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Reviews For: Comet SBB5-PL 2m/440 mobile whip

Category: Antennas: VHF/UHF+ Omnidirectional: verticals, mobile, etc

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Review Summary For : Comet SBB5-PL 2m/440 mobile whip
Reviews: 16MSRP: $54.99
Description:
2m/440 whip antenna with PL-259 type connector, 3/5.5dB gain
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
15164.8
VK2ATN Rating: 2022-12-20
As expected. Excellent for transmitting and wide band receiving. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I owned one many years ago so I knew what to expect. Not only has it low SWR and low reactance in the 2m/70cm’s bands, but it makes a great airband, low and high VHF and low band UHF receiving antenna. FWIW, no good on 800-900MHz. Being ground independent you can mount it on boats, aircrafts or anything which is made from composite material and not worry about grounding. Build quality is great. It’s slim, inconspicuous and painted black and the PL-259 bases center pin is gold plated so it will not tarnish and keep good connection for years. The center coil act’s as well as a spring so if you accidentally hit a low branch chances are the antenna will not get damaged. If anything happens to this one I will definitely buy again.
K4HES Rating: 2018-08-10
Great with CP-5M mount Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Initial setup: Diamond SG7900 antenna on a Diamond K400 mount. Changed vehicles and wanted to use smaller antenna. Couldn't find my Diamond NR770HB dual band antenna. Purchased Comet SBB-5 from HRO. While waiting for it to arrive, found the NR770., put it on the vehicle using the K400 mount, SWR readings all 1.7 or lower. When the SBB-5 came, tossed it on in place of the NR770. ALL SWR readings way above 2.3. What the heck. Sent the SBB-5 back to Comet, they send it back saying it checked out FB and it must be my mount. Now, I figure, if the NR770 gave good SWR, why wouldn't the SBB-5. Put the SBB-5 on my analyzer without the mount in line, SWR all less than 1.7. Purchased a Comet CP-5M mount (similar to the K400). Now both antenna show great SWR, Less than 1.7 across the band. Go figure.

The SBB-5 with CP-5M is a great combo. Plenty of range for day to day op. Only use the SG7900 for Tour de Cure where I'm out in the middle of nowhere and need the extra gain to hit the repeater.
KB8LKH Rating: 2017-01-03
Excellent Antenna! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Excellent antenna!

Also works great for out of band VHF/UHF listening too. Not so great for listening to 700/800.

My concerns were 2M/70cm, Railroad (160-162MHz), Local PD/FD (UHF), and NOAA (162-163MHz).

This antenna far surpassed my expectations on all of these bands.

I would highly recommend.
AK1CT Rating: 2015-08-07
Sweet Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have the Comet SBB-5, a stealthy black antenna dual band mobile. Time will tell if this was a good purchase. Only had it for 2 weeks, and can compare it to the previous. My old antenna was a 1/4 wave mag mount on the roof of the vehicle. The coax made slight scratches on the roof over time, so I replaced with a lip mount, on the hatch, no ground plane, and mounted "low" so part of the antenna is lower than the car body - probably the worst position short of horizontal inside the vehicle. Even in this poor position, this antenna performs about 20 to 30% better than the old antenna. I commute on hilly parkway, repeaters that used to drop out in the dips no longer do. I can go 10 + more miles before losing the same repeater. Made a mobile to mobile simplex contact, and we were both impressed with the range. I thought I liked the old antenna; wow was I wrong. In addition, the black antenna with the black Diamond 400 mount looks good too, hardly noticeable along the hatch line. Time will tell if it holds up. But I don't think I have to worry much about trees, I parked next to a pickup truck, and my antenna was lower than the truck's roofline. The only complaint I have is now I hear more often distant repeaters on the same freq - if that is a complaint. SWR reading is 1.5:1 or lower across both bands. I was also worried because the Diamond mount had a very thin coax compared to my old mag, but the loss on the line is nothing compared to the antenna's gain. I can't say it is reasonably priced, so it better not fail.
KE5RVY Rating: 2011-11-08
Not what it was designed for, but it works well! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Initially, my intent was to use the SBB-5 as an emergency backup antenna for my base rig by using a magetic mount on my attic A/C cabinet. It was not meant for full-time use, nor was it intended for long-range contacts. However, during some recent EMCOMM tests, I used the antenna and was able to make repeater contacts 30 miles away with 10 watts output. I have been using the same make/model antenna on my vehicle for two years without problems. A bit tall, but extremely functional! Highly recommend this antenna!
IW2CKM Rating: 2011-03-26
Great antenna !!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Cheap but very efficient antenna.
It works well on all frequency bands. excellent reception UHF, VHF, AIR VHF and 250 MHz bandwidth (SAT).
Super stainless steel construction. Looks good !!!
Required magnetic base diameter 150 mm and PL-259 connector.
I recommend it is a good buy.
KB6TWC Rating: 2010-05-11
BEST antenna ! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The is the BEST dual band antenna ever! It is super quite, very broadbanded and very sensitive! I run APRS through it with a Kenwood D700 and I can actually hear the difference and see the differnce and notice the difference with this Comet SSB5-PL. The PL is also gold plated. I have run all the various brands of dual band antennas and the others suck! They are noisy and performace is poor. Nothing can touch this one! GET IT! Incredible performance! Tough too !
W3GFY Rating: 2008-05-11
excellent antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Great antenna. Excellent performance, has held up well after 2 years in the great outdoors. Finish is still in good shape and the connector is still water tight with no apparent leaks. I also very much like the fold down feature. Have made simplex contacts around 20-25 miles away with good conditions on 2 occasions running 50 watts with a Yaesu ft880.
KC5TPA Rating: 2007-09-15
Still going!! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had this one for better than 7 years, and it still works great. I've had I don't know how many run-ins with trees, garages, and the like but no problems.
WH6QB Rating: 2007-05-31
Works Great on My F-150 Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Mine is mounted on a Diamond door mount on the left rear door of my F-150. So far it works great. Plus I've dragged it through some trees and overhangs and it snaps right back into shape.

I'm pleased