Mobile dual band fold-over antennas

[n1chu]

Wondering about my fold-over dual band mobile Diamond NR770HB antennas. I had two of them set up with my Icom IC2820 DStar radio and one went bad. Now the other one bit the dust. Or did they? They are fold-over antennas, a feature I never used, instead I installed two motorized mounts-didn't feel like getting out of my pickup every time I went into my garage. My question is was my thinking they went bad premature? Did the fact I never exercised the fold-over feature cause them to become corroded? I threw them out before I could test this theory. What experience have you had with this Diamond antenna? Have they been known to be prone to early failure?

Bill

 

[AK9R]

Yes, the fold over feature is prone to failure. There's a spring inside the housing just below the fold over mechanism. The mechanism is not water tight, so water seeps in, corrosion forms, and, in some cases, the spring breaks. When that happens, the fold over mechanism is no longer held together in the upright state.

 

[KK4JUG]

Fold-over antennae can also fold over unexpectedly. I have a Comet SSB-14 quad-band fold-over antenna. It has a spring-loaded mechanism (lift up, fold down). A recent 2000 mile trip on mostly high-speed, limited-access roads resulted in the antenna folding over on its own twice.

To keep this from continuing, I wrapped a small piece of duct tape at the "breaking" point. It worked fine but it's not practical to have to remove the tape to fold the antenna over. I'll be replacing the antenna.

 

[KR3LC]

I've had three of these for years and had one fail as described. The spring broke. I bore a hole and inserted a small stainless screw and all has been good since. Just can't fold that one over.

 

[KK4JUG]

I've had three of these for years and had one fail as described. The spring broke. I bore a hole and inserted a small stainless screw and all has been good since. Just can't fold that one over.

I will still occasionally need to fold mine so I'll stick to the tape idea until I replace it. Otherwise, I would definitely screw it down.

Also, if I could find someone who might want the antenna, I'd rather have the fold-over feature still intact and they could do with it as they wish.