One antenna for scanner AND CB? Would this work?

[carsonhowe22]

Hey guys. I'm a newbie when it comes to scanners, but I plan on putting a 996XT in my truck soon. I was just curious if it would be possible to use an ABSCANCS antenna ( Laird Tech ABSCANCS - $39.95 : The Antenna Farm :: , Your Two Way Radio Source! ) on the roof of my truck for both my scanner and CB radio? Is there a way that it can be done and not cause any undesired effects?

If this is not possible, would mounting a CB antenna on the roof or on the bed rail somewhere interfere with the scanner antenna?

 

[LtDoc]

That antenna isn't going to do well at CB frequencies. Like it or not, a separate scanner antenna and CB antenna would be your best bet. Would one interfere or affect the other? Some probably, but nothing you can't deal with.
- 'Doc

 

[mancow]

You will roast the RF amplification in the scanner the second you key up that CB.

 

[AuntEnvy]

'Tis true

You will roast the RF amplification in the scanner the second you key up that CB.

I don't recommend that at all.

Been there, done that, didn't like it!

 

[LtDoc]

Can you 'roast' a scanner with a CB radio? Yes you can, but it isn't a 'sure thing' by any means. If that scanner has a CB frequency programmed into it, then it's much more likely to get 'toasted' than if it doesn't. The 'best' thing is to not use the scanner on frequencies below 30 Mhz. The likelihood of a CB radio interfering with VHF or UHF frequencies just isn't too likely. That assumes the CB radio is a normal unmodified one. If it's been modified there's no telling what's been done to it and all bets are off.
- 'Doc

 

[KM4WLV]

I've seen more times that not scanners and commercial radios alike get toasted because of putting 2 radios, or scanner and radio on the same antenna and connecting them by a "jumper".

The only exception I've seen to this rule is using a dual band V/UHF antenna and using a splitter made for using one antenna with 2 radios. Maybe they make something like that for CB's but those aren't my thing so I'm not sure. If you run them off the same antenna it may not affect the scanner right away but I feel certain that over time (shorter rather than longer) it will eventually roast, meaning desense, the front end of the scanner.

And there's a lot of times I can say that I'm a gambling man but when it comes to my $500 radios that is one place that I don't gamble.

 

[mancow]

It's not only a sure thing but a definite thing. A 996XT has no active band pass or reject filtering. It doesn't care if it's set on 25 Mhz or 1300 Mhz. The RF amps will receive the 4+ watts and that will be the end. I would agree if he was talking about co-located antennas but he isn't. He said he was wanting to combine the two radios into one antenna which will be a direct path to the 996XT's front end from the CB.

Can you 'roast' a scanner with a CB radio? Yes you can, but it isn't a 'sure thing' by any means. If that scanner has a CB frequency programmed into it, then it's much more likely to get 'toasted' than if it doesn't. The 'best' thing is to not use the scanner on frequencies below 30 Mhz. The likelihood of a CB radio interfering with VHF or UHF frequencies just isn't too likely. That assumes the CB radio is a normal unmodified one. If it's been modified there's no telling what's been done to it and all bets are off.
- 'Doc

 

[LtDoc]

Take another look at what I posted. I said separate antennas, not the same antenna for both. I wouldn't recommend using one antenna for both unless you go to a lot of effort and $$.
- 'Doc

I've run radios for VHF/UHF and HF at the same time in a mobile more than a few times. But never using the same antenna. That HF radio could 'desense' the VHF/UHF radios but it never 'roasted' one. That desensing only happened on related harmonics and didn't happen all that often.

 

[AZScanner]

Back when I was a scanner newbie I tried this. No, as a testament to how well RS used to build their scanners back then, I did not fry the radio, but the scanner would not receive any communications when the CB was keyed up (I guess I was lucky). I decided my $100 scanner (don't laugh, that was a lot of money for a scanner back in the day) was worth the purchase of an additional $15 antenna.

-AZ