Re: Scanner anntenna help

Posted by Gary L. on February 25, 2001 at 18:24:13:

In Reply to: Re: Scanner anntenna help posted by Rich on February 24, 2001 at 18:13:21:

: : Hi, everyone!

: : Is there a good source on the eastside (besides Radio Shack) for outdoor scanner antennas?

: : I was considering the Channel Master #5094A or the Scantenna ST-2.
: : Both are considered to be pretty equivalent, but the Channel Master is supposed to be made of higher grade materials.

: : Both are omnidirectional, but I am wondering about a beam, like the Grove Scanner beam.
: : Kinda spendy at $75, but if it works well, it might be worth the investment.

: : I've got some altitude, up around 800ft, and I already have a rotor.

: : Any suggestions would sure be welcome, I have a BC235XLT that I use for trunking, and a PRO-43 that I use for listing to the military and aircraft stuff.

: : Thanks,

: : -Gary L.

: Hi Gary, I have both the ScanTenna and the ScannerBeam in my little antenna farm. The ScanTenna works fine as a broadband antenna from low band thru UHF. 800mhz performance wasn't very impressive, even after feeding it with 9913 cable. The ScannerBeam has too few elements covering too many bands such that you are not going to get a lot of gain as compared to a "normal" beam cut for a particular band segment. I ended up mounting mine horizontal so I could get better nulls for determining which direction a signal is coming from. Of course due to the way the elements are cut, sometimes you'll get better reception off the back than the front depending on which frequency you're tuned to. As with the ScanTenna, it works at 800mhz but not enough to get excited about.

: - Rich

: Thanks for the response, Rich, this is good information!
I am disappointed that the coverage on 800MHZ doesn't seem to be so good, but it's got to be an improvement over the rubber duck antenna I'm using now!
I'll use my 9913 cable as well, so it should give me as much as there is to get, and like I said, I'm at about 800 feet, so that should help.
Thanks for the info,
-Gary L.

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: : : Hi, everyone! : : : Is there a good source on the eastside (besides Radio Shack) for outdoor scanner antennas? : : : I was considering the Channel Master #5094A or the Scantenna ST-2. : : : Both are considered to be pretty equivalent, but the Channel Master is supposed to be made of higher grade materials. : : : Both are omnidirectional, but I am wondering about a beam, like the Grove Scanner beam. : : : Kinda spendy at $75, but if it works well, it might be worth the investment. : : : I've got some altitude, up around 800ft, and I already have a rotor. : : : Any suggestions would sure be welcome, I have a BC235XLT that I use for trunking, and a PRO-43 that I use for listing to the military and aircraft stuff. : : : Thanks, : : : -Gary L. : : Hi Gary, I have both the ScanTenna and the ScannerBeam in my little antenna farm. The ScanTenna works fine as a broadband antenna from low band thru UHF. 800mhz performance wasn't very impressive, even after feeding it with 9913 cable. The ScannerBeam has too few elements covering too many bands such that you are not going to get a lot of gain as compared to a "normal" beam cut for a particular band segment. I ended up mounting mine horizontal so I could get better nulls for determining which direction a signal is coming from. Of course due to the way the elements are cut, sometimes you'll get better reception off the back than the front depending on which frequency you're tuned to. As with the ScanTenna, it works at 800mhz but not enough to get excited about. : : - Rich : : Thanks for the response, Rich, this is good information! : I am disappointed that the coverage on 800MHZ doesn't seem to be so good, but it's got to be an improvement over the rubber duck antenna I'm using now! : I'll use my 9913 cable as well, so it should give me as much as there is to get, and like I said, I'm at about 800 feet, so that should help. : Thanks for the info, : -Gary L.

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