Comet SBB-244NMO offroad?
- Thread starter trump
- Start date
Tennmogger
Explorer
Why use a Chinese made antenna (like Diamond and Comet) when you can get a tough USA made brand like Larsen? I have been abusing Larsen antennas for quite a few years, and have seen some imported antennas destroyed on the first encounter with trails.
my 2c,
Bob
WB4ETT
my 2c,
Bob
WB4ETT
crawler#976
Expedition Leader
I can vouch for a Larsen MNO 2/70.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=530880&postcount=63
Mounted where it's at on the fender it takes a brutal beating, yet still performs fine. Even with an odd ground plane it will punch out to 20+ miles on simplex on flat ground. From 5500' elevation I've hit Phoenix at 5 watts from 80 miles away.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=530880&postcount=63
Mounted where it's at on the fender it takes a brutal beating, yet still performs fine. Even with an odd ground plane it will punch out to 20+ miles on simplex on flat ground. From 5500' elevation I've hit Phoenix at 5 watts from 80 miles away.
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
FWIW, the Comet C-767 NMO I have says it was made in Japan, but it's older.
That said I switched to a Larsen 2/70 NMO years ago because the aforementioned Comet fold-over feature decides to do it randomly. This just would not do. I don't see any difference in real world performance between the Comet and Larsen.
That said I switched to a Larsen 2/70 NMO years ago because the aforementioned Comet fold-over feature decides to do it randomly. This just would not do. I don't see any difference in real world performance between the Comet and Larsen.
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
Failed to grasp that you wanted 220MHz, too. I don't have a 1.25m radio. I'm not aware of a 144/220/440 antenna other than the Comet.
rusty_tlc
Explorer
Since the guys I run with all use 2M simplex on the trail I have a 2M rubber duck I put on when off road. It works great for simplex on tight trails where you stay bunched up. Even in the mountains I can get 5 - 10 mile range out of it.
As soon as you get into multi-band antennas there will be trap coils to deal with so you can't use a simple whip antenna, which IMHO is going to be the most durable. Is there a reason you need multi-band comm on the trail? If not you could pick a band and antenna to use while driving and have a multi-band antenna to use in camp.
As soon as you get into multi-band antennas there will be trap coils to deal with so you can't use a simple whip antenna, which IMHO is going to be the most durable. Is there a reason you need multi-band comm on the trail? If not you could pick a band and antenna to use while driving and have a multi-band antenna to use in camp.
trump
Adventurist
I want 2/70 for the road. Really, I don't have a need for the 1.25m, but I'm going to have the capability. I'm the kind of guy that wants to be able to use anything I put in the truck, so its more of a just in case. It's starting to sound like the best thing to do is either carry another antenna or use two seperate antennas.
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
It's sort of a question of use, you can get a compromise multiband that might work OK on 3 bands or a proved single band that works well on one. Fact is that the majority of the traffic is 2m and so you should optimize for that, 440 is useful for short haul and handhelds (short antennas!). It's fun to mess with other bands, 1.25 for example, there's just not enough equipment out there. That's too bad and I think it's great that you want to use our spectrum. It's really a question of how many antennas you want and trust me as you practice the hobby you will accumulate many...
trump
Adventurist
That's the feeling I'm getting right now.
I think I'm going to go with the Larsen 2/70 and forget about 220 for now... secretly I wanted some one to tell me that Comet was made of glass and would explode on its first hit. :coffeedrink: I wasn't feeling too keen about a 36" antenna with questionable flexability.
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
The Comet is made of glass and will explode on the first impact. ;-)
The Larsen is commercial quality, you'll be happy with it. BTW, the regular 2/70 NMO with the open coil (the one I use) is about 3 feet tall, too. I don't much worry about it banging on stuff, but they have a spring you can put between the whip and base if it concerns you.
The Larsen is commercial quality, you'll be happy with it. BTW, the regular 2/70 NMO with the open coil (the one I use) is about 3 feet tall, too. I don't much worry about it banging on stuff, but they have a spring you can put between the whip and base if it concerns you.
gary in ohio
Explorer
Stay away from plastic covered coils. Your best bet is a Larson 2/70 with the open coil. Nice antenna, reasonable low cost and works well.
Would this be as simple as trimming the 2/70 plus spring combination back down to the original overall height before the addition of the spring? I am unable to find a cutting chart for the NMO2/70B on the Larsen website.
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