New Antennas

[Ian]

Hey guys and gals!  I've got a big pile of 90s vintage Spirits and Talkabout Distances.  The antennas have all gone brittle, and are exceeding the point of effective duct tape repairs.  There's a mixture of Spirits, model SV-22, running on MURS in blue and green dot, and Talkabout Distance and Distance DPS units.  The antennas are all going, and the decay is accelerating.  I like handing these out to nontechnical family members, because there's not anything they can screw up other than changing the channel unintentionally.  But RF burns are a bad thing, so ...

 

Help me pick out some antennae, please!  Ideally, they'll be visually distinctive; Motorola's latest ones are stamped with UHF and VHF, which is nice, but I'm open to third-party ones and have a mild preference for silicone jacketing.

 

Thanks! 

[berkinet]

eBay

[Radioguy7268]

MURS would be VHF and Since the Talkabout Distance should be an SP10/SP21 in disguise, they should work with a standard Motorola NAD-6502 helical antenna - provided the antennas are actually screwed in. Something tells me that the earliest Talkabout Distance models were, but later on, all MURS designated units no longer had a removable antenna.

 

I believe that Spirit was a similar form factor - just a different name. If so, they should also work with the NAD-6502. 

[kipandlee]

have repaired a few antennas using heat shrink tubing worked great and cheap

[berkinet]

have repaired a few antennas using heat shrink tubing worked great and cheap

I have also had great luck using this method. I also found that in the cases where the metal spring core of the antenna has become visible, squirting some silicon glue into the tube first can be quite helpful. One advantage of using shrink tubing is you can change the color of the antenna, should you so desire.

 

BTW, I have never used them, but there is now shrink tubing available with an adhesive sealant .  There are also some types with one sealed end, so they cover the entire antenna.

[RCM]

I have also had great luck using this method. I also found that in the cases where the metal spring core of the antenna has become visible, squirting some silicon glue into the tube first can be quite helpful. One advantage of using shrink tubing is you can change the color of the antenna, should you so desire.

 

BTW, I have never used them, but there is now shrink tubing available with an adhesive sealant .  There are also some types with one sealed end, so they cover the entire antenna.

I've used the marine heat shrink with sealant in it, and it's great.

When I want a sealed end, whether with or without the sealant I just pinch the end with pliers while the tube is nice and hot. That welds it closed.

[Jones]

To replace the lost or broken rubber tip on your portable antenna, go to your local auto parts store, and ask for the appropriate sized "Vacuum line cap" available from carberator parts companies. They're cheap, and do the job of looking nice while keeping the rain out. Silicone sealer makes them rather permanent.

[Logan5]

I've used the marine heat shrink with sealant in it, and it's great.

When I want a sealed end, whether with or without the sealant I just pinch the end with pliers while the tube is nice and hot. That welds it closed.

Yep sealant lined tubing is all I buy these days, I still have a lot of the old stuff, I use when appropriate. Definitely check E-bay, several sellers with assortments and or bulk discounts if your stocking up.