Any ideas for a antenna ??

[tylermaule1995]

I got a brand new radio and i noticed the stock antenna just wan't cutting it. I have a radioshack pro-197 scanner. Anybody got any ideas for good antennas that can go on a roof of a house but really small that wouldn't affect the look of the house? probably in the range of 1ft at the most.

Thanks !!

[benbenrf]

..... care to share with us what bands/frequencies you intend to spend the majority of your time monitoring on - do you have an interest in covering specific freq's or are you looking for general coverage across the VHF/UHF bands?

1ft or so in terms of antenna dimensional height (excluding mounting pole?) may be okay across the UHF bands, but it's going to start comprimising performance as you drop into the VHF bands and lower down.

...... know the old saying: no such thing as a free lunch - well, it's all to true when it comes to antenna perofrmance.

[thestretch]

We are using a Outdoor VHF-Hi/UHF Scanner Antenna (Cat. No. 20-176) on one of our Pro 197s. Works good, but I think I need to rebuild my screw on bnc adapter. Small fix; just upgraded to the Pro 197s. It is roof mounted on a piece of metal trim. (Metal building.) We are in a "hole" so just the higest point of the building works for us. Eventually I would like to add a small (2') pole mailnly for asthetics.

John
eaglemountainfire.org

[tylermaule1995]

Originally Posted by benbenrf

..... care to share with us what bands/frequencies you intend to spend the majority of your time monitoring on - do you have an interest in covering specific freq's or are you looking for general coverage across the VHF/UHF bands?

1ft or so in terms of antenna dimensional height (excluding mounting pole?) may be okay across the UHF bands, but it's going to start comprimising performance as you drop into the VHF bands and lower down.

...... know the old saying: no such thing as a free lunch - well, it's all to true when it comes to antenna perofrmance.

Well i'm my scanner is 25- 1300 so id like an antenna that covers that range. And maybe just a little more for future use too.

[tylermaule1995]

Originally Posted by thestretch

We are using a Outdoor VHF-Hi/UHF Scanner Antenna (Cat. No. 20-176) on one of our Pro 197s. Works good, but I think I need to rebuild my screw on bnc adapter. Small fix; just upgraded to the Pro 197s. It is roof mounted on a piece of metal trim. (Metal building.) We are in a "hole" so just the higest point of the building works for us. Eventually I would like to add a small (2') pole mailnly for asthetics.

John
eaglemountainfire.org

Thanks i'll order that and try it out !

[Westcoast141]

Check out MFJ antennas. They make low cost antennas that are in kit form. I use there 1/4 wave VHF 2meter antenna for scanning VHF/UHF and it works well. They are about 19 inches high and come with a mount that will attach to most drain pipes. Ham radio Outlet carries them.

Good Luck

[GKolo]

I have a 20-176 also, But with a twist. I added elements to the top of the antenna that were cut for bands i wanted to pick up better. The antenna now picks up better than my Scantenna and Diamond discone.
Its a great lil antenna.