Broken Antenna Repair

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KK4JUG

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I have a Comet tri-band antenna that was broken in shipment. The radio company replaced it immediately. I was told to hang on to the antenna while a claim was made against the shipper. The claim has apparently be paid but I still have the antenna. I assume they didn't want it.

It's a Comet SBB14 tri-band (52/146/446). Some still list the antenna as an SB14. The SBB has a different (and better) mounting structure.

Anyway, it's broken in two at the upper phasing coil. The antenna was 43" long. The upper phasing coil is broken in the middle, 34" from the base (leaving a 9" piece with half of the phasing coil attached).

Since the shipper apparently doesn't want the antenna, is there any way to salvage it? I hate to throw it away.
 

Chronic

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Call comet and purchase the broken part , i have repaired Diamond antennas before.
 

KK4JUG

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The antenna is broken in the middle of the coil. Half of the coil is on one piece of antenna and the other half is on the broken 9" tip. How would I repair that?
 

n5ims

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The antenna is broken in the middle of the coil. Half of the coil is on one piece of antenna and the other half is on the broken 9" tip. How would I repair that?

Some antennas have the coil molded onto the pieces and are not repairable while others are attached using set screws so it's easy to replace a broken coil by simply unscrewing the set screws, swapping out the coil, and tightening them back up. You may need to retune the antenna after the swap out though.
 

KK4JUG

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Some antennas have the coil molded onto the pieces and are not repairable while others are attached using set screws so it's easy to replace a broken coil by simply unscrewing the set screws, swapping out the coil, and tightening them back up. You may need to retune the antenna after the swap out though.

The upper part of the upper coil and the lower part of the lower coil have set screws for tuning. The other ends are molded onto the antenna element.
 

apx7000xe

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I'm not sure how big this is but if you know anyone with a tig welder then they can tack it together at very low power. I've welded pop cans together before. What kind of metal?


Kenwood TK-2180 | Motorola HT1550•XLS | Motorola HT1250 | Motorola CP200XLS | Kenwood TK-790 | Motorola Minitor VI
 

KK4JUG

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Thanks but the metal is not the problem. It's the upper phasing coil. It's snapped in the middle and I think it just became a dual-band antenna. It'll take some judicious cutting and a lot of time tuning it...maybe.
 

KK4JUG

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Conductive glue?

Well, SpaceMann, I'm gonna try your idea. I have some silver conductive adhesive. After mending the phasing coil, I'm gonna put on a couple of thin coats of epoxy to help strengthen it.

I'll take my time to make sure the adhesive and epoxy cure properly. If it works, great. If not, well, I tried.
 
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