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| Scanner / Receiver Antennas For discussion of any type of receiving antenna used by a scanner or receiver base, mobile or handheld. |
03-19-2013, 12:39 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 30
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I know trunk mounted antennas as recommended, but what about on a spoiler?
I know the recommendation is to mount your antenna on the trunk via the lid or with a magnetic base...
What about the possibility of mounting an antenna under a spoiler? I thought it'd be a lower profile...
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03-19-2013, 12:48 AM
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If it's for receive only, I say give it a try.. For transmitting.. I'd be leary
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Gene
Is there such a thing as too many radios??
If you can't post something helpful, don't post.
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03-19-2013, 12:49 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: New Jersey
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Yes, it would only be for receiving.
This might be an obvious question, but how would one know if it's not working too well? I mean, I'm only looking to get roughly 3 miles out of antenna for listening to nearby Police & Fire.
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03-19-2013, 1:26 AM
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If you don't get any signals then try something else.. If you hear what you want, you're set...
I'm lucky, I can hear the local P25 system even with the antenna off my 396t in most places I go.
__________________
Gene
Is there such a thing as too many radios??
If you can't post something helpful, don't post.
Last edited by n9mxq; 03-19-2013 at 1:27 AM..
Reason: Spelling correction
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03-19-2013, 3:17 AM
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What type of antenna is in your original post? You should not have a problem as some police agencies mount their antenna's in the front or rear bumper of their undercover cars.
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03-19-2013, 3:35 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: New Jersey
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I've been looking all over and I'm not sure where I found that picture....
Could I use any antenna and just snake it through the front bumper? If so... I'm not sure which antenna I'm looking for. I was going to purchase the "Comtelco All-Band Low-Profile Mobile Antenna" for my trunk lid, but wondered if I could do anything to make this a more low profile antenna without loosing that much range.
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03-19-2013, 12:40 PM
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Until you actually hook the antenna up and see what it will do you'll never know.
You can ask about any antenna, but unless someone here has actually used that specific antenna all the answers will be speculation and opinion only. Hence my answer in post #4.
__________________
Gene
Is there such a thing as too many radios??
If you can't post something helpful, don't post.
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03-19-2013, 12:52 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 30
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I know the Comtelco Antenna is regarded as a great antenna for scanning. Can I theoretically just mount that to my inner bumper horizontally without any issue? I would do that, since I know the quality of the antenna is good.
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03-19-2013, 1:14 PM
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Spoiler mount
Many spoilers are fiberglass, and an antenna that needs a ground will not work properly or at all. Some spoilers may crack from the stress of driving at highways speeds due to the wind resistance of the antenna.
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03-19-2013, 1:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jaspence
Many spoilers are fiberglass, and an antenna that needs a ground will not work properly or at all. Some spoilers may crack from the stress of driving at highways speeds due to the wind resistance of the antenna.
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If you look at the antennas he's looking at, they would mount under the spoiler horizontally. They'd add very little wind load to the spoiler..
__________________
Gene
Is there such a thing as too many radios??
If you can't post something helpful, don't post.
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03-19-2013, 3:08 PM
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Both antennas pictured in this thread appear to be half-wave units, and as such they don't require a ground, so forget about a ground plane. A bigger question is polarization. Almost all of the what you hear on a scanner is vertically polarized, so those two antennas should be positioned/located in a vertical position, not horizontal. Lastly, if you use one of these units it should not be installed so that it's lying flat on a metal surface. Put it on a glass surface like it was designed for and see how it does. I don't think you'll be happy with it if you're trying to do VHF, UHF, and 800 mHz on the same receiver. As far as putting it behind a bumper you're on your own. Most who have tried it, including me, find the results to be inferior to trunk lid or roof mounting, which means you end up with a triple whammy, meaning wrong polarization, wrong mounting surface, and stuck behind a bumper almost on the ground.
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03-19-2013, 3:31 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: New Jersey
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Thanks for that statement W2NJS. I will just go with putting the Comtelco or SpectrumForce Wideband Antenna with Mag Mount and BNC on my trunk and call it a day. Hopefully the SpectrumForce is what works... It is a lower profile.
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03-21-2013, 5:49 PM
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Scannermaster was out of stock with the trunk lip, so I decided to buy the SpectrumForce Wideband Antenna.
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04-04-2013, 6:37 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: New Jersey
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Okay, I need a little help.
I bought the "SpectrumForce Wideband Antenna with Mag Mount and BNC" from Scanner Master, and it's like 3' too short..
What do I need to buy to make it longer?
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04-04-2013, 6:43 PM
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04-05-2013, 5:28 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 30
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Never mind about extending my BNC cable. I picked up a 6' today at Radio Shack.
As far as the antenna goes, the short one looks great! I haven't tried it out yet though.
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