Help Identify This Tool - Antenna Wrench
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Help Identify This Tool - Antenna Wrench
Anyone ever see one of these NMO / antenna wrenches before? I have one that I use quite a bit, and I'm trying to find a source for more - a spare for me and some for the other techs & installers in the shop. It's really handy since it's sized for both brass rings & chrome nuts.
No markings whatsoever on the wrench itself. It used to have to prongs on the end with the hole in it, but I ground those off after growing tired of sliding my palm across them. lol!
I've been searching for months trying to find another one, but can only come up with the stiff wire type spanner wrenches. Any idea who could have made this thing or what a part number is?
No markings whatsoever on the wrench itself. It used to have to prongs on the end with the hole in it, but I ground those off after growing tired of sliding my palm across them. lol!
I've been searching for months trying to find another one, but can only come up with the stiff wire type spanner wrenches. Any idea who could have made this thing or what a part number is?
- Andy Corbin
- Posts: 158
- Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2005 3:46 pm
Re: Help Identify This Tool - Antenna Wrench
I have never seen one myself but any machine shop should be able to duplicate it for you quite easily. The prongs of course are to secure the inner portion of the NMO from spinning and wrenching the coax while using a second wrench to tighten the outer brass ring.b18c_ej8 wrote:Anyone ever see one of these NMO / antenna wrenches before? I have one that I use quite a bit, and I'm trying to find a source for more - a spare for me and some for the other techs & installers in the shop. It's really handy since it's sized for both brass rings & chrome nuts.
No markings whatsoever on the wrench itself. It used to have to prongs on the end with the hole in it, but I ground those off after growing tired of sliding my palm across them. lol!
I've been searching for months trying to find another one, but can only come up with the stiff wire type spanner wrenches. Any idea who could have made this thing or what a part number is?
Just my $.02
Andy
- kb4mdz
- Posts: 282
- Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2001 4:00 pm
- What radios do you own?: Too many for the time I have.
Re: Help Identify This Tool - Antenna Wrench
IIRC, NMO mounts are 15/16 inch across the flats of the brass ring, and 1 inch across the flats of the chromed coupling nut for simple wire quarter-wave antennae. So, a combo wrench of that pair would do just the trick, and be somewhat less likely to be overlooked (or fall to the bottom of your toolbag and rest flat where you can't see it! ). You might even be able to get it as a 'tappet wrench', which has a thinner profile, and therefore not so heavy in said toolbag. Unless you've got a really good friend in that machine shop who will do the job for free, you'll probably spend less.
-
- Batboard $upporter
- Posts: 2884
- Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2001 4:00 pm
Re: Help Identify This Tool - Antenna Wrench
I've got one of those, pretty sure it's Antennex.
Re: Help Identify This Tool - Antenna Wrench
Bump. Over a year later and still looking!
Re: Help Identify This Tool - Antenna Wrench
Mine has two pins on the other end, have you tried Tessco or looked at the Antennex cataloge online. It is a handy tool, but notheing that a stand wrench can't do.
Re: Help Identify This Tool - Antenna Wrench
We use a bicycle pin spanner wrench for the two holes in the NMO base and and a standard wrench, or Cresent wrench for the ring.
http://www.parktool.com/product/pin-spanner-red-spa-2
http://www.parktool.com/product/pin-spanner-red-spa-2
Re: Help Identify This Tool - Antenna Wrench
Why go spend money when all of you probably have the tool you need already in your tool box. Go pull out your long nose pliers and see if they don't fit the 2 holes in the top of the NMO mount. I have been doing this for about 20 years now. Why has it taken the rest of you this long to figure it out. Then use a normal wrench on the nut.
Jim
Jim
Re: Help Identify This Tool - Antenna Wrench
As Jim has suggested I use these for the NMO holes and never found anything to work as well as these.
http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-prof ... 945666000P
http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-prof ... 945666000P
fineshot1
NJ USA
NJ USA
Re: Help Identify This Tool - Antenna Wrench
Thirding thisfineshot1 wrote:As Jim has suggested I use these for the NMO holes and never found anything to work as well as these.
http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-prof ... 945666000P
Re: Help Identify This Tool - Antenna Wrench
I don't remember this tool ever being offered for sale. Every one I ever saw was usually a trade show give-away, often bundled with related samples. I had to dig, but I found an unopened packaged with this item, as well as an almost unused one at the bottom of my toolbox.
Why unused despite years of doing installations? It's just not that useful. It's too short to effectively use as a wrench, and if you do, you're working too close to the roof surface with not much control. Similarly, the pin end is too short and will hit an adjustable wrench. The only way it works is if you use two of them, and even then, not well.
I always used a pair of needle-nose pliers (with the tips rounded a bit) and an adjustable wrench, just as Jim and others suggested. You won't appreciate the control this arrangement offers until you have to remove a badly corroded mount.
Why unused despite years of doing installations? It's just not that useful. It's too short to effectively use as a wrench, and if you do, you're working too close to the roof surface with not much control. Similarly, the pin end is too short and will hit an adjustable wrench. The only way it works is if you use two of them, and even then, not well.
I always used a pair of needle-nose pliers (with the tips rounded a bit) and an adjustable wrench, just as Jim and others suggested. You won't appreciate the control this arrangement offers until you have to remove a badly corroded mount.
Re: Help Identify This Tool - Antenna Wrench
While I use the little holes to screw in the mount myself, I have seen that tool sold I think in the Larsen catalog.
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Re: Help Identify This Tool - Antenna Wrench
Needle-nose pliers & adj. wrench here also, all the spanner gizmos that I have also end up in the bottom of the tool bag, box, drawer etc . . . .