Which adapter do I need for Iron Spear antennas?

Your Maximus, Guardian, or Minimus screws on with a BNC — the quick quarter-turn connector. Your radio almost certainly doesn’t. That’s fine. You just need the right little adapter between them.

Trick: ignore the writing on the rubber duck. Unscrew it and look at the jack on the radio.

What am I looking at?

Bayonet tabs (BNC)

You’re done. No adapter. The Iron Spear antenna goes straight on.

Pin sticking out

That’s SMA-male on the radio (common on Baofeng, Anytone, Tidradio, Yaesu FT-65).

Buy: SMA female → BNC female — $7.50

Hole on the radio

That’s SMA-female on the radio (common on Yaesu FT-60 / VX, Icom ID-52, Kenwood TH-D74).

Buy: SMA male → BNC female — $7.50

Won’t sit flush

You need the same gender as above, but a narrow / thin-wall body so it can reach the threads.

For tight SMA-male ports: narrow-wall SMAF→BNCF — $11.

Recessed SMA-female Yaesus (FT-60 / VX class) want thin-wall on the male side — that’s a different part than the Baofeng narrow-wall. Don’t mix them up.

Doesn’t look like either? Stop and double-check. Some commercial Motorolas aren’t standard SMA/BNC at all.

Shop rules that save radios

  • Hand-tighten only. Tools crack the jack.
  • One adapter. Don’t stack them.
  • Still unsure? Match the pin, then grab Maximus / Guardian / Minimus for the bands you actually use.

Find your radio

Type your brand or model below. Chart lists 145 common handhelds.

Showing 145 of 145

Adapter key

  • SMA female → BNC female ($7.50) — radio has SMA-male (pin out): buy adapter
  • SMA male → BNC female ($7.50) — radio has SMA-female (hole): buy adapter
  • Narrow-wall SMA female → BNC female ($11) — same gender as Baofeng adapter, slimmer shoulder for tight SMA-male ports: buy narrow-wall
  • Recessed Yaesu FT-60 / VX need thin-wall on the SMA-male → BNC-female side (not the Baofeng narrow-wall SKU).

Antennas

Maximus

2m/70cm

Guardian

~155/465 MHz

Minimus

70cm

Credit

Connector genders were cross-checked against manufacturer manuals, our shop notes, and public radio-model listings (including SignalStuff). This page is Iron Spear’s own guide and maps to Iron Spear adapters — not a copy of anyone else’s shop.