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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
W8MPX Rating: 2011-09-13
good antenna Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I'M VERY SUPRISE WITH THIS ANTENNA MY ANTENNA IS IN THE PORCH ON A 2 FLOOR APARMENT AND I CAN HIT IT WITH MY MOBILE IN SIMPLEX 20 MILES. I WILL LIKE TO PUT IT 50 FEET HIGH AND SEE HOW FAR I CAN HIT IT ON SIMPLEX BUT I LIVE IN A APARTMENT WITH ANTENNA RESTRITION, IF YOU LIVE IN A APARMENT GET THIS ANTENNA IT WORKS GREAT. I CAN HIT REPEATER 50 MILES AWAY 73' FROM W8MPX
KD0LAC Rating: 2010-12-13
Zero Complaints Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
This is the antenna I purchased immediately after earing my tech license about 8 months ago. I have it mounted on the roof of my 2 story house. I purchased the typical length of galvanized conduit pipe (6 foot or so), planted one end into my no longer used Direct TV dish mount, mounted the antenna on the other. I have 50 ft of Cable X-Perts 1318FX coax running into my shack from there The top of the antenna is probably 35 feet off the ground and has line of sight to most of the repeaters here in the front range. Reception is excellent. Xmit is excellent for both repeater and simplex use. This is one of those antennas where if you can hear them, you can work them. I can hit every repeater from Cheyenne Wyoming to Pueblo Colorado from Denver on this antenna. I have contacted ISS on it. I don't think it's possible to expect, or get much more. Mine is connected to a yaesu FT-7900, which I also highly appreciate for all VHF/UHF in my area.

W8AAZ Rating: 2010-05-08
Long term durability Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have just taken mine down, I suspect it has been up as long as 8-10 years possibly. Well, more than 5-6. My weatherproofing consisted of sealant around the bolt head that joins the base to the antenna, and at the top of the coax connector, using that coaxseal putty stuff. This proved sufficient and is recommended. The white paint on the 'glass part is just a little weathered, with a thumbnail bare patch near the top cap. The base and stainless hardware held up really well. The metal ring that holds the radials and the top cap are plated metal, and the plating is pretty freckled and some white oxide residue, a cosmetic issue only. One radial was slightly loose, the nut must have worked loose from vibration or temp changes? The seals between 'glass and metal are still perfect. I had to clean out crud, dirt, spider nests from inside the base, even at that height it was mounted at. Just a yucky cosmetic issue. I suppose you could block the gap around where the coax goes in the base. Survived many years in the weather and could have kept going but the coax gave up, not the antenna, from damage. I would buy another Comet antenna with confidence. Will outlast all metal antennas without maintenance, probably. Mine is going to a new ham and I am sure another 10 years it will work or until the coax goes bad and has to come down.
KE4FHH Rating: 2010-02-26
Outstanding Antenna Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I bought this antenna due to it's small size and the good reviews that it got here. I am amazed at the performance of this little wonder. I get excellent signal reports on both bands and the antenna is only at 20 feet. The build quality is top-notch. Mine is centered at ~146 and ~440, so the SWR stays low across the entire 2M and 440 bands. I would definitely get another one of these well made antennas.
AB4BC Rating: 2009-12-22
Compact yet very efficient Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I had read for the most part nothing but positive reviews of this antenna and being in somewhat close proximity to my neighbors, I wanted a low profile antenna with reasonable gain enough to hit repeaters in the immediate surrounding counties. To my surprise, even though I do have some elevation at my location and with only a 30' above ground installation at the mount, I have been able to hit repeaters over the entire western half of NC, down into SC and north into VA with no problem at all on 50 watts. Be aware that the rating on the antenna is specified at 200 watts PEP. Tech support just a week ago informed me that 100 watts maximum should NOT be exceeded for FM operation. I believe some of the other reviews mention this as well although the wattage told to me is different than what you may find below in another review. Mine came very well made with no manufacturing imperfections visible, SWR is 1:1 from 144-145.600 MHz and slowly rises to 1.7:1 at 148.000 Mhz. 70 cm, the SWR is 2.0:1 from 430-433.000 MHz and fluctuates throughout the rest of the band between 1:1 and 1.6:1. Mine is resonant on 145.600 and 445.000 MHz. Many factors affect this measurement so that's just my results. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for a low-profile antenna that will get the job done.
KE5MZP Rating: 2009-12-20
Been good to me Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I was blessed with this antenna from WU5E. Thanks, Jim. It has performed great! At first it was at 16 feet. My friends noticed a difference immediately. When it was raised to 32 feet, I could hit a few more repeaters and had stronger signals on both, RX/TX. On 2 meters and 440, I never saw an SWR over 1.4:1. The Isopole I have can't compare.
N2XPM Rating: 2009-11-11
3 Years of Service Time Owned: more than 12 months.
As of the past week, the Antenna has failed. I had been experiencing a lot of problems with my repeater where the output power would diminish and it was noticable. When the antenna was cold, the condition (Light operating) was not noticeable when using 30watts. When I applied 150watts continuously for a few minutes, the reflected power was 75watts with a VSWR of 5:1. I thought that by purchasing a single Fiberglass pole over multiple poles would alleviate my fear of Antenna failure. For me it has been 2 strikes, the Diamond that this antenna replaced and now this Antenna. Perhaps, 3 times will be a charm!

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Earlier 5-star review posted by N2XPM on 2006-08-09

Just replaced a Diamond x500-HNA with a GP-3 and I am loving it for my repeater. So what, half the gain of the Diamond. The Comet is built better, is lighter and I have it 20 ft higher than the Diamond. The Diamond was very flimsy and flex too much in the wind. The Comet stands at attention is light weight and I am quite happy with it. There is no need to buy a several hundred dollar antenna with so much gain compared to a GP-3 at a fraction of the cost that will do the same work.
K7ETC Rating: 2009-03-18
Almost foolproof! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Easy to assemble, easy to raise, SWR on 146.520 and 440.400 so low I thought the meter was not in line. Small enough my neighbors don't think it is a CB antenna. Stood up well to the worst Oregon winter in memory. Range increased about 25 miles at fifteen feet off the ground. I wish I had bought one sooner.
N4JRR Rating: 2009-02-28
Meets or exceeds manufacturer's claims. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I had an Arrow 146/440 GP for a while and never could get the swr below 2:1 so I gave the Comet GP 3 a try. The English instructions had a heavy Japanese accent but the antenna was very easy to assemble. The quality is very good and everything fit nicely. The base end of the antenna with the coax connector fits in an aluminum sleeve mount, which shields the connector from wx. There was a slight amount of play in the fit of the base into the sleeve, but a piece of duct tape about a third of the way around made a very snug fit. SWR was a completely flat 1:1 at 146 mHz and max 1.4 at band edges on 2M, and similar results on uhf. Performance for me is excellent and my initial response is completely satisfied.
AC8AZ Rating: 2009-01-25
Great for the Price!!! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Low swr both bands! I live within 50 miles of many repeaters and this antenna hits them all full quieting on low power. You will have money to spend on other equipment after buying this one!