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Reviews For: Comtelco Y3347D-B

Category: Antennas: VHF/UHF+ Directional (Yagi, quad, etc.)

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Review Summary For : Comtelco Y3347D-B
Reviews: 1MSRP: 84
Description:
430-450MHz 7 element heavy duty Yagi
Product is in production
More Info: http://https://store.comtelcoantennas.com/y3347d-b
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0012
W6MTF Rating: 2019-05-26
heavy duty UHF 7 ele Yagi Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have been using Comtelco Yagis for decades with great success until recently. AL of the antennas I have used were 5 element Yagis, welded elements with a grey powder coating to prevent corrosion with a integral feedpoint encased in a rugged black epoxy box that is attached firmly to the boom. Mounting plate with stainless V-bolts and always a pleasure, that is until the last 7 element Yagi I bought.

In the past I ordered directly from Comtelco but a year or so ago the company was bought out by Mobile Mark. A call to MM and I was informed I needed to buy from a distributor.
I knew of rfwiz.com and had reasonable success placing orders through their 'Bot so I ordered two Yagis and the optional extra heavy Double Mount kit YDM-1 ($19).
The antennas arrived professionally packed in an overpack with no signs of damage but when I removed one of the yagis I found a rivet missing from the balun housing and the set screws that tie the driven elements to the internal connections in the balun were three complete turns from being tight, it was visible they were protruding from the balun box.
I called and pointed this out and suggested I could save returning the antenna by installing a new rivet if they would send me one. I also said I thought their production manager should be made aware of the issue, it seems the antenna was shipped without being completed. I got an email saying the rivets were in the mail.
The rivets came and I discovered the one would not stay in so I applied Crazy Glue and inserted it and it seems to be holding. I sent an Email saying thanks and telling them that one rivet needed some glue to hold it and I pointed out that I never heard from the production manager.
I got another Email saying the QA manager would be in touch with me. Its 2 weeks now and I never received any message or call from anyone at Mobile Mark.
Then I went to use their Double U bolt mount and discovered it bent under the stress of the long moment of the 7 element Yagi with its 43" boom.
The material is thin 1/8" aluminum plate and the U-bolts are maybe 1/4" stainless. All together it might work for the 3 element Yagis but it was not what I needed for an antenna rated for 125MPH winds. I should point out I have to pay a certified tower climber to install antennas and the cost to install is more than the cost of the Yagi, including shipping so it goes without saying that good reliable antennas are needed on commercial sites.

I had some 1/4" plate cut to order and I drilled it for 5/16" U-bolts I bought elsewhere. I threaded the plate to accept 1/4" hex head screws that go thru the boom instead of the 10-32 bolts Comtelco uses.

The antenna should be OK now but after what I've been through I felt it important to alert anyone considering a Comtelco Yagi that they may require a better mount, especially if its a VHF model with a 55" boom!
More importantly, if one purchases a Comtelco Yagi be sure to examine it carefully for any loose hardware!
I suppose the QA people are too busy dealing with other matters at Mobile Mark so don't expect any customer satisfaction if you do find a problem,