Looking for right 800mhz antenna

[skatertj]

Well, I just moved to broken arrow about a week ago and Im looking to upgrade my vhf whip to an 800mhz antenna for the OKWIN system. Im curious to know what mobile antenna some of you are using here in Oklahoma. I would like an antenna with some high gain to it, 3db or up but i still would like to hear what everyone is running.

Thanks!

 

[n5bew1]

I use an antenna like the one on the left. NMO mount style. Rated 3 DB by most companies.

 

[n5ims]

Be aware that a "high gain" antenna may equal "high amount of issues" if you're trying to listen to a simulcast system. For best results on a simulcast system you want to hear one (and only one) of the towers. With a high gain antenna you may get more than just a single tower providing you with lots of signal and give you the dreaded simulcast distortion that'll make it appear that your signal is quite weak when it's actually too strong.

It appears that Broken Arrow has three of four simulcast towers nearby so you may actually need a lower gain antenna. More signal isn't always better.

 

[skatertj]

Be aware that a "high gain" antenna may equal "high amount of issues" if you're trying to listen to a simulcast system. For best results on a simulcast system you want to hear one (and only one) of the towers. With a high gain antenna you may get more than just a single tower providing you with lots of signal and give you the dreaded simulcast distortion that'll make it appear that your signal is quite weak when it's actually too strong.

It appears that Broken Arrow has three of four simulcast towers nearby so you may actually need a lower gain antenna. More signal isn't always better.

n5ims, you make a great valid point that did not even cross my mind!

I have been looking at the antenna below because i have seen that it covers lower frequencies pretty well. I dont plan to roof mount it though. I plan to put it on my back L fender bracket.

Larsen NMO800B Commercial Spring Base Gain Antenna Roof Mount

I would still like to see what others are using here on this system!

 

[N5TWB]

n5ims, you make a great valid point that did not even cross my mind!

I have been looking at the antenna below because i have seen that it covers lower frequencies pretty well. I dont plan to roof mount it though. I plan to put it on my back L fender bracket.

Larsen NMO800B Commercial Spring Base Gain Antenna Roof Mount

I would still like to see what others are using here on this system!

I use one of the tri-band combo (150/450/800) antennas (Larsen and Antenex are two makers) and have no issues I've been able to notice on any simulcast systems. My radios include a Uniden 996T and a RS Pro95.

 

[skatertj]

N5TWB-Do you get good reception on tulsa's tower in wooded area? I thought about the same antenna also but noticed it is only unity gain and didnt know if i wanted that or not. I currently have a vhf whip(feild tuneable) and its just unity gain as well. I get all my wanted frequencies with it but the 800's sometimes cut in and out when i get around trees.

 

[N5TWB]

I live/drive wooded roads in hilly areas from the Sand Springs area into Tulsa that are sometimes a line-of-sight challenge but it seems to do OK. My challenge is one of my own making with feeding two scanners from one antenna and I haven't got my multi-coupler in place to overcome the signal reduction. It is high on my project list, along with mounting a third scanner (396XT w/remote head and GPS) in the truck.

I've actually found that just a VHF quarter-wave whip @ 19" does a good job of general receiving from VHF-low to 800. I do this with a mag-mount when driving a company vehicle.

 

[n5bew1]

Be aware that a "high gain" antenna may equal "high amount of issues" if you're trying to listen to a simulcast system. For best results on a simulcast system you want to hear one (and only one) of the towers. With a high gain antenna you may get more than just a single tower providing you with lots of signal and give you the dreaded simulcast distortion that'll make it appear that your signal is quite weak when it's actually too strong.

It appears that Broken Arrow has three of four simulcast towers nearby so you may actually need a lower gain antenna. More signal isn't always better.

I thought Broken Arrow used closed sky or some other unscannable mode leaving OKWIN as what you would want to hear as far as 800 Mhz trunking..

 

[rfradioconsult]

Antennas for 800 MHz reception are very subjective, what works well for someone at their home may not work well for your requirements. Three dB of receive gain will make very little difference in performance, the biggest factor is your location in relation to the actual repeater site such as 61st and Sheridan. Lots of factor come into play such as obstructions, foliage, Multi-path fading, performance of your equipment, etc. Finally keep in mind the coverage for a given system is designed to cover the area with very little excess signal outside the desired target area.

 

[plaws]

EMwave

I use an Emwave antenna: EM-M11008

On an Emwave GPS/NMO mount: EM-MG11006-SP

Antenna is designed for 850 MHz, but works acceptably for me at VHF as well.

No problems with OKWIN using a BCD996XT (and Garmin GPS-V for GPS).

 

[skatertj]

I thought Broken Arrow used closed sky or some other unscannable mode leaving OKWIN as what you would want to hear as far as 800 Mhz trunking..

Broken arrow is on open sky and cant be montoried by a scanner alone. Im currently listening to tulsa, muskogee and coweta.

As I have said, i am running a vhf quaterwave whip but I would like something more dedicated to the OKWIN system. My real plan was to run two antennas(one 800 then a dual band) to a comet cf-4130b then to my fm trap then to scanner. I plan to make trips to mayes county to my grandparents roughly every month and that was going to be my original plan but i thought about it and decided to just keep my 1/4 whip then get a 800 and swap back and forth before my trip.

 

[n5ims]

I thought Broken Arrow used closed sky or some other unscannable mode leaving OKWIN as what you would want to hear as far as 800 Mhz trunking..

Although the OP's profile indicates they live in Broken Arrow they specifically asked about OKWIN "800mhz antenna for the OKWIN system.", which is why I addressed that in my answer. Nothing was asked nor answered about either the Broken Arrow OpenSky or Broken Arrow EDACS systems. I only mentioned Broken Sky as a reference to their home and how it may (or may not) relate to the Tulsa County OKWIN site.

 

[n5bew1]

Although the OP's profile indicates they live in Broken Arrow they specifically asked about OKWIN "800mhz antenna for the OKWIN system.", which is why I addressed that in my answer. Nothing was asked nor answered about either the Broken Arrow OpenSky or Broken Arrow EDACS systems. I only mentioned Broken Sky as a reference to their home and how it may (or may not) relate to the Tulsa County OKWIN site.

Then Broken Arrow's various sites have nothing to do with his question and are irrelevant anyway as Broken Arrow's simulcast distortion is unknown to scanner listeners..

 

[skatertj]

Ok well broken arrow doesnt matter too me. I am interested in tursa and the surronding areas. That is why I am interested in a gain antenna. So back on topic haha. All I want to know is what antennas you guys are running as a mobile antenna.

 

[n5ims]

Then Broken Arrow's various sites have nothing to do with his question and are irrelevant anyway as Broken Arrow's simulcast distortion is unknown to scanner listeners..

Enough about the Broken Arrow systems, we're talking about the OKWIN towers on the eastern side of Tulsa that would be picked up by somebody in Broken Arrow. These sites could easily provide the simulcast distortion on the OKWIN system for someone listening in Broken Arrow (yes, listening to the OKWIN system, not to the Broken Arrow systems that weren't part of the OP's question.)

 

[dward42586]

800 mhz antenna

I use the Radio Shack 800 Mhz, mobile mag mount. I live west of Sand Springs on Keystone Lake. It works great on the trunked system.

 

[n5bew1]

Enough about the Broken Arrow systems, we're talking about the OKWIN towers on the eastern side of Tulsa that would be picked up by somebody in Broken Arrow. These sites could easily provide the simulcast distortion on the OKWIN system for someone listening in Broken Arrow (yes, listening to the OKWIN system, not to the Broken Arrow systems that weren't part of the OP's question.)

Well if the multi site systems are synchronized in frequency accuracy that shouldn't be a problem.

 

[plaws]

Well if the multi site systems are synchronized in frequency accuracy that shouldn't be a problem.

True for analog, not so much if digital. Bit widths are are very short, timewise. If both streams of bits arrive at exactly the same time (if you are equidistant from both transmitters), all is well. As soon as you move, and one stream of bits arrives just a leetle beet sooner, it gets dicey.

Dunno how real (digital) radios deal with it but consumer scanners don't always do so well.

No matter here, because Broken Sky isn't what the OP wants to listen to, as 1233 people have noted.

 

[HogDriver]

I'm just using a custom cut 23" whip with no load. I tried different lengths and found it to have the best overall coverage for my particular setup.

 

[Drkatzjr45]

Scan at Home Anything Better than RS 800?

I use the Radio Shack 800 Mhz, mobile mag mount. I live west of Sand Springs on Keystone Lake. It works great on the trunked system.

I live in South Tulsa, in a specific area that has --very poor-- reception for OKWIN.
I listen to TPD. Location: Near 81 and Yale.

Signals originating from the 61 and Sheridan tower are fair (KNJH431)
but the repeater downtown is very weak.

I don't scan a lot mobile, but at home. The best I have found is the RS 800mhz.
I have tried the Diamond RH77CA, and wasn't happy with it.

I don't have room for a discone, which would be the ideal...but not practical for me at this time.

I know it is very subjective, as someone mentioned earlier, but does anyone have an opinion
concerning a home (base) antenna that is better than RS's 800?

Thanks!!