WA Radio Scanner Users' Group

hey,
i am currently looking for a good antenna for scanning. (i only use UHF though)

i dont really know much about the setup and coax cable but if anyone could explain what i need to would be great.

my budget is 100 bucks. If anyone has some suggestions it would be great.

thanks.

earmuff man wrote:hey,
i am currently looking for a good antenna for scanning. (i only use UHF though)

i dont really know much about the setup and coax cable but if anyone could explain what i need to would be great.

my budget is 100 bucks. If anyone has some suggestions it would be great.

thanks.

If all you listen to is the police at 468Mhz then a UHF CB antenna will work fine. If you use it at home, you'll have to get a base or ground independent antenna. A normal whip antenna is meant to be bolted to a car or other flat metal surface (pergola roof...?)

yerp thanks.
it would go on a car btw.

any suggestions on good uhf antennas?

vk6hgr wrote: A normal whip antenna is meant to be bolted to a car or other flat metal surface (pergola roof...?)

Just curious - does it have to be attached to a *flat* metal surface? Our verandah roof is metal, but at a bit of an angle.

I'm more interested in VHF for listening to the fire stuff (I'm in one of the volunteer brigades).

Thanks!

meg wrote:

vk6hgr wrote: A normal whip antenna is meant to be bolted to a car or other flat metal surface (pergola roof...?)

Just curious - does it have to be attached to a *flat* metal surface? Our verandah roof is metal, but at a bit of an angle.

I'm more interested in VHF for listening to the fire stuff (I'm in one of the volunteer brigades).

It helps if it is flat, with the antenna being vertical. Basically, that's how the repeater station sends it out, because that's how the antennas on the vehicles are mounted.

Low-band VHF (66-88Mhz) needs a bigger ground plane (metal under the antenna) than UHF. You're probably looking at an area of flat metal under the antenna with a radius of at least 1 metre to give a good metal ground for the antenna.

Don't put an antenna meant for car mounting on a pole without a good area of metal to use as a ground plane. Only ground-independant antennas can work that way.

meg wrote:

vk6hgr wrote: A normal whip antenna is meant to be bolted to a car or other flat metal surface (pergola roof...?)

Just curious - does it have to be attached to a *flat* metal surface? Our verandah roof is metal, but at a bit of an angle.

I'm more interested in VHF for listening to the fire stuff (I'm in one of the volunteer brigades).

Thanks!

Make sure you dont get something that is low-band VHF only though, because you'll have to throw it out in a few years - FESA should have a new radio network by then, using UHF and high-band VHF instead..

Fastlane wrote: Make sure you dont get something that is low-band VHF only though, because you'll have to throw it out in a few years - FESA should have a new radio network by then, using UHF and high-band VHF instead..

Ohh... most antennas left outdoors don't last too long anyway. 5 years tops and they've already seriously corroded.

Antennas are the kind of thing you leave outside and forget about and only come back to after the combination of baking hot summer sun cracking the insulation and the driving winter rain then getting in and corroding the innards stops the thing from working

Fastlane wrote:Make sure you dont get something that is low-band VHF only though, because you'll have to throw it out in a few years - FESA should have a new radio network by then, using UHF and high-band VHF instead..

I've heard the rumors on that...of course it may be longer till they move the volunteers radio comms...

Thanks for the advice all!

I've been using a 900mm stainless steel lo-band VHF whip for some years. It handles VHF-lo (FESA), VHF-hi (marine VHF) and UHF and peforms well. It terms of versatile performance, I haven't found anything better. No corrosion either!

I've had a Diamond discone mounted outside at several dwellings over 12 years, also, and not so much as a spot of corrosion.

Steve wrote: I've had a Diamond discone mounted outside at several dwellings over 12 years, also, and not so much as a spot of corrosion.

Some people have all the luck!