Nagoya TB320A TriBand Antenna Review

Keeping up with the growing trend in tri-band mobiles, Nagoya has recently released the TB-320A antenna. This 39" fold-over antenna is meant for the serious mobile operator.

What's in the Package

- 39" TB-320A Heavy Duty fold over antenna element
- NMO to SO-239 adapter

For testing purposes, I paired mine with an NMO antenna mount. I was anxious to give it a try now that I have a tri-band mobile and wasn't excited about the thought of running two separate antennas and feed lines to a diplexer to accomplish what I could do with one antenna.

The base of the antenna terminates with a UHF type connector, but the supplied adapter converts it to an NMO mount perfectly.

The antenna can be adapted to any of the following:
- Permanent body mount - This requires a 3/4" hole NMO antenna base mounted to the body of the vehicle.
- Mirror mount - This is for the serious truck or RV installation. The mount clamps on to the side view mirror
- Magnetic mount - If you want to go the magnetic mount route, do not skimp in the base. A mag mount base with a minimum 3" magnet is my recommendation.
- Fixed Base Station - NMO Ground Plane assemblies are also available for this type of operation.
- NMO Lip Mount - Mount on trunk or hatch lip. RB-700N

Performance

I normally run a standard dual band antenna on 2m and 70cm. The difference I found while running the 320A was definitely noticeable. Repeaters that I would normally lose while driving through the highway valleys were now strong enough to continue the contact.

Of course the other added plus was the 220MHz operation. I'm fortunate enough to be in an area where there are several repeaters within 35 miles.

One of the nice features is the fold over capability of the antenna. No need to remove the antenna when pulling into a parking garage. Pull the antenna element vertically about a half inch and fold it over.

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The SWR was excellent on all 3 bands.

I attached a copy of the factory antenna sweeps that show that the factory tuning was right on target.

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The specifications rate the antenna at 200W on 2m and 70cm and 100W on 1.25m. This antenna will handle pretty much anything you throw at it.

Keep in mind that this is the main element that adapts to the base of your choice. Bases are available for fender mount, mag mount, and even base station ground plane mounts. I Use mine with the included NMO adapter and a Nagoya RB-50 NMO mag mount base.

If your looking for something small and inconspicuous, this may not be the antenna you are looking for. If you do heavy traveling and need a serious workhorse that goes beyond the norm, this may be the one.

Note: This equipment was received for the purpose of a fair and unbiased review. All findings are factual based on the equipment I received. Any issues found have been reported both here and back to the seller or manufacturer.

Available from BTech and Amazon

Amazon: Ground Plane Mount