Hi, Just noticed this with my radio mic antenna

https://i.ibb.co/C1h03Yy/IMG-3796.jpg (https://ibb.co/YRpjF1S)

I think I have some of that heat shrink tubing, would that work with effecting the reception.

Thanks in advance

Yes, I'm pretty sure the shrink tube will do it. Though I would fill and mould and smooth out some Silastic into those breaks and cracks in the aerial rubber. Then let it dry out over a good 48-72 hours then shrink it. Any RF loss would be pretty minor I would think. We have put heavy thick plastic bags over receivers on the side of footy pitches in the pouring rain and never had an issue.

Chris Young

Yes, I'm pretty sure the shrink tube will do it. Though I would fill and mould and smooth out some Silastic into those breaks and cracks in the aerial rubber. Then let it dry out over a good 48-72 hours then shrink it. Any RF loss would be pretty minor I would think. We have put heavy thick plastic bags over receivers on the side of footy pitches in the pouring rain and never had an issue.

Chris Young

Hello Chris,thanks for the advice, will do.

Thanks.

I would concur with Christopher Young. As long as there are not breaks in the inner wire, you should not be any reception loss.

There's no issue with performance, but once the plastic starts to stiffen like this, it will keep doing it - so just sleeve from end to end. The only downside is the sleeved antenna is stiffer. Oddly - this can help as it resists being bent at odd angles which impacts reception far more than one ion a straight line!

Rick and Paul, thank you both as well, no, no breaks in the inner wire. I just ordered some of the tubing, thanks.

Otherwise, Sennheiser replacement antennas, will not break the bank, and is a quick an easy operation if one can solder and have the proper size Torx tool. . As well, a detachable antenna connector can be soldered in. Either way, it is one (1) solder joint.. The secondary antenna (audio output cable shield) can be modified as well to a detachable antenna connector.

¼ wave wireless antennas are tuned to the frequency bands of the tx and rx in question so you have to make sure that a replacement aerial matches the wireless set's requirement.

Sound Devices quote:

"It is also important to use the proper length ¼ wave antenna for the operating frequency."

or frequencies if it's a multi-band wireless set

More info here from Sound Devices:

https://www.sounddevices.com/picking-the-right-antenna-for-digital-wireless-audio/

Chris Young

Let’s be honest Chris. If you don’t know that, then you really shouldn’t open up a pack and poke a soldering iron at it!

True PJ.

But a few people I mention info like this to raise their eyebrows and go "Really?" So you just don't know who does or who doesn't know these days. Especially through the remote facelessness of the web! Stay well!

Chris Young

I had an antenna returned to me today "not working". A week old. Inside it's a black mess! Fried. It's rated at 50W with a peak handling of 150W - apparently it stopped working when connected to a handheld radio. Hmmmmm I don't think so. Trouble is, Ebay will give him a refund - life sucks!

So that's from a Sennheiser G3 or similar? You could replace that antenna with one connected via SMA.

Several years ago, Andrew Jones wrote a good (and the first I saw) tutorial on how to do this:
https://wavreport.com/2016/10/27/sennheiser-g2g3-sma-mod/

And last year Steve Oakley put up a video guide:
Sennheiser G3 and G4 SMA Antenna Mod - YouTube

Thanks guys, great info :). (Typo)

Would this do the job, if i decided to go that road?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/293718813210?hash=item4463016a1a:g:1AMAAOSwLHhfUK3s

Thanks all :)

The SMA mod will work, not quite as easy as soldering in a Sennheiser replacement, but it works and reception should be about the same.. provided the correct length is used.

Fun project if you like DIY. Yeah I'd probably solder the oem antenna to save myself the time. Not sure if it's worth it if the FCC ban the frequencies of these older units.

If you have basic soldering skills, you can fix these quite simply. The kits are the simplest, but I’ve seen people simply drill out the old antenna, pop in a new length of wire, solder it to the pad and then seal with a drop of CA. Trim to length and do it again in a few years. Remember performance relates to the performance of the metal component, not the prettiness.