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Reviews For: Comet GP-3 Dual Band Base Antenna

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

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Review Summary For : Comet GP-3 Dual Band Base Antenna
Reviews: 51MSRP: 89 (street)
Description:
Dual band (146 - 446 mhz) base station antenna. Fiberglass construction. Max power 200w. Length 5'11". Weight 2lbs 12 oz. SO-239 connector.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.cometantenna.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00514.9
N1CVO Rating: 2023-03-02
Good, relatively short antenna with good SWR Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I had a mag mount on top of a 4' speaker stand with homebrew radials, sitting on my AC compressor outside. Condo life. I wanted something better and taller, but small enough to bring down the basement bulkhead when the condo folks do inspection. I was leaning towards a Tram 1477, but the specs on this are better for the money. I mounted mine on a 5' piece of PVC pipe which sits in a patio umbrella base. As soon as I hooked it up and tested it, I got 1.0 SWR in the middle of both 2m and 70cm; much better than the 1.5 to 2.0 of the mag mount. I'm able to hit another couple of repeaters in the area, but still need more elevation.
KI5NYJ Rating: 2023-02-17
Very good for the money Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently purchased (~$110) a Comet GP-3 for VHF and UHF, replacing the little 19" I had on my roof, and my VHF j-pole. The top of the antenna is about 30' on my roof supported by 6' PVC with three guys. It is a definite improvement over both: I was immediately hitting a repeater 65 miles away at the Missouri City Antenna Farm (I live in The Woodlands). Full quieting. I've since painted it medium gray with Krylon Fusion - no difference in reception. It seems well constructed so I am considering buying another for remote outdoor use (ARES, etc.).
K4MFD Rating: 2023-02-12
Great Small Antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is a tough small single section antenna. I have had it in service for over 3 years now. It has a small wind load. My SWR on 144-148 is 1.0 to a 1.1 very happy with that. My SWR on 430-450 is a 2.1 down to 1.4 happy since the frequency coverage is so wide. In the 440 repeater range it's 1.6 down. I have it mounted on a 3 foot steel pipe in a 1/2 oak whiskey barrel. It is sitting on my porch as I live in a apartment. This antenna works the surrounding repeaters well even with my less than optimal mounting. I am thinking of upgrading to Comet CX-333 to add 220 MHz but it's 4 feet longer and a 2 piece antenna. Don't know if I could hide that. LOL

I all so have the Comet 6/2/440 tri band base antenna and it works great with low SWR as well. It's been in service for many years and still going strong. It's mounted on my tower at my repeater site at over 4,800 feet. You won't go wrong with a comet antenna.
W8GTX Rating: 2022-12-17
Excellent antenna Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Rugged as it is a single section antenna. Small wind load and low SWR. Never higher than 1.5 - 1 on 144-148, 440-450. This antenna replaced a GP-98 triband someone else wanted for 1.2/ghz. I noticed no real difference as far as distant stations between the 2 antennas. What ever difference there is, isn't worth the critique. I will say the SWR impressed me compared with the GP-98
KN4YBP Rating: 2021-03-20
Better than anticipated Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is my first base antenna as a late 2019 licensee. I have it mounted over three 10 foot steel pipes from Depot on top of an RV bumper clamped to the ladder for a ttl height of 33' to the radials. I have nothing to compare it to but I surely can find no area to complain. At just over the tree canopy at 50 watts it burns a swath thru the atmosphere to a high repeater over 100 miles distant. To whom can I complain? I've sent one to my friend in NW IL to use when we talk DMR. Since then I've changed mobile sticks also to Comets.
N9EZF Rating: 2020-12-11
Great dual band antenna! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The Comet GP-3 outperforms all the previous vertical antennas I have used in the past. It is only 20 ft. in the air I can access repeaters that I couldn't have accessed in the past. SWR is 1.2 on 2 meters and 1.5 on 70 cm. Very well built antenna and performs good on 2 meters but great on 70 cm. The design and quality of this antenna is top notch.
N5RZX Rating: 2019-04-16
Product As Described Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Replaced a single band 5/8 wave with this in anticipation of getting a dual band rig. This antenna is allowing me to hit repeaters I never could have with the previous antenna, and the SWR is less than 1.2/1. I have mine attached to an old satellite dish arm, mounted on the side of the house. Not ideal, but works! Quality is outstanding. Everything is sturdy, heavy feel. Even came with cable wrap for waterproofing the connection. I would recommend this antenna (at least on 2m). Well worth it.
W5KVV Rating: 2018-11-20
Excellent Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have always been leery of hammy grade fiberglass antennas. I've had a few in the past that were pure garbage. However, this antenna is a breath of fresh air. It actually works, as advertised.

Construction is good. The materials appear to be of good quality. I much prefer the one piece mast over the larger two piece masts. I went over the antenna prior to install and couldn't find any joint or fitting that would require extra weather proofing. Not so with the two piece masts. The added gain of the bigger antennas is worthless if the antenna is full of water. I'll take longevity over gain any day of the week.

My antenna is 20' AGL. It's fed with TMS LMR400. VSWR as measured from my Anritsu Site Master S331C is 1.2:1 or less across 144-148 MHz. 440-450 MHz is slightly higher, 1.2:1 - 1.4:1 at band edges.

If you need a well built omni that won't break the bank and has a small footprint, I highly recommend the GP-3. I plan on ordering a couple more just to have on hand. The bang-to-buck ratio is hard to beat.
KQ4WH Rating: 2018-03-21
Great light Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Had a home made duel band "J" Pole antenna up about 30 feet, was just using with a 2 meter radio. Feed line was about 60 feet of mini 8. Purchased the GP 3 and 100 feed of low loss coax. Installed the GP 3 at 20 feet for testing and comparing. Even through the GP 3 was 10 feet lower, it was 2 S Units better on any repeater within range. This is a great Antenna, it is very light and has small wind loading. Currently have it at about 40 feet and an picking up stations I have never been able to hear before. I would absolute purchase again
KR5P Rating: 2018-03-20
Survived Two Hurricanes Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I own three of these antennas. One of them was the first base antenna I bought after I was licensed in 2006. It went up on a metal mast on our chimney which put it at about 50 feet (two story house). The metal masts got bent over by hurricanes and tropical storms but the antenna survived. I finally took it down and replaced the mast with a fiberglass mast and a newer GP3 but the original would probably have been fine to leave up there. I live 10 miles from the Gulf of Mexico south of Houston so the environment is a bit harsh for shiny things on roofs.

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Ron Parker, KR5P