Abbree AR-152 Folding Tactical Antenna vs ABBREE AR-805S Stubby (SMA-Female)

The AR-152 is the clear winner. For handheld operation on VHF, it delivers genuine half-wave performance without needing a ground plane, while the AR-805S is electrically tiny on both bands and cannot overcome its physical limitations.

The critical difference is electrical length. The AR-152 reaches 0.53 wavelengths on VHF, supporting realistic 2.6 dBi gain. The AR-805S at 50 mm is only 0.02 wavelengths on VHF, yielding approximately negative 9.0 dBi. This gap cannot be closed by design tricks or marketing claims. Both manufacturers overstate performance, but the AR-805S does so egregiously, claiming 3 dBi from an antenna that physics limits to negative 5 dBi at best.

On price, the AR-805S saves $3. That matters only if you accept drastically worse performance for slightly better portability, which rarely makes sense in amateur radio.

Buy the AR-152 if you want functional VHF performance from a pocket antenna. Buy the AR-805S only if your radio already has a decent internal antenna and you need a ceremonial external connector.

Get the AR-152. It's inexpensive, performs as claimed within reason, and actually works.