tcp2525

Yep, and these are the same people bitching about not being able to contact their loved ones on 9/11. As for Verizon, I'm not surprised as I was a customer since their inception back in 2000 and I left their wireless in the dust because of poor service. It wasn't their stupidly high prices that drove me away, it was they got so unreliable as I was not getting calls or texts days on end. I went to Consumer Cellular and haven't looked back. And don't get me started on their customer support. Getting a human in under 15 minutes is like climbing the Swiss Alps, a real f'n challenge. And once you get one, you have to hope they comprehend English. Oh, and I still have FiOS, which they have yet to screw up.

Mediocre SWR, but met specs per manufacturer. The biggest problem was lack of performance compared to the lesser Tram 1486 antenna. I couldn't get into local repeaters that shouldn't have been a problem. The second one I just got is really performing better than I expected. It's meeting up to the performance claims we read about on this forum.

Yep, it's always good to have a great vendor you can depend on. I've always used DXE and HRO as they resolve issues without all the misery some people have with other vendors. My last 712 was a dud and I had to return it for a refund. I decided to wait until they cleared present stock before ordering a replacement. The second one I just got is the winner.

DX Engineering is the only place, as well as HRO, one should buy from. Great people at both establishments.

Good news!!! The antenna finally arrived today. It was well worth waiting six months for the old stock to be depleted and the new batch to be shipped. My compliments to Mr. Yakamoto for assembling and tuning, he nailed it. A quick sweep with the VNA on my ground jig placing the antenna six feet off the ground yielded 1.510:1 @ 462.550 and 1.019:1 @ 467.725. I also hooked up the HT and was able to hit distant repeaters the first antenna couldn't. That said, I feel a little more confident when I get my fat ass up the tower it should perform really well when I connect the Heliax to it. Happy, Happy!!!

Nope, MIL-Spec RG-400. Don't need a 100' run in a car.

Might as well use a dummy load if you're not feeding our NMO mount with RG400.

The most expensive tool one needs to buy and keep in their box is a utility knife with a new sharp blade. Of course, a fine tooth hacksaw is the second tool one needs. The corrugated copper shield cuts like butter under a sharp blade. Take a scrap piece of 7/8" and download the instructions for the connector of choice for your application and practice and you'll be amazed at how well they come out. After a few practice runs, you'll be patting yourself on the back and saying, Damn, I did such a good job I scared the living sh!t out of myself. If you're installing many connectors daily, buy the tool.

I'm not sure that I've seen any solid core hardline that large in 50 ohm. I know there was some 75 ohm large stuff, but that was always solid aluminum shield and copper clad aluminum center conductor. The smaller 50 ohm hardline we use today is corrugated copper shield with a copper clad aluminum center conductor. And as you said, the larger stuff has a hollow copper center conductor.

Just got off the phone with NCG and they said that they are waiting for the delivery to reach the port and claim that they will have them for distribution in a week or two. Of course, they will need to be shipped to the many vendors. Is it real, or just smoke and mirrors? I'm added to the DXE que so we shall see. A sliver of hope is better than no hope.

The picture he is showing is of the backside of a regular N connector without the hardline/coax installed. See the nut on the back? I assume it's a male N Connector that someone put on the larger hardline connector to protect it. Update: Here's a pick of it in his previous post.

OUCH! I didn't think DXE would do that. That was my concern.

Thanks. I did see that option and always use DX Engineering and HRO for my major purchases. If I get a reasonable and accurate answer from Comet that it's going to be a minor delay and they will be shipping to vendors soon, I will do as you say. I don't want to be on a list only to find out the antenna is discontinued. I'm sure DX would already know the status and wouldn't list it on their site if that were the case.

Thanks for looking and giving me the tip, I really appreciate it. I always compare prices prior to pulling the trigger. I have a total dislike for companies that go way above and beyond fair market price and avoid them. I'm in no real hurry and will snag one eventually. It's strange they have been out of stock for so long. I almost am starting to think they might be discontinuing this model. If I have time tomorrow I will call Comet and get an answer from them.

That might be an decent option. Did you get the GP-9NC or GP-9NCA? I'm really not that interested in VHF as it going to be solely for GMRS, but it would be nice to have that option should my needs change in the future.

I did see that, but classified this clown as a gouger. The site didn't say out of stock, but I'm sure they have many at $189.95. I would hope they are offering free shipping and a tube of K-Y Jelly since everyone else that had them, and hopefully will be getting them soon, are asking $139.

Anyone know of a vendor that actually has one in stock? I've been looking for the last six weeks for one without success. All the reputable vendors, even the gougers, show out of stock.

I use a pet squirrel, which is really the only scientific way to do it. He loves 1-5/8" Heliax the most. Last 700' run he tested for return loss took a record breaking 15 minutes to scale that length and come back down. Seriously, here's a video that might help. Check Youtube for other videos to get a full understanding.

A public service message for people that want to run their coax through the sunroof. Just be careful doing this as it might cause damage to the track mechanism. I don't know if this even apply to foreign made/designed vehicles, but for us owners of American made garbage such as Ford and GM, we are afflicted with a higher failure rate of the track mechanisms due to being made of of cheap plastic that deteriorates over time and fails. The repair kits are inexpensive, under $100 on eBay, but you have to drop the headliner and remove the sunroof structural assembly to install the parts. Mine failed from normal wear and tear on my F150. If you route your coax this way, just be aware of the pitfalls and don't force close your sunroof. Trust me, you don't want to waste your time doing the repair or paying someone to do it.

Yep, that is one of the reasons why I recommend the trunk lip mount over the mag mount. But if you have to use one...... Funny thing, everyone seems to claim that mounting on the hood as I suggested performance will suffer. I agree that the radiation pattern will definitely be skewed, but in real world use it's not noticeable since the vehicle isn't always traveling only in one direction +/- 1°. I can't notice any difference in performance when I'm traveling the same routes on my car, truck(Drilled In NMO center roof), or motorcycle. Trust me, I'm very anal about squeezing out every fraction of a db performance out of an install, but this really isn't worth pissing over since everything is a tradeoff.

Without knowing what vehicle you are installing this in, we can only give you a generic answer. If you MUST use the door jamb the best way to do it is to follow what others have said. Personally, I totally dislike any mag mount installation because it opens up many more issues one doesn't need to deal with. A much easier and worry free way would be to run your coax through one of the many rubber grommets you have on the firewall or the side panel next to the passenger door and place your mag mount antenna on the corner of your hood. An even better solution would be to use a trunk lip mount in that corner. I did this on my Lincoln that has a glass roof and it works perfectly without any degradation in performance. Do it once and forget about it. https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/cma-cp-5nmo

Not worth the aggravation. Most likely you won't be able to climb the tower, or use your contractor to install your antenna. You will have to contact the government and coordinate with them and use their contractor. Too much misery for little gains. Stick with private sites.

Ah, come on give the brotha a break. It clear he's Rasta from the island enjoying the ganja and his woman lost her bumbaclot. As for the radio, we all know he's talking about the world famous and most sought after DB20.

Stick with a real quality antenna that is designed for the commercial environment or learn the hard way. If a company, Midland, can't even use stainless steel screws to hold the whip in you know you got a piece of crap. I posted about rusting set screws after having the antenna for three months. I won't be buying anymore overpriced and overrated Midland products. Toss that piece of crap and chock it up to a lesson learned.

Yep, pretty much what I said. I guess we agree. It just might be worth it to some of us to get a fraction of a db more in performance.