Radio Shack Pro-528 to AL-500H? Noob in need of help.

[AaronJB]

Here's my problem and I'm wondering if anyone here can help me out.

I currently own a Radio Shack Pro-528 and use it mostly for listening to air bands. I recently picked up a Maldol AL-500H antenna for use with my Pro-528 but because I don't know much about connections, I don't know how to get the antenna to connect to the Pro-528. I do know that both connection types are BNC so I just assumed they would work with each other. When looking at both ends, its obvious that they will not connect directly without some sort of adapter or modification. The jack that surrounds the male connector on the radio gets into the way when I attempt to connect the antenna.

Any help would be much appreciated since most of this is new to me.

Thanks

 

[KC0QNB]

I looked at the PRO-528 on the rat shack site, looks like a standard bnc connector to me, I guess I don't see your issue, does the rubber antenna plug look like the cable end?

 

[AaronJB]

Well if I did my research correctly, the connector on the radio is a jack and the connector on the antenna is a plug? If that is the case, the AL-500 does not have a plug on it, but it does appear to be BNC.

A plug is what you twist and lock into place correct?

 

[KC0QNB]

Yeah, I came back to reread your post, I can't find a good picture of the antenna base to ID it, does the bottom of the antenna look like the jack on the radio?, You have me bugged about this one. pm me

 

[AaronJB]

I took some quick pictures that should better explain my situation.

 

[wkm]

Looks to be SMA type connection maybe F style on the antenna. RS should have that adaptor in either flavor.

 

[AaronJB]

Hmm, thats weird. The AL-500 "H" claims to terminate to a male BNC plug and this is a "H" model. The AL-500 "HS" claims to terminate to an SMA plug.

 

[wkm]

Looks like you have the HS which is SMA. It is threaded right?

 

[AaronJB]

The outer edge on the inside is threaded, yes.

 

[AaronJB]

One more pic.

 

[KC0QNB]

An sma is real small when compared to a BNC, I am wondering if the factory got TNCs instead of BNCs.
Refer to http://www.l-com.com/item.aspx?id=5385

 

[AaronJB]

So since my antenna is labeled as a AL-500H, you think they mislabeled it as a AL-500H instead of a AL-500HS?

 

[wkm]

It had to have been mislabled because BNC connectors are not threaded. And actually I don't think RS carries bnc to sma adaptors. I think I saw bnc to tnc last week when I was buying a bnc adaptor.

 

[AaronJB]

So the adapter that was referred above by KC0QNB ( http://www.l-com.com/item.aspx?id=5385 ) should work for me?

Thanks for your help guys. No way I could have figured this out by myself.

 

[AaronJB]

So I sent the company I ordered from, Universal Radio, an e-mail explaining what happened and they are nice enough to send me the correct BNC antenna for free in exchange for the incorrect antenna. Great service.