440 Repeater

pddispatcher · #1 (**permalink**) 03-13-2013, 1:00 AM

Hey Guys,

Currently in the process of installing a 440 Mhz Repeater at 443.325 on a water tower. I bought this site from an existing plumbing business that no longer used it anymore and wanted to relinquish it and make alittle of their money back.

The site is using 7/8" Hardline about 160 feet worth going to an antenna at the very top. The antenna appears to be a Comet GP-9 or comparable to a Diamond but no one can tell me as that info is MIA.

There are two antennas on this site, one is for the road department on VHF ( which I installed a new repeater for narrowband for them and works great w/ 50 miles coverage range by mobile) and then my antenna...

Both antennas are crooked but one is far worse than the other one on the tower. Just by looking from the ground it appears there is no type of railing on the top that I could mount a better antenna too other than 2 little stubs that is there for the 2 fiberglass antennas currently in the air.

I have checked all the settings from the ground involving sensitivity of the repeater, the tuning of the repeater and all that.

The analyzer says 1.4 SWR on 443 with the current tilted antenna.

I have access to a DB-410 antenna but was curious if they make a mount that I can secure to the vent at the very top or could I mount it to the ladder rail of the water tower? I'm currently waiting on the city for their "understanding agreement" to see what they will allow me to do with it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated in regards to a mount that either mounts to the rail or secures to the vent or will allow me to mount my antenna securely.

Thank you.

pddispatcher · #2 (**permalink**) 03-13-2013, 1:10 AM

Here are pictures for the site I'm using.

I do not know which antenna is mine.

Rt169Radio · #3 (**permalink**) 03-13-2013, 8:55 AM

Well that's interesting, did you buy a antenna spot or the whole water tower?

rapidcharger · #4 (**permalink**) 03-13-2013, 9:07 AM

Well he did say it was a plumbing company

but he also said he's waiting for a MoU from the city so I'm guessing the city owns the water tower.

pddispatcher · #5 (**permalink**) 03-13-2013, 10:56 AM

I bought the existing installation that the plumbing company has installed on the city water tower.

What do I need with owning a water tower? LOL

LtDoc · #6 (**permalink**) 03-13-2013, 9:31 PM

...rent out antenna space??

How do you feel about climbing that thing to see what mounting options you have? I don't think a ladder mount would be very safe, but I won't be climbing the thing anyway!
- 'Doc

Skypilot007 · #7 (**permalink**) 03-14-2013, 9:27 AM

Those crooked antennae would drive me nuts looking at them, especially if one of them was mine. I would hire someone to go up their and determine which one is yours and fix the mounting issue. Unless you are a climber yourself then you save that money. Either way I would say that antenna mounting issue needs to be fixed.

jhooten · #8 (**permalink**) 03-14-2013, 9:55 AM

The second pic makes it look like the antenna is vertical and the tower is leaning.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skypilot007

Those crooked antennae would drive me nuts looking at them, especially if one of them was mine. I would hire someone to go up their and determine which one is yours and fix the mounting issue. Unless you are a climber yourself then you save that money. Either way I would say that antenna mounting issue needs to be fixed.

Agree.

pddispatcher · #9 (**permalink**) 03-14-2013, 10:16 PM

Better pics:

It would be determined that these antennas are stationmasters.

Thoughts how I would switch out to a DB-410?

]

pddispatcher · #10 (**permalink**) 03-14-2013, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skypilot007

Those crooked antennae would drive me nuts looking at them, especially if one of them was mine. I would hire someone to go up their and determine which one is yours and fix the mounting issue. Unless you are a climber yourself then you save that money. Either way I would say that antenna mounting issue needs to be fixed.

Trust me I know its driving me insane as well and it is affecting how my repeater works.

KZ9G · #11 (**permalink**) 03-15-2013, 3:24 AM

More than likley the mounts that are up there were never designed to have that much antenna on them. I ran into this years ago on a site and ended up making a clamp mount that went around the access hatch base on the top of the tower. The ring was about 8 inches tall and was 3/8 plate that was bent and had tabs to bolt the two halves together. It also had four posts spaced off of it for mounting antennas. The reasoning for that type of mount is that the agreement with the city specified that we could not drill or weld on the tank itself. About five years after we put that up there a cell company came up and added multiple mounts for antennas. There is a company that makes a magnetic mount that will support the antenna you have up there. Yes magnetic. Not a joke and pretty strong. Its an array of those 4-6" magnets that mount on a plate that has a post for your antenna.