I bought a CAA-500 from a reseller in the USA and have found a problem with
the lower frequency input connector, its supposed to be an SO-239.

More on the incompatible thread issue.

I have been in contact with Comet in Japan and they had admitted that the
connector will NOT fit the US standard PL-259 connector. They HAVE used the
16mm x 1 mm pitch thread, they call it an International Thread! All PL-259's
have a 5/8" x 26 threads per inch pitch.

Here is a copy of the email sent to me regarding the incompatibility of the
threads on the lower frequency connector.

Hello Mr. John,
Thank you very much for purchasing our CAA-500.
The CAA-500 first lot does not have international standard connector.
From the second lot, which will be released on NOVEMBER 2011, we change the
CAA-500 connector so that PL-259 connector will screw onto the CAA-500 M-J
connector completely.
Would you please so kind as to send your CAA-500 back to us?
I will send you the new one with international standard connector, then.
We deeply apologize for the inconvenience we have caused you.
We hope that you will continue to choose COMET products.
Sincerely,
Mika Yagi****a
COMET Co.,Ltd.
TEL : 81-(0)48-839-3131
FAX : 81-(0)48-839-3136

http://www.comet-ant.co.jp/english/index.html

So ALL CAA-500's sold in America WILL have the WRONG thread on the low
frequency connector.
Contact your supplier, and I hope you get a better response that I received
from the supplier I bought mine from in the USA.
DO not force your PL-259 on the connector, it will damage the thread and
render your warranty null and void.

I have relented and spent $70 Aust to send the CAA-500 back to Comet in
Japan, along with a sample of a PL-259 so they can check it on the
replacement unit before they ship it back to me.

Here is the second email I received from them:

Hello Mr. John,
Thank you for your reply.
Our exchange policy is;
the customer covers the freight fee to COMET, then COMET will offer the new
one and cover the freight fee to the customer.
Technically, this is not our mistake because we don't think it's wrong
connector.
We usually do not make connector international standard, because we don't
feel the need to do that and our distributors purchase our product with this
understanding.
From second lot, we decided to make CAA-500 connector international, not
because the connector is wrong, but because lots of oversea customers
request international standard connector.
We usually exchange the CAA-500 because we think it's true that our product
does not satisfy the customer anyway, even not by our mistake.

Please send your CAA-500 to;
Comet Co Ltd
4-18-2, Tsuji, Minami-Ku,
Saitama-shi, Saitama-pref,
332-0026, JAPAN
TEL : 81-(0)48-839-3131
Thank you for your understanding.
Sincerely,
Mika Yagi****a

An expensive lesson.
73

--
73
John VK2KC