Hi, I’ve got a Retevis RM01 that’s missing an antenna. Retevis has a lot of antennas on their site, but I’m not sure which one to get. I’ve tried contacting Retevis without any luck.
Anyone know which Antenna It needs?
This is a marine radio. It operates on marine frequencies in the VHF band. You will need an antenna that is specifically tuned to those frequencies. A quick check on the specs for this radio on the manufacturer’s web site provided the frequency range. All you need to do is look at the connector on the radio to determine which antenna connector it needs and match it to a marine antenna that is compatible with a portable handheld VHF marine radio.
Youve actually got a very nice radio. One of the few that uses removable and replaceable AAA cells. Many marine folk keep one for emergency use with some long life Duracels they can stick in knowing they will be fully charged. Antenna wise they use a stud screw in type so if you want cheap, look for Motorola or similar VHF antenna, which will be a close enough match, but marine stud mount antennas often come up on ebay and similar sites.
One or two important tips.
This radio is manufactured in the Recent factory under many brandings. Socotran, Retevis, Recent and Vitai being the main ones. I have sold hundreds and not one has failed electronically.
The rear battery compartment is tightly fitting and has an O ring seal. Sometimes, when people swap batteries, or are just nosey, they fail to shut it properly, and water WILL get in. So wipe the O ring clear of debris, and maybe a little vaseline or similar on the rubber.
The other thing is that the radio floats. BUT the positive buoyancy is close to neutral, and a different antenna can tip the scales so it sinks! A customer told me about this when he discovered it. For 6 months or so, the factory put a different antenna into the box, and none of those would have floated. They were surprised when I sent a video of one sinking in a bucket of water! The current ones float again.
I sell lots in the UK to the kayak folk, who buy them for safety. Getting an new antenna should be fairly simple.
Thanks for replying. Are all connectors of a type the same size and thread count?
Thanks for all the info, it’ll help a lot. Are all the stud screw-in connectors the same size and thread count?
Most seem to have the same thread. The design at the bottom usually allows the plastic/rubber to make contact first, but the only thing to remember is to NOT give that extra final twist as the recessed thread on the radio is press fitted into the plastic and you could wrench it out.