Antenna Replacement for Sony Transmitter
 

Hi all! Does anybody know where I can just buy a replacement antenna for my Sony UTX-B2 transmitter? I went to Sony head office and they're charging me $120 JUST for an estimate for repair. That does not include parts and extra labour and I think that's too expensive. I just want to purchase the antenna and have one of my buddies who a technician to replace it for me. I live in Toronto. Can anybody help?

On many antennae the outer casing at the base serves only to support the internal conductors, it isn't actually part of the wiring.

A similar break happened to one of my detachable Audio-Technica antenna recently. Inspecting visually through the cracked case I decided I could just use superglue to heal the break. You can hardly tell where it was now and there seems to be no effect on the antenna's range.
(Be careful with fingerprints when using superglue or you'll have permanent white ridge marks in your plastic near where the glue and its vapors were applied. The vapors cling to the fingerprint oil, you don't actually have to slip up and spread the glue itself.)

So just confirming that your broken antenna has actually ceased working and must be replaced or is the outer shell simply cracked?

It's only the outer shell that has cracked. The transmitter works fine if it's just sitting there (ie. just receiving an audio feed for a sound system) But if I use it as a wireless lav, so the transmitter is being carried on a person, then I would hear crackling audio. Maybe I will try the superglue method and see how it turns out. Thanks Jay!

Re: Antenna Replacement for Sony Transmitter
 

I'm now in the same boat with a broken whip antenna. I bought a replacement from Encompass that appeared to be correct, but it is a full inch shorter than my channel 42-45 unit. Encompass doesn't carry anything else and Google searches haven't helped me locate an exact replacement.

I do not want to spend $$$$ to have Sony do the repair when I can do it myself if I could just get the part.

Any ideas?

Re: Antenna Replacement for Sony Transmitter
 

If the antenna's inner conductor isn't broken it should be ok.
BTW, 'cracking' is usually an indication of a compromised mic cable or the connector.
This won't help Eugene but FYI, a replacement antenna for the Sennheiser G2/3 is about $5 USD Disassembly/one solder joint/reassembly is relatively easy and takes about 15 min... less if you've done a few

Re: Antenna Replacement for Sony Transmitter
 

A half decent Techo person should be able to fashion a new antenna from some hookup wire and some heat shrink tube.
The exact length should be the same as the manufacturer has fitted or failing that it needs to be 1/4 wave length of the 'mid' frequency of the band or block used.

Re: Antenna Replacement for Sony Transmitter
 

Mike, here is a link to where the part is being sold:

New Genuine Original Sony 175457623 Antenna 1 754 576 23 UTX B2 UTX B2V | eBay

I ordered one yesterday.

Re: Antenna Replacement for Sony Transmitter
 

So can anyone explain how to go about installing a new antenna on the Sony UTX-B2? I have the back cover of the transmitter off, and It looks simple enough to install. But how does it make contact with the board? Does it need to be soldered on?

Re: Antenna Replacement for Sony Transmitter
 

Isn't it simply a piece of wire soldered (or screwed?) to a pad on the PC board?
What does it look like? A photo is worth 1000 words.
These things are typically dead-simple. The only critical factor is the length (to match the wavelength).

Re: Antenna Replacement for Sony Transmitter
 

Richard, If you click on the eBay link in my previous post, that's exactly what my antenna looks like except that it's separated from the pad. It is probably still usable. I just can't figure out how the wire or pad connects to the board. I will try taking a picture of the transmitter opening where the antenna is supposed to be connected and post it.

Re: Antenna Replacement for Sony Transmitter
 

Here are some photos, attached..

Re: Antenna Replacement for Sony Transmitter
 

I don't know what "separated from the pad" means? What does the NEW antenna look like?

What does the OTHER side of the board look like? That appears to be where the antenna connects.

Sorry, I can't tell from your photos how it connects. There is something in your last photo labeled "CN301" that looks like a sub-miniature RF coaxial connector. But it would take a mating connector on the end of a miniature coaxial cable to mate with it. Something like this...

Re: Antenna Replacement for Sony Transmitter
 

Another option , to strengthen it a bit more , once you have superglued it , would be to slip a piece of heat shrink sleeving over it and carefully heat it with the exhaust from a gas soldering bolt ( with which you can direct the heat quite finely ) ; failing that , go carefully and heat it above a gas cooking ring ( perhaps shielding the rest of the unit with aluminium cooking foil for protection ) .

Just an idea .

Re: Antenna Replacement for Sony Transmitter
 

I ordered the part from the ebay seller that Jim Nogueira had in his post, but it's a full 1.25 inches shorter than what my unit is equipped with, so it appears to be for a different frequency range.

My experience with other (sennheiser, shure) wireless mic antennas tells me antenna length is specific to frequency and using the wrong one will result in diminished performance (or outright failure).

Please advise.

Thanks,
Mike.

Re: Antenna Replacement for Sony Transmitter
 

"My experience with other (sennheiser, shure) wireless mic antennas tells me antenna length is specific to frequency and using the wrong one will result in diminished performance (or outright failure)."
- That is correct. The antenna length is calculated to yield optimal performance in the specific frequency range. As the frequencies get higher, the antenna length decreases, or visa-versa.
The removable Lectro antennas are color coded for ID.. very useful when you have systems in different blocks.