The wide bandwidth then perfectly covers the entire 430-450 range with an SWR at the edges between 2:1 and 2.5:1, making optimal use of the "centring" of the circuit. The resonance point for the 2m band was too high. . The minimum SWR was 147.8 MHz (less than 1.1:1). At a frequency of 148 MHz, the SWR is slightly less than 1.4:1. Moving in the other direction below resonance, the SWR increased rapidly to 145.6 at 2.5:1 and 144 at 3:1 or slightly higher. Here, too, the antenna tuning could be better centered, for example for minimal SWR at 147 MHz or slightly below. 146.52, the national VHF calling channel, showed an SWR of 1.5:1. This is acceptable, but there are repeaters below 146MHz. -- By the way, all my measurements were made with the NanoVNA-H4. The antenna is still pretty useful, even with the crooked resonance points, so I'm rating it a 4 as it's a huge improvement in performance over homemade J-Poles. antennas or a photocopy of the parts list. I'm an engineering professional and have been a radio amateur for over 50 years, so the parts bags didn't scare me, but newbies would have problems and would probably get frustrated and give lower grades. - SURPRISE. Hardware is all METRIC! I found the SAE 1/4-20 hardware to be slightly smaller and with a smaller thread pitch. If you lose something, you'll be out of the loop without a trip to Ace Hardware or Home Depot! It would be nice to have a photocopy of the parts list pointing out this important fact! -- Three small hex screws were included in the hardware package. Only two such parts with their split washers were required. One was used to clamp the antenna and its radials to the lower mounting tube on the base section telescope for attachment and weather protection. The other had to go through the top threaded mounting collar (like the bottom one), but also had to go through a hole in the mounting tube and then hook into the threads in the base of the antenna. This should secure the base to the mounting tube and also prevent the base of the antenna from twisting. The screw that came with it was too short. It was about 3/8 inch threaded. To work as intended, it required 1/2 to 5/8 inch threads. So now I have two spare but short M8 hex bolts and a split washer. Left. Here's how I discovered the hardware had metric threads: I grabbed a 1/4-20 SAE screw from my stash for the top mounting clip and found that it had no threads. Instead, I got a replacement M8 Phillips screw from some metric hardware I bought from Ace Hardware when I installed the transceiver in my old 2007 Tacoma pickup on the bulkhead behind the bench seat in the (small) standard cab on that truck. The threads were perfect, but I had to add some Phillips flat washers along with what was supposed to be a metric flat washer because that M8 bolt was about 3/4" threaded. So overall it was about 1/4 inch longer. But it fit without having to search for the right length M8 stainless steel bolt. So my antenna is now completely installed with this little mod. Verdict: --Despite the flaws noted, which I list as a warning to others, I feel the resulting performance and the overall robustness of the design (black fiberglass is both flat and difficult to see, and absolutely necessary in the strong ultraviolet of the summer sun of Arizona). ), $59 for this antenna ($63 with taxes) makes a very good price. Just be prepared to perhaps make a trip to a hardware store to complete your own installation to your satisfaction. Good end result, but "cautious".