Mobile Antenna - Low Profile

[PearlOnyx]

Hey Guys,

I've had base and portable scanners for years, but I've never mounted a mobile scanner before. I'm looking for a very low profile mobile antenna. The majority of my scanning is in the 800Mhz area, but I do have a small bank of VHF and UHF frequencies that I listen to. I live in a very flat urban area and I am fairly close to most of the stations that I am listening to. Antenna must be black, BNC adapter, and I can't drill any holes (car isn't mine) =). I read over the Wiki but didn't help me much since I don't know what I'm looking for. I've looked at the Comtelco and Antennex sites, but unfortunately I'm not tech savy enough to figure out what I should be buying. Suggestions would be appreciated....

Also, for another smaller project, anybody ever buy one of these things?

http://www.scannermaster.com/In_Car_Mobile_Antenna_p/01-540832.htm

Useless? Decent? What ranges would you pick up with this thing? Website doesn't really have any information.

Thank you for your help.

 

[KT4HX]

I draw your attention to this thread:

http://www.radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91506

I highly recommend the Larsen 150/450/800. It is excellent on 800 and does a decent job on VHF/UHF. It is just 17 inches tall.

 

[PearlOnyx]

KT,

Thank you. Anything smaller that you can suggest? I wouldn't mind spending a little money if there is something out there. If not, I appreciate the advice.

 

[gewecke]

I draw your attention to this thread:

http://www.radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91506

I highly recommend the Larsen 150/450/800. It is excellent on 800 and does a decent job on VHF/UHF. It is just 17 inches tall.

I have mounted one of these for a guy on a mag.mount upside down
on the ceiling of his pick-up to conceal. Worked out great,and very hard to spot with tinted windows!
n9zas.

 

[PearlOnyx]

Gew,

Interesting thought. So, excuse my ignorance...with it mounted inside the vehicle, doesn't the steel shell of the vehicle degrade the signal, or is it not all that noticable? Like I said, first time setting up a mobile setup.

A friend of mine has a good ol' Pro-94 portable with the stock rubber duckie in his car, and claims to get decent reception in our area. It's pretty urban, and most of the sites are fairly close together. I'd like to get something set up where I can get good reception, but like I said, I just like to listen....don't know the first thing about the technical aspects of the hobby.

Thanks for your help.

 

[gewecke]

Yeah, it does attenuate the signal a bit but not as much as you might think. The reason I suggested it was you did say low profile,and this is a method that the FBI used many years ago for covert vehicles.
Usually done in the rear window of unmarked cars,tough to spot!
n9zas.

 

[PearlOnyx]

Gew,

Thanks, me not knowing much I figured that mounting inside the vehicle would pretty much wipe out your signal strength. Now, I know we generally want things mounted vertically. I noticed that you mentioned you mounted it upside down. I'm assuming mounting it vertically right side up on the rear deck of a passenger car would have the same effect? I found a 13" multi-band antenna during my search, and it seems although I have to check, that this would be about the right size for an application like that.

Thanks again!

 

[RodStrong]

http://www.antennawarehouse.com/Scanner/wep300.htm

 

[ryangassxx]

http://www.antennawarehouse.com/Scanner/wep300.htm

Does anyone else notice anything weird about the wallpaper on that website?

 

[pddispatcher]

Does anyone else notice anything weird about the wallpaper on that website?

LMFAO!!!

 

[iMONITOR]

Hey Guys,

I've had base and portable scanners for years, but I've never mounted a mobile scanner before. I'm looking for a very low profile mobile antenna. The majority of my scanning is in the 800Mhz area, but I do have a small bank of VHF and UHF frequencies that I listen to. I live in a very flat urban area and I am fairly close to most of the stations that I am listening to. Antenna must be black, BNC adapter, and I can't drill any holes (car isn't mine) =).

You can't go wrong with this:

Valor ProAm PMM3B; $16.95
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/scanants/1190.html

 

[wjf]

You can't go wrong with this:

Valor ProAm PMM3B; $16.95
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/scanants/1190.html

I agree with Greatlakes - in fact, he pointed me to this item over the summer. Very pleased with it.

BTW, the picture isn't what you get. You'll get what looks like a cell antenna.

 

[bee]

I also agree with the "Valor Pro Am pmm3b"! Have two, a am gonna order another one.

 

[PearlOnyx]

Yeah, I ended up buying the Valor Pro tonight actually. I'm going to try the internal mount as previously suggested and see how that goes, and if not I'll go from there.

 

[bee]

what are you calling an "internal mount"?

 

[gewecke]

Internal mount...

Bee,I previously mentioned to pearl a method for mounting the antenna
inside the vehicle because he wanted a low-profile installation.
I have done installs like these before,and they can work well but this
depends on the vehicle.
Vhf and uhf 1/4 wave nmo mounts through the package shelf of a full size caprice are nearly as efficient as having them on the trunk,as long
as a hole is drilled in the steel below the back window and nmo antennas are mounted in those holes. They are very hard to see unless
you're looking for them!
Many years ago,the FBI techs commonly did this.
The steel deck in the back window makes a great ground plane.
n9zas.

 

[tmfok7]

Bee,I previously mentioned to pearl a method for mounting the antenna
inside the vehicle because he wanted a low-profile installation.
I have done installs like these before,and they can work well but this
depends on the vehicle.
Vhf and uhf 1/4 wave nmo mounts through the package shelf of a full size caprice are nearly as efficient as having them on the trunk,as long
as a hole is drilled in the steel below the back window and nmo antennas are mounted in those holes. They are very hard to see unless
you're looking for them!
Many years ago,the FBI techs commonly did this.
The steel deck in the back window makes a great ground plane.
n9zas.

Do you have any pics of the mount job? I'm really curious about this as I on occasions, have taken my mag-mount off the roof and put it in the back compartment of my SUV for no attention purposes while parked, forgot about it, and later realized that I had gotten fairly decent reception with the antenna back there.

 

[tbharper]

http://www.scannerworld.com/content/product/model/ANT80BNC this is the antenna i have i replaced the rg58 to rg 6 and it made a big difference

 

[Swipesy]

800 Antenna

I have used the Antennex Phantom 850 Mhz antenna for 2 1/2 years. It is the size of a small salt shaker. I used a mag mount with it.

The antenna is fantastic on 800 band; Very good on UHF 400 band; Fair on Hi VHF 140+ band; Poor on Low Vhf

 

[DEPUTY11]

When I bought a new car I didn't want to mount, drill, tape, or scratch the paint. So i had an old Radio Shack magnet mount scanner antenna with the Motorla plug laying in the garage. I ran the plug and cable through the bottom of the rear seat (from the trunk) up the driver's side floor (under the moulding) up and across under the dash to my center console and into the scanner. The antenna itself I bent it down (near the base) to a parallel posistion. I then mounted the base on the inside top of my trunk lid where it stays secure via the magnet on the metal. Works excellent!