Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes
Reviews Home

Reviews For: Comet CX-333 Triband Base Antenna

Category: Antennas: VHF/UHF+ Omnidirectional: verticals, mobile, etc

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : Comet CX-333 Triband Base Antenna
Reviews: 46MSRP: 169.95
Description:
Triband base antenna. 2m/1.25m/70cm (145/220/440)
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.cometantenna.com/base.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00464.6
KC9CWB Rating: 2024-02-05
Great Antenna! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Update: After 17 or more years this antenna still functions as it did new. I used the MFJ-259C SWR analyzer and the SWR readings were fine. It has gained a good reputation and local hams have also purchased this antenna.

Recently installed the Comet CX-333 atop my tower at about 40 feet and this would place the top of this 10 foot tall antenna at 50 feet. It allows for transmission and receive quite well. Using my ht jumpered to the 9913 feed line, I recently listened to a storm net about 75 miles away near where my parents live. This week I participated in a net on 220 with the repeater about 20 miles away. The net operator was surprised to learn I was using a 5 watt ht because of the excellent quality of the tranmission. This Comet antenna has a good reputation and good gain. It is white except the small radials which are silver. I look to buy equipment that others have had high success with. Also, for these three bands it is important to install a very low-loss feed cable. In summary, this is a top of the line tri-band vertical with good gain!
W8GTX Rating: 2023-12-21
Good results, but... Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
My match across the 2m(145-147.900), 70cm(440-450), and the 220 portion is no higher than 1.5 to 1, or mostly near flat. One thing I learned long ago with any of these antennas regardless of make, is to check the antenna completely over. Yes, I know some say "I shouldn't have to". Then don't.

I do and here is why as many already know. You'll find poor or non-existent solder joints every so often. Also, and this is far more common, a loose SO-239 (or N) connector at the base. Most are held secure with a large Allen screw. What actual effect on transmission that would have I do not know, but it should not be loose regardless!

On a side note, why some have had such poor matches across all or certain portions of the bands could be anyone's guess as there are too many factors to consider. I have another friend who has one of these and his results almost mimic mine exactly. I plotted the SWR across all three bands with a RigExpert Stick Pro to backup my results
KY4TS Rating: 2023-12-14
5+ years of solid performance Time Owned: more than 12 months.
UPDATE: My CX-333 is still up and still performing just as well as when I put it up in 2009. Can't ask for more than that. Since my last update almost 10 years ago, I have acquired a Rig Expert analyzer that lets me get a precise measurement on 1.25m and 70cm. Everything checks out fine. Currently, I'm using a TYT-9000 on 220 FM and a Yaesu FT-736R on 220 SSB. Even though the antenna is vertically polarized, I still manage to eek out a few contacts. VERY satisfied.

2014: This is an update from my review in January of 2009. As of last night, the VSWR performance of this antenna is still within a few percent of when I installed it 5 and a half years ago. My analyzer will only let me check resonance up to 180MHz, but it was still close to the same resonance points as 2009. I was only able to check the 222MHz and 440MHZ bands with a VSWR meter. What maintenance have I done? Other than going up on the roof and lowering the mast to visually inspect the antenna twice a year, none!
K5DXR Rating: 2022-02-13
After twelve years in the elements still working like new Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I put this antenna up twelve years ago but left it when the house sold. The current owner let me retrieve it today. After twelve years in the Northwest Arkansas elements it still works like a champ. No cracks. No water intrusion. SWR is great on all bands. This one has been well worth the money.
KA4FIX Rating: 2021-07-29
A Great Antenna Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Antenna performs really well on all three bands. Highly recommended.
K6LCS Rating: 2021-07-29
Perfect Solution Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Mine has been up for more than 15 years. Flawless performance on its three bands.
W4IU Rating: 2021-07-28
Inconsistent quality, limited bandwidth. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is the second CX-333 I've owned. The first served me well over a period of 5 years. It was installed at 80' on a massive pine tree. I moved to a new location and had leave the antenna behind.

The second CX-333 I bought suffers from limited bandwidth. On the 2m FM Natl. Call Freq, the antenna has an SWR of 1.5. However, at 147.5 MHz the SWR is over 2.0. The same goes for the 220 MHz band; 1.5 at 223.5 MHz and 2+ in the repeater input range. On 440 it has an SWR of 1.4 to 1.6 across the FM portion of the band.
W7JSM Rating: 2021-03-21
Very dependable antenna Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Have had cx-333 mounted to top of 25 to mast. The swr across all bands has been good. I regularly check into a simplex net and get nothing but great audio and 59 +. Been up for over a yr thru all diff weather. No problems.
K4CLL Rating: 2020-02-16
Great tri-band antenna. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After reading the reviews I decided to try the Comet 333 for my FT-736R. The antenna went together easily. The top center connection slides so you may have to tap the top section or shake the center down to be able to get the set screws in it. Get your glasses for that. The swr is good on all bands. I used the LMR 400 cable in a good brand. Reviews are helpful, but read them well or you might miss out on some good equipment. Well built and water proof. Comes complete with sealing tape. It is light, easy to install and works well on all 3 bands.
KM6YXJ Rating: 2019-05-26
Seems good Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Put this up with 65ft of LMR-400 to my tri-band radio. Seems to work well.
I checked the SWR in the middle of each band and I got: 2m = 1.6, 1.25m = 1.4, 70cm = 2.0

I was interested in understanding this more, and so a friend came over with their RigExpert antenna analyzer. The reality is the the SWR curve is significant over the entire bands:
For 2m, the curve ranges from 2.0 to 1.1 with the low around 147Mhz
For 1.25m, the curve ranges from about 1.7 to 1.2 with the low at about 224.5Mhz
For 70cm, the curve has a series of 5 or more peaks and valleys (it is a relatively wide band), ranging from 2.5 to 1.1, with the low at about 433MHz.
Obviously, the cable run, surge protector, quality of the connectors and other factors make a difference. But for me, a new ham, understanding how the SWR actually varies significantly across the band was interesting.
As it is, I like the antenna!