RR Members Commonly Used Base Antennas

[tonsoffun]

This post is for popular outdoor base antennas that our Radio Reference members personally use for scanning VHF/UHF Frequencies, and to give new members some choices and quick reference on what can be used for there scanners. I went through the antenna forum to collect info to see what is mostly used.
We will cover some Discones to Log Periodic and all band antennas.

Discones All Band

Diamond - http://www.rfparts.com/diamond/d130j.html
Lots of members own these, they work good and have survived years up on the masts/towers.

Icom - http://www.universal-radio.com/CATALOG/scanants/0828.html
The Icon discone has a N female connector so your cable will need a N male on the end. Or the appropriate adaptor.

Antenna Warehouse - http://www.antennawarehouse.com/Scanner/Discone.htm
The Antenna Warehouse discone will suffer some between 30MHz to 50 MHz because there is no top element like the Diamond and Icom.

Log Periodic Antennas

To be use with rotors so you can direct your antenna to the signal source.

DPD Production Logs
118 MHz - 1000 MHz Scanner LP - http://www.dpdproductions.com/page_scanner.html#scannerlp
225 MHz - 400 MHz Miltenna LP - – http://www.dpdproductions.com/page_miltenna.html#mtlp
160 MHz – 161 MHz Traintenna LP - http://www.dpdproductions.com/page_traintenna.html#ttlp
700 MHz – 1000 MHz UHF LP - http://www.dpdproductions.com/page_scanner.html#uhflp

Create
50 MHz-1300Mhz - http://www.grove-ent.com/ANT16.html
105 MHZ to 1300- http://www.grove-ent.com/ANT17.html
Some people have said that the Create gain figures are very inflated, there around 5dBi (Thanks prcguy!)

KMA VHF/UHF Log antennas
http://www.qsl.net/w4kma/vhf_uhf.htm
The gain of the KMA’s are around 8dBi

Directional Beams

To be use with rotors so you can direct your antenna to the signal source.

Grove
30 MHZ to 960 MHz - http://www.grove-ent.com/BEAMII.html

800 Mhz directional antenna
www.antennawarehouse.com/Cellular/Wil_yagi.htm
Several of us use this antenna and is very good to bring in some weak 800 MHz control channels


All band base antennas

Antennacraft
http://www.antennacraft.net/ScannerAnts.html

Scantenna - http://www.grove-ent.com/ANT7.html

DPD
Omni-X - http://www.dpdproductions.com/page_scanner.html#omnix

Radio Shack
108 MHz to 1300MHz - http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103641
Also known as the sputnik, alot of members use these for there attis installs for there small size.

RR Homebrew - http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Homebrewed_Off-Center_Fed_Dipole

Specific band antennas

DPD
Traintenna - http://www.dpdproductions.com/page_traintenna.html#ttout
Airband - http://www.dpdproductions.com/page_vhf_air.html#airomni


Cushcraft http://www.cushcraft.com/

800 Mhz Directional antenna
www.antennawarehouse.com/Cellular/Wil_yagi.htm

If anyone has any other antennas that you feel should be on this list please PM me. Also, if you can give a mini review for the antennas posted please feel free.


Do you guys think this can be a good sticky? If enough feedback is posted I can sticky this or just put the post in the wiki. Also remember to check out the wiki (Sticky) at the top of the forum for more in depth choices.

Take care
Ron