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Reviews For: Comet SMA-503 HT Antenna

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

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Review Summary For : Comet SMA-503 HT Antenna
Reviews: 9MSRP: 29.95
Description:
2m/70cm HT Antenna. 2m 1/4 wave, 70cm 1/2 wave. Length 8.5"
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.cometantenna.com/products.php?CatID=1&famID=1&childID=4
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0093.7
KG6YRC Rating: 2020-05-19
not good on vhf Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
vhf transmit was bad, put the antenna on a comet analyzer and swr on vhf was so high wouldn't even register until frequency was raised to 152 MHz, then noticed on the package, a little note, "for repeater and D-star. swr is great on 70cm
K6ITR Rating: 2016-10-04
It does radiate. So there is that. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I gave it a 3 because it does radiate. I put it on my VX7R and keyed up my club's 2 meter repeater from inside my house. I was rewarded with a response that registered about 3/4 scale on the S meter. Understandable, as my house is stucco and RF has a hard time getting through. The same test with the stock antenna registered full scale. I really can't think of a reason you would put this flimsy thing on your HT, or spend $30 on it in the first place. I didn't buy this one, it came with the radio I got from a friend, but if it's anything like the Comet SMA24 I put on a different HT, it's going to bend permanently at the base as soon as I knock the radio off my coffee table.
N5JRN Rating: 2014-06-05
1st impression: works fine Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Recently got thrust into the market for an antenna for my FT-60 when the factory one became unscrewed and got lost on a hike while wearing the HT on my belt :-( .

Worst thing about it on the FT-60 is a rather unsightly gap remains even when the antenna is fully screwed onto the SMA connector. Worse than the aesthetic downer factor is how the gap provides a way for dirt and moisture to get in.

I solved that with a #83 (1/2″ OD X 5/16″ ID X 3/32″ thick) O-ring. (Yes, Comet includes a rubber washer with the antenna, but it's not thick enough to fill the gap on an FT-60.)
N5OFQ Rating: 2014-02-28
Good on UHF, fair on VHF Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I'm comparing the Comet SMA-503 with the Nagoya NA-666 (which is the same length) and the stock whip from the Yaesu FT-60R.

The Yaesu stock duck is worse in all respects...nuff said.

Interestingly, comparing the Comet SMA-503 and the Nagoya NA-666 running simplex transmissions to a fellow ham across town indicated the Comet was about 2 S-units worse on VHF but about 3 S-units better on UHF.

The Nagoya shines on VHF and the Comet shines on UHF. Receive S-meter readings are also in line with transmission results.

The Comet is a good stock-duck replacement but at 2-3 times the cost of the Nagoya, I'd buy the Nagoya. (eBay - $9.79 and free shipping).

Consider what band you primarily intend to use it on.
RADI0HEAD Rating: 2009-12-29
The best dual band HT replacement duck Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is the best replacement duck I have ever used, and I have many. It consistently receives better than my similarly sized Diamond SRH519 on 2m and 70cm.

For its size this HT antenna is highly underrated.
KB0NES Rating: 2009-07-14
Good but Stands Improvement Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased this antenna as a replacement antenna for my VX-2 (now VX-3). I tend to mostly use this HT for receiving but I also use it for crossband access to my auto radio. All in all this antenna has well outperformed the stock supplied antenna.

The only issue I take with the antenna is the TOTAL lack of any form of strain relief where the antenna wire exits the hard plastic SMA base. The wire is constantly getting kinked at this point and one day I'm sure it will break off when I attempt to straighten it. It would have been a simple change to have designed the top of the SMA connector to be molded of something flexible to give a soft transition to the varying section change eliminating the kinking. I'd buy it again if they made the change...
W9ZIM Rating: 2007-09-03
Good but flimsy Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Pros:

Small, light, extremely flexible; won't stick you in the ribs when you sit down; better performance than a stock duck

Cons:

The thin whip can easily become sharply bent at the base simply by carrying the radio on your belt; my concern is that this stress will eventually cause the whip element to snap off entirely.

If Comet could give us an antenna with this size and performance but with a more rugged construction then they'd have a winner.
YC3EBW Rating: 2006-04-01
better on outside the amateur freq. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Additional review for sma-503. I tested this antenna the same way I did before. Actually for receving, it did better between 150 MHz - 170 MHz comparing with srh-519(about 1-2 units better). However, I did not test the antennas for transmitting on those freqs yet.I believe it should do well too. On 70cm and frs freqs this antenna did good(both xmit&rcv). Too bad I could not measure the vswr on both bands.

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Earlier 3-star review posted by YC3EBW on 2006-03-31

This Comet antenna actually looks ok on my vx-7r/vx-5r. However, the performance is not as good as I expected, It was slightly better than vx-7r/vx-5r stock antenna(about one signal scale unit better on receving on vx-7r/vx-5r) but not as good as my diamond srh-519 which enhanced the receiving about two to three signal scale units. I tested on 2 meter & 70 cm band. It cost me about 1.5 times more expensive for this antenna than for srh-519. I would love to trade in this antenna for srh-519.
N0EYE Rating: 2005-08-29
Very good product Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I got this HT antenna to replace the stock antenna that comes with the Yaesu FT-60R. The stock Yaesu antenna is a notoriously poor performer, so I ordered the Comet antenna right along with the HT.

I have not been disappointed with the Comet antenna at all. I was able to key a 70cm repeater that is more than 10 miles away, and is only up 100'. I was also able to hit a 2m repeater that is more than 20 miles away.

If you want a good-performing HT antenna that is less than a foot long. This one's a winner!