arctodus Posted July 12, 2021 Report Share Posted July 12, 2021 Anyone using the above base antenna ? I would like to know how it is working for you. Will be putting it up today as soon as it arrives. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxCar Posted July 12, 2021 Report Share Posted July 12, 2021 If you asked me I'd say it's a little late to be asking others how his antenna would perform if you have already bought it and will be installing it as soon as you can. It'sa question you should have asked before committing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n4gix Posted July 12, 2021 Report Share Posted July 12, 2021 Odd question now or not, I have had mine up on the roof @42' for the past six years. It has performed wonderfully for me. I did run 1/2' heliax cable from the antenna to the polyphase arrestor, which was then bonded to my ground system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbrun Posted July 12, 2021 Report Share Posted July 12, 2021 Anyone using the above base antenna ? I would like to know how it is working for you. Will be putting it up today as soon as it arrives. ThanksI use the antenna. Currently installed at 40+ feet. LMR400 into the radio shack, then adapter cable to radio. Excellent SWR at the antenna and in shack. No complaints.MichaelWRHS965KE8PLM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkylinesSuck Posted July 12, 2021 Report Share Posted July 12, 2021 Very happy with mine. Noticable performance improvement over my Jpole and Ed Fong. Luish19779 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtech Posted July 21, 2021 Report Share Posted July 21, 2021 I have been building a portable repeater based on the Retevis RT-97. I was using a 5/8 until I received my Comet CA-712EFC. While it didn't extend my range appreciably, it did provide a very nice S/N improvement and helped fill in some 'holes' in coverage. My son lives 5 miles away in an apartment building with a lot of metal siding. He was able to find some spots in the apartment where his 4 watt handheld could hit the repeater reliably, but at best the signal was barely tolerable, lots of annoying fade. With the Comet, he can talk from most spots in his apartment and sounds 'good', not great, but certainly a whole lot better with little fading (he still tends to forget to hold the antenna vertical). While not in the professional, commercial, industrial duty antenna category, I would certainly rate it in the 'Prosumer' category. Easy to assemble and mount, with shrouded N connector, only a little more weight, and about the same wind load as my 5/8. My old antenna exhibited a 1.4:1 SWR attached to the RT-97. While the Comet is advertised as being 1.5 or less, when I tested it I could not see the return loss needle on my meter budge... so I rate it as 1.1 or less for my particular antenna (within my eyeball resolution of an analog SWR meter). So all in all I am currently very pleased. We'll see how it ages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wdsracer Posted October 8, 2021 Report Share Posted October 8, 2021 On 7/21/2021 at 5:40 PM, oldtech said: I have been building a portable repeater based on the Retevis RT-97. I was using a 5/8 until I received my Comet CA-712EFC. While it didn't extend my range appreciably, it did provide a very nice S/N improvement and helped fill in some 'holes' in coverage. My son lives 5 miles away in an apartment building with a lot of metal siding. He was able to find some spots in the apartment where his 4 watt handheld could hit the repeater reliably, but at best the signal was barely tolerable, lots of annoying fade. With the Comet, he can talk from most spots in his apartment and sounds 'good', not great, but certainly a whole lot better with little fading (he still tends to forget to hold the antenna vertical). While not in the professional, commercial, industrial duty antenna category, I would certainly rate it in the 'Prosumer' category. Easy to assemble and mount, with shrouded N connector, only a little more weight, and about the same wind load as my 5/8. My old antenna exhibited a 1.4:1 SWR attached to the RT-97. While the Comet is advertised as being 1.5 or less, when I tested it I could not see the return loss needle on my meter budge... so I rate it as 1.1 or less for my particular antenna (within my eyeball resolution of an analog SWR meter). So all in all I am currently very pleased. We'll see how it ages. Just wondering how you like the rt97 for local comms? I have one on order and plan on setting it up on our hunting lease. I can put that comet antenna up about 30 ft on the peak of the cabin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelLAX Posted October 8, 2021 Report Share Posted October 8, 2021 52 minutes ago, Wdsracer said: Just wondering how you like the rt97 for local comms? I have one on order and plan on setting it up on our hunting lease. I can put that comet antenna up about 30 ft on the peak of the cabin. What will you use for power; or is the property connected to the grid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wdsracer Posted October 25, 2021 Report Share Posted October 25, 2021 On 10/8/2021 at 12:37 PM, MichaelLAX said: What will you use for power; or is the property connected to the grid? The property is on the grid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WREY478 Posted November 2, 2021 Report Share Posted November 2, 2021 Comet 712EFC is a great choice for a base antenna. I have mine mounted on a tripod on the roof of my house. Approx 30' or so off the ground. Works great, light weight, no tuning, priced right.. what's not to like? DownEastNC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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