Comet Original CA-2X4SRNMO 144/446 MHz Dual-Band WideBand Mobile Antenna w/ NMO type Connector Review

The BROADBAND VHF/UHF Dual Band Antenna CA-2x4SRNMO is a broad-band antenna designed for those needing voice communications on the ham radio, land mobile, and FRS frequency ranges. When the amateur radio community is working together with local search and rescue and other public service agencies, the CA-2x4SRNMO antenna allows TX and RX capability in both bands! The coverage area and gain provided by the CA-2x4SRNMO is remarkable. Whether used on VHF or UHF or both, it is an asset to the communications needs of amateurs and land mobile users simultaneously. Most Comet mobile antennas over 29″ length have a fold-over hinge built into the base section of the antenna. It is NOT an automatic fold-over, you must manually lift the element up out of the socket and lay the antenna whip down in order to enter garages, parking structures etc… It is important that you lift the whip completely up and out of the socket before folding the hinge. Like any hinge, it will BREAK if it is folded the wrong direction. The hinge rotates 360 deg inside the socket so it will fold in the direction needed. Many Chinese and other look-a-like antennas have very annoying problems associated with their fold-over hinges. The most common is a weak spring. The antena lifts up and out of the socket all by itself at highway speeds! The antenna is unusable when it is laying down and most users need to defeat the hinge or constantly adjust the angle to keep it vertical. And to be honest, Comet had this problem “initially” as well! The weak spring was almost always a problem with the larger antennas so Comet engineers went to work and re-designed the fold-over. Our larger antennas now have a threaded collar around the hinge: Loosen the collar, lift it up, and the hinge is exposed. No more problem.