neilcarrick
Member
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2007
- Messages
- 1
I have a Kenwood TK 7160H and I am wondering which mobile antenna will give the best results. Perhaps also a comparison of magmount and roofmount ? Thanks ..Neil
Best VHF mobile antenna (136-174 Mhz)
- Thread starter neilcarrick
- Start date
- Status
You aren't going to find a (practical) antenna that covers 136-174. What primary frequency range will you be transmitting in?
Sinclabs makes a nice wide-band antenna:
http://www.sinclairtechnologies.com/catalog/product.aspx?id=457
It covers 132-174MHz, with 26MHz of bandwidth. This means you could (assuming the radio is to be used for ham radio), 144-170MHz - easily good enough for any LMR applications.
It is also a half-wave antenna, which means you don't need to supply a ground plane. The only mount that is going to give you a good ground is a hole-drilled NMO mount (or similar). Other mounting methods give you a poor ground (lip-mount) or no ground at all (mag-mount), but since this antenna is a half-wave - that doesn't matter - it doesn't need a ground plane at all.
Your other option would be:
http://www.sinclairtechnologies.com/catalog/product.aspx?id=504
This antenna gives you a bit more gain (3dbd), however it requires a good groundplane to work properly, and only gives you 5MHz of bandwidth.
I've always used the 1482 antennas and have been extremely happy with them - they outperform any amateur antenna, hands down. I've used a Comet SBB-7 which claims to have 4.5db of gain, but I can tell you that either of the antennas above will beat the snot out of even a high-end hammie antenna like that.
Sinclabs makes a nice wide-band antenna:
http://www.sinclairtechnologies.com/catalog/product.aspx?id=457
It covers 132-174MHz, with 26MHz of bandwidth. This means you could (assuming the radio is to be used for ham radio), 144-170MHz - easily good enough for any LMR applications.
It is also a half-wave antenna, which means you don't need to supply a ground plane. The only mount that is going to give you a good ground is a hole-drilled NMO mount (or similar). Other mounting methods give you a poor ground (lip-mount) or no ground at all (mag-mount), but since this antenna is a half-wave - that doesn't matter - it doesn't need a ground plane at all.
Your other option would be:
http://www.sinclairtechnologies.com/catalog/product.aspx?id=504
This antenna gives you a bit more gain (3dbd), however it requires a good groundplane to work properly, and only gives you 5MHz of bandwidth.
I've always used the 1482 antennas and have been extremely happy with them - they outperform any amateur antenna, hands down. I've used a Comet SBB-7 which claims to have 4.5db of gain, but I can tell you that either of the antennas above will beat the snot out of even a high-end hammie antenna like that.
neilcarrick said:
That all depends on your application.
Are you using repeaters on mountain tops where the high radiation angle of a 1/4 wave is desirable, or is it all simplex in flat terrain where a 1/2 wave or 5/8 wave antenna is more desirable ?
The intended application makes a LOT of difference in antenna selection.
NMO center of roof is always more desirable than a magnetic mount.
Here is what I use for 2 meter and it works great:
http://www.hamstick.com/9007.htm
The only drawback is the length, about 7 feet...not very practical to put on a car but it works great for me, I have it mounted on a Back Rack behind the cab of my truck. It uses a 3/8" CB style mount, so there are many different ways to mount it. If used on a mag-mount, it would have to be one of those big tripod mounts. The bottom half of the antenna is a fiberglass mast and the top half is a stainless steel whip.
http://www.hamstick.com/9007.htm
The only drawback is the length, about 7 feet...not very practical to put on a car but it works great for me, I have it mounted on a Back Rack behind the cab of my truck. It uses a 3/8" CB style mount, so there are many different ways to mount it. If used on a mag-mount, it would have to be one of those big tripod mounts. The bottom half of the antenna is a fiberglass mast and the top half is a stainless steel whip.
- Status