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Reviews For: Comet H422

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : Comet H422
Reviews: 50MSRP: 300
Description:
10, 15, 20 & 40M 'V' or straight dipole
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.comet-ant.co.jp/products/still/08.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00504.1
2E0RLG Rating: 2019-02-21
Good performer Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
The antenna performs well and puts a strong signal out on all bands at about 10ft AGL and 50w and have always had consistent great reports back.

Sturdy and easy to assemble it has survived several strong gales.

The reason i gave it 4 stars
1. as others have said the antenna requires you to water proof it yourself otherwise it will suffer problems from water ingress into the traps but is easily remedied with some self amalgamating tape.

2. Altho i have got a good SWR on 10m and 15m on 20 and especially 40m the SWR was to high despite many attempts at adjusting the antenna but with the help of the ATU it still preformed very well.

3. At around £300 it seems a little pricey considering there are other antennas costing considerably less with similar performance e.g. i am currently using a Sirio 827 at my new QTH which preforms comparable on all bands and build quality.
GM8SVB Rating: 2016-07-11
Great Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have had this 📡 a few weeks now and it works very well. I have very limited space for wire antennas and have used verticals to very limited affect but the H 422 works very well. I have a few good dx contacts and some local qso's. I only run 💯 watts from a FT 897d. It was very easy to assemble took about 3 hours. I will update this review in a few months time.
M0RZK Rating: 2015-09-02
Good, but needs weatherproofing and SWR related modifications. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I can confirm everything everybody has said about this antenna. It's good when it works, but needs thorough waterproofing of the traps and 20m SSB SWR cannot be achieved if you follow the instructions in the manual. I had to drill new holes in the 20m sections and fit them closer than the 'no holes' configuration to get usable SWR for SSB on 20m. I also sprayed some WD40 into the traps through the drain holes, which held the SWR stable for a while during wet weather. Block the top drain holes and leave the bottom ones open. Once working (mounted at 33ft), I achieved strong QSOs with the US, Chile, Brazil, Caribbean, Europe and the Middle East with only 50 Watts.
G4DBW Rating: 2015-08-16
H422 overhaul Time Owned: more than 12 months.
My 2nd H422 antenna, used in the V configuration in my tiny garden it is the only decent 7MHz antenna I can squeeze in.

Took my H422 down after suffering more hi VSWR problems on 20m.

One of the 20m traps had melted. I have stripped and reassembled all the traps smearing them all with a liberal coating of silicone grease (dow corning ms4), and applied silicone sealant at all traps end caps to the boom joints. Self amalgamating tape across all the tuning holes on the boom. This antenna really cannot stand more than 200 watts of RTTY ... and less than that if used in damp conditions. Anyone know where to get spare 20m traps ?

----------------------
Earlier 2-star review posted by G4DBW on 2012-11-13

My second review of this antenna and sadly I seem to have succumbed to 20m trap breakdown problems. Running more than 50 watts on 20m now results in chronic VSWR swings ...... so a great QRP antenna when I am running 5 watts ... but I really do not believe the manufacturers "200 watt" rating for this antenna.. does anyone have the same problems on 20m?

N6RYA Rating: 2015-06-28
Additional Comments Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is a good, relatively low cost, compromise antenna for limited space, but the main problem I've encountered is rain. Even after attempting to seal the traps, a heavy rainstorm will lower the resonance on 15 by 300Khz, on 20 by 200Khz, putting the resonance portion of the antenna outside the band.

After a few days of clear weather, the resonance point returns to "normal".

I've verified that no moisture is accumulating in the balun.

My Comet is at 35' in a "V" configuration. However, a 20M monoband rigid dipole at 30' typically will indicate a signal strength 2-3 S units stronger for a given station. On 15M, a monoband rigid dipole at 30' usually is 2-3 S units weaker.

On 40M, the 1:5:1 or less bandwidth is about 70khz.

To put the resonance points in the voice area of the bands, I used a "no holes showing" assembly.

Next time it's down, I'll have another go at waterproofing, using the suggestions posted here on eham.net.









M0SRW Rating: 2015-06-07
Ok for the money Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Got mine second hand it worked ok for a few weeks till it rained the I took it down striped the coils re-riveted the all and coated them in wax oil and now is weather proof worked many stations qrp on 1.5w hitting stations over 6000miles with 5-7 signals on 15m-12m-10m the antenna is up 30ft/10m in a tree
AE7YD Rating: 2015-03-28
better than expected Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this antenna a few weeks ago despite my concerns
after reading the reviews.
The assembly was quick and easy. I did silicon all the plastic to
Alu joints on the traps. The rivets don't have any play.
As I didn't have the time to install it on my (small) tower it is at
4.5 ft in the back yard. Still I am happily surprised by the results.
I can hear way more stations than on my short OCF inverted V
with the apex at 30ft.
I will update the review once it is installed on the tower.
2E0WBL Rating: 2013-11-09
Review update Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I put up my H422 12 months ago, and after 10 months in my exposed QHT it finally started to act up. 10m has never been a problem, but the other bands seem susceptible to intermittent VSWR problems, presumably due to the ingress of water to the traps. When it's working, it's a great antenna. I've worked Japan, Canada, the US and Brazil as well as St. Helena all on only 10 watts. The antenna is coming down tomorrow for a rotator to be added to the mast, so I'll be waterproofing those traps while it's down!
VA2DV Rating: 2013-10-28
Lacking quality control Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Ordered the antenna from AES and i am in Canada.
The box came in a week later in good shape.
Inside, 2 traps completely bent...unusable.
So I was done at the factory or somewere...
Well,big deception ! I am out 80$ for shipping to me and 56$ to get it back to AES.It's my last Comet product if there quality control is no better than that.Buyer buware !
K0RGR Rating: 2013-10-04
So far, so good Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have had my Comet H422 up in a V configuration on a pushup mast on the roof for a few days now, and am very pleased with it so far.

I only had two issues with assembling it. The antenna is supposed to come with two 'tips' of different lengths. Instead, they included two of the long ones. I had to carefully cut one down to size with a tubing cutter. I was very careful to weather seal everything on it, and orient the drain holes 'down'.

The other issue was awkwardness assembling the antenna elements to the center plate, particularly on a windy day. For two people this would have been a breeze, but it was not easy for one.

Performance on 40 meters is great - this antenna is much higher than my 43' vertical, and works better on 40. On the higher bands, it's great - I think the added height of the 'V' configuration really helps it.

Now, my biggest concern is if it will survive the 'damaging winds' they are forecasting for tonight - so far, it's rock steady in a 30 MPH wind.