The Comet HT-55 is an interesting 8-inch long dual-band duck optimized for the commercial bands near 155 and 465 mhz. You can transmit into it on those bands, although you are limited to 5 watts.
Of course it is rated to receive from 118-960mhz, but then again, so is a paperclip.
Mechanically it is very thin, and being only 8 inches long it isn't too much of a problem on the belt. However, you do want to be careful so you don't bend it right over at the end of the housing.
But does it really make a difference? Yes, but not as much as going to a much longer antenna, such as a Diamond RH-77CA. Consider the improvement on the commercial bands to be about half-way between an amateur 2m/440 duck, and a full quarter-wave. When comparing a similar amateur antenna, the Diamond RH-519 to the Comet HT55, when tuning NOAA on 162 mhz, the difference was immediately obvious.
On UHF, the improvement in the commercial bands was noticeable, but not as great as it was on VHF.
So, if a short 6-8 inch flexible duck is what you like, and you prefer an antenna tuned to the commercial vhf/uhf bands, then the HT-55 is a strong contender.
BUT, being tuned to the commercial bands is NOT a great idea if you are already suffering from NOAA or pager overload / desense already. In this case, the HT-55 will only make the situation worse.
So the reasons to choose the HT-55 are:
* You prefer a small flexible whip
* You like the improved performance in the commercial 150/465 bands
* You are NOT already suffering from NOAA or pager overload.
* You are not expecting full quarter-wave performance.
* All other bands are just basically untuned, like most other "wide band" rx-only antennas.
Of course it is rated to receive from 118-960mhz, but then again, so is a paperclip.
Mechanically it is very thin, and being only 8 inches long it isn't too much of a problem on the belt. However, you do want to be careful so you don't bend it right over at the end of the housing.
But does it really make a difference? Yes, but not as much as going to a much longer antenna, such as a Diamond RH-77CA. Consider the improvement on the commercial bands to be about half-way between an amateur 2m/440 duck, and a full quarter-wave. When comparing a similar amateur antenna, the Diamond RH-519 to the Comet HT55, when tuning NOAA on 162 mhz, the difference was immediately obvious.
On UHF, the improvement in the commercial bands was noticeable, but not as great as it was on VHF.
So, if a short 6-8 inch flexible duck is what you like, and you prefer an antenna tuned to the commercial vhf/uhf bands, then the HT-55 is a strong contender.
BUT, being tuned to the commercial bands is NOT a great idea if you are already suffering from NOAA or pager overload / desense already. In this case, the HT-55 will only make the situation worse.
So the reasons to choose the HT-55 are:
* You prefer a small flexible whip
* You like the improved performance in the commercial 150/465 bands
* You are NOT already suffering from NOAA or pager overload.
* You are not expecting full quarter-wave performance.
* All other bands are just basically untuned, like most other "wide band" rx-only antennas.
