antenex repeater antenna question

[mike m]

I made a typo in the Co.name and I fixed it.

Anyone have any comments on the antenex repeater antennas, specifically the 2 bay dipoles such as the YDA1502 series.

http://www.wpsantennas.com/index.asp?Pa ... tegory=517

The price seams good as is the weight and size.

This will be for a low elevation repeater not subject to high winds or lots of snow and ice etc.




Mike

[RoGo 1]

Antennex and Antenex are two different companies.

[Dan562]

If you don't mind purchasing the vertical mast pipe, mounting hardware separately and tuning each antenna elements before mounting the antenna ... I guess the Antenex product would work okay. Anything to save a buck on the installation.

[RoGo 1]

I have seen some Hams use them, don't know about commercial use.

[N4DES]

I used them for a low altitude/ low power (35' & 20 watt) UHF repeater system for my HOA. Worked fine out of the box and their talk-in/talk-out is exactly what I engineered but I used a fiberglass encased model and can't comment on the exact model you have referenced.

Mark

[mike m]

OK good comments,

The reason I asked was because the phasing harness on my 25 year old DB-222 tore apart and one of the dipole insulators cracked and I was looking at alternatives and of course DB will not sell a new harness without the antenna and mast.

My old DB-222 was the version where the dipoles clamped to a user supplied mast with hose clamps not the newer version with the supplied mast and internal phasing harness.

I'll just buy a new DB-222, it'll most likely work much better than the antenex junk and it includes everything.


M

[Dan562]

Mike,

Here's the trade off, Antenex Product Line are not as well known as the former Decibel Product Line now owned by Andrew / ADTX Corp the same company who manufactures the Heliax RF Coaxial Cable but when Andrew's purchased the db antenna product line they outsourced the antenna manufacturing to China. As some of my sources have told me; the former Dallas, Texas manufactured db antennas product line had better Quality than the new China manufactured versions. The new China manufactured versions uses, i.e. example: cheaper aluminum mast pipes, radiating elements (I suspect it's the Aluminum Wall Thickness) and RF cable harnesses. So buyer beware, the name brand products are not always as good as the original purchased product versions.

Dan

[mike m]

I saved myself a lot of grief and repaired the broken insulator and found a used excellent shape harness from a 222 E which is the range that I wanted.

Before some asks, I don't know what happened to the antenna from the used harness that I found but it doesn't matter.

Thanks for all the info on the DB China Mfg stuff also, I'm glad that I didn't get a new 222 especially if they are now Mfg'd in China.

I figure the repaired DB222 should last another 25 years.


Mike

[batdude]

last one i purchased new was NOT made in china

it was hecho en mexico



d

[Jason]

last one i purchased new was NOT made in china

it was hecho en mexico



d

Same here, mehico is where the last few ive gotten were made...

[Dan562]

I stand corrected on the dB Andrew's Antenna Products but are they as good as being Made in the U.S.A. versions?

Dan