Comet CTC-50M experience?

[KJ1H]

I'm working on finally getting back on HF again.  I had no problem getting my girlfriend's approval to throw up a dipole at her house where we live.  The issue I'm running into is getting the coax into the house without or leaving windows open, leaking out heat.  We live in Maine, and need to retain all the heat we can.   She doesn't feel as though the typical methods of foam around the window openings and such will be sufficient to keep the heat in, and as it's her house, what she says goes.

Last night a friend send me a link to the Comet CTC-50M.  I've read the two reviews here on eHam, but I'm wondering if anyone has any further experience with it?  It's a fair bit of coin to spend on something that a small hole could easily replace.  But it addresses her concerns and she would have no problem with me using one, which would let me get back on HF - as long as it works fairly well.  I don't have any kind of an amplifier, so its 100w limitation on HF shouldn't be a problem with my Kenwood TS-130S.

Thanks!

[NO6L]

No, I would not even consider one, except maybe for receiving purposes.

Get a window feedthrough panel from someplace like MFJ. Or, get some Plexiglas and PL-259 bulkhead connectors and make your own. Or, convince her to lighten up, leave a space for the feedline and use some adhesive weather strip in the open space of the window with a piece of broomstick wedged in the other end of the window to keep it from being opened the rest of the way. You would still need this with a feedthrough panel.

http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-4601

73

[WX7G]

The Comet window gap jumper will work fine.

[NO6L]

The Comet window gap jumper will work fine.

At least until he jams legal limit through it. There's a right and a wrong way to do things, girlfriend notwithstanding.

[W3LK]

I would not waste my money on the thing. I have yet to live in a house that I could run feedlines into without resorting to something like that.

A 2x2, a length of 1" foam pipe insulation, a drill to match the diameter of the feedline and a tube of caulk is all you really need.

Cut the 2x2 to fit the width of the window sill.
Drill the requisite hole(s) in the 2x2 for the feedline(s).
Put a bead of caulk on the window sill.
Put 2x2 on the sill and feed the feedlines through the holes.
Put a bead of caulk in top of the 2x2 and close the window.
Put a piece of 2x2 in the window to wedge the window shut.
Insert the pipe insulation into the gap between the two sashes to close it off.

Take almost as long to describe as it does to do the installation.

Unless she has a totally sealed house, I'm betting she has more leaks around the outlets and switches on the outside walls that there will be on the above installation.