Do you have an antenna or adapter that fits my Motorola radio?

Motorola radios can use a variety of antenna connector types, and unfortunately, we don’t have a practical way to support all of them.

Connector Compatibility

• If your Motorola radio uses a standard SMA connector, one of our Signal Sticks or adapters may fit. However, many Motorola radios use non-standard connectors that are not compatible with our products, even if they look nearly like a standard adapter.

What to Do If You’re Unsure

If you already know the connector type, we’re happy to help you find the right antenna or adapter. However, if you’re unsure which connector your Motorola radio uses, we likely won’t know either and won’t be able to assist further.

Tue, Oct 29, 2024

Can I use a Signal Stick on my scanner?

Yes, Signal Sticks can be used with many scanners, but there are a few things to keep in mind regarding performance and connector compatibility.

Frequency Performance

Any antenna will pick up signals on any frequency—the question is how well it will perform. Signal Sticks are tuned for the 2-meter and 70cm amateur radio bands, meaning they perform best within those ranges. As you move further from these frequencies, performance will diminish, but the Signal Stick can still work reasonably well for receiving signals on many other bands, particularly those close to the Amateur Radio bands it is tuned for.

Fri, Oct 25, 2024

Is the Mag Mount weatherproof?

The mag mount itself is waterproof, but the BNC connector is not inherently water-resistant. Over time, rain or moisture could seep into the connector, which might cause temporary issues until it dries out. However, corrosion could build up over time if the mount is left exposed to the elements for too long.

It’s important to remember that “weatherproof” doesn’t really exist—only “weather-resistant.” The BNC mag mount is designed as a temporary solution rather than a long-term outdoor option. If you need a more permanent installation, consider an NMO antenna, which is built for heavier use and greater weather resistance.

Fri, Oct 25, 2024

Is the Signal Stick going to affect the water resistance of my radio?

We can’t guarantee whether the Signal Stick will affect your radio’s water resistance, as it depends on the design of your specific radio model.

The SMA connector on the Signal Stick is waterproof, and many radios are designed so that swapping antennas doesn’t impact water resistance. However, since we don’t know the exact specifications of every radio, it’s safest to assume that any aftermarket antenna could potentially affect water resistance.

Fri, Oct 25, 2024

Which connector goes with my radio?

On the Product page, you can select your radio’s make and model at the top of the page, and it will show you the antennas and adapters that fit it directly.

If you want to use an adapter, that may change things somewhat, depending on the configuration.

You can also use the SignalStuff Pick Tool to find the configurations that will work with your radio.

Fri, Oct 25, 2024

Which is better: the Mag Mount or the NMO Stalk?

The choice between a mag mount and an NMO stalk depends on how you plan to use your antenna. Both options have their pros and cons, so here’s what to consider:

Mag Mount (BNC)

The mag mount is ideal for short-term, “grab-and-go” use. It allows you to reuse your existing Signal Stick by quickly popping it off your radio, attaching it to the mount, and connecting the mag mount’s coax cable to your radio.

Fri, Oct 25, 2024

The SignalStuff 2022 “I can’t believe I missed Black Friday!” sale

The short version

Due to circumstances beyond our control we missed doing our traditional Black Friday sale, so we’re doing one a week late! The sale will begin on Friday, Dec 2, 2022 and will continue through the end of Tuesday, Dec 6, 2022. If we run out of stock on anything I’ll make more and get them shipped within a week.

The sale:

Fri, Dec 2, 2022

How Signal Sticks are made

For some time I’ve been debating the idea of sharing a bit of the “behind the curtain” of how SignalStuff as a company and Signal Sticks as a product work; there are a lot of reasons for and against the idea, but my hope is that by adding some clarity around my business it will add some value to the Ham Radio community:

Wed, Sep 21, 2022

Improving the SMA-F connector caps

It’s interesting how sometimes small side effects can add up over time to be a real problem.  Recently I’ve had a couple of concerning support requests which led me to start taking some measurements, and I discovered something concerning: our SMA-F connector covers have been gradually changing over time, slowly enough that I had not noticed until it started being an issue for a few customers.

Tue, Jan 30, 2018

What kind of gain do the Signal Sticks have?

Questions about antenna gain

Probably the question I get asked most is “what kind of gain do the signal sticks have”, and “why don’t you list gain on the site?”  I have answered many people individually, but it comes up often enough that I figured I should probably write up an explanation.

Mon, Jul 4, 2016

Using 3d printing to improve the Super-Elastic Signal Stick

One challenge with a project like these antennas is that we are constantly looking for ways to improve on our previous designs. The reason this is a challenge is that often when we develop an improvement which has significant advantages it also changes the appearance of the antenna, which both creates the possibility that people will not like the change and creates a transitory period where people expect the product to remain constant but we have some stock of the old and some of the new.

That said, we’ve been experimenting with a 3d printer and have started producing covers for the antenna and anti-eye-pokers (that’s a highly technical term) for the tips. Here are some pictures of what the new antennas look like:

Wed, Jan 27, 2016