I just purchased a Pro 2006 to replace the 2006 that was stolen from me by movers in 1993. I am happy to have one back. My question relates to the best antenna to use with it at work. I work in a fire station that has a metal roof over the entire structure. I want to put a magnetic mount antenna on top of the station and run the coax into my room. First question is, are pretty much all magnet mount antennas created equal, or is there a 'best' one for receiving in the freq ranges that this scanner covers? Second relates to lightning protection. The top of the station has lightning rods all around the roof (brand new station). Should I somehow ground the antenna once it is put up? I would hate to electrocute myself or my bunk mate if I am off duty. Thanks for any suggestions and comments. Bryan
Antenna for Realistic Pro 2006 advice
- Thread starter comisoas
- Start date
- Status
N1BHH
Member
As I have mentioned many times before, ask a hundred people what the best antenna is and you'll get a hundred different answers. I have my dual band Larsen mag mount on an air conditioner. It suits me fine as a scanner antenna. I also use it on the 2m and 70cm bands with my FT60R walkie. Selecting an antenna takes some time and research and also asking some of the locals what they use, not asking what the best is, because you'll get different responses.
There are many antennas that people swear by and others that people don't like, because they might have had a lemon and it didn't work for them the way they wanted it to. There really is no miracle antenna out there. If you are interested in the full spectrum of frequencies your 2006 has, then a decent discone antenna will work, fed with a good quality feedline, such as LMR400. You could get away with RG8U but if you are in a rural area, a higher quality coax works better, like LMR400.
Basically, I have for mobile use a Larsen NMO-150/450/800 mag mount and it suits me fine. I have other antenna configurations I can switch to using that mount for different reasons, but the Larsen stays on most of the time. I have used others, but this is the one I prefer right now.
A bunch of experimenting works for me, try them all, but money can be the barrier to that. You should look at what's available for mounting antennas, like a vent pipe for your support mast. With lightning rods, it sounds like that's in a lightning prone area, so I wouldn't be mounting stuff on the roof, that's my preference. I'd sure hate to go to the trouble of putting up a $200 antenna system only to have it fried by lightning in the first week. Maybe a mag mounted antenna on an air conditioner might be your best bet, not up on the roof.
That's just my input, maybe others will chime in. Good luck with the installation.
There are many antennas that people swear by and others that people don't like, because they might have had a lemon and it didn't work for them the way they wanted it to. There really is no miracle antenna out there. If you are interested in the full spectrum of frequencies your 2006 has, then a decent discone antenna will work, fed with a good quality feedline, such as LMR400. You could get away with RG8U but if you are in a rural area, a higher quality coax works better, like LMR400.
Basically, I have for mobile use a Larsen NMO-150/450/800 mag mount and it suits me fine. I have other antenna configurations I can switch to using that mount for different reasons, but the Larsen stays on most of the time. I have used others, but this is the one I prefer right now.
A bunch of experimenting works for me, try them all, but money can be the barrier to that. You should look at what's available for mounting antennas, like a vent pipe for your support mast. With lightning rods, it sounds like that's in a lightning prone area, so I wouldn't be mounting stuff on the roof, that's my preference. I'd sure hate to go to the trouble of putting up a $200 antenna system only to have it fried by lightning in the first week. Maybe a mag mounted antenna on an air conditioner might be your best bet, not up on the roof.
That's just my input, maybe others will chime in. Good luck with the installation.
Hi comisoas, welcome to Radio Reference!
Because of the wide-band capabilities of the PRO-2006, there is really no perfect on-antenna solution. You would be better to choose a realistic range of frequencies that you will most often be monitoring and choose an antenna for them.
Typically for public service monitoring, you'll be scanning roughly between 150~870MHz. However, most all communications in the 800MHz band are trunked, and depending on your location, digital, and the PRO-2006 will not work for those systems. That narrows it down to 150~470MHz. There is a huge selection of antennas for that range.
One to consider, which claims to be wide-band, but is realistically optimized for the ranges I mentioned:
Nil-Jon Super M
http://www.universal-radio.com/catal...ants/4538.html
For a lot less money, and a slightly different mounting technique, consider Radio Shack's Outdoor VHF/UHF Scanner Antenna, Cat No 20-176
http://www.radioshack.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2032098&cp=2032052.2032075.20 32078
For the type of installation you're considering, there is really not a lot you can do for lightning protection. The steel roof of the station is grounded.
Because of the wide-band capabilities of the PRO-2006, there is really no perfect on-antenna solution. You would be better to choose a realistic range of frequencies that you will most often be monitoring and choose an antenna for them.
Typically for public service monitoring, you'll be scanning roughly between 150~870MHz. However, most all communications in the 800MHz band are trunked, and depending on your location, digital, and the PRO-2006 will not work for those systems. That narrows it down to 150~470MHz. There is a huge selection of antennas for that range.
One to consider, which claims to be wide-band, but is realistically optimized for the ranges I mentioned:
Nil-Jon Super M
http://www.universal-radio.com/catal...ants/4538.html
For a lot less money, and a slightly different mounting technique, consider Radio Shack's Outdoor VHF/UHF Scanner Antenna, Cat No 20-176
http://www.radioshack.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2032098&cp=2032052.2032075.20 32078
For the type of installation you're considering, there is really not a lot you can do for lightning protection. The steel roof of the station is grounded.
Halfpint
Member
I know that there are going to be some people screaming and making other obnoxious noises but... As a PRO-2006 user myself *I* have always had pretty good performance using a Radio Shack Cat# 20-032 mag mount when I haven't been able to stick up a decent discone w/ decent coax. The real `kicker' that I suspect you'll find just may be the length of the coax it comes with which *might* not be long enough. However... For the price it isn't really a `bank breaker' and it should get you `on the air' quite nicely quickly. (Personally I suspect that you will find yourself using it a lot more than almost anything else mag mount `wise' you eventually try. [Oh, and don't just `throw it together' by bottoming out each section and then tightening up the screws. *I* have found that setting each section approximately midway between fully bottomed and at the very end seems to be about the best assembly with all but one, it liked the bottom set fully bottomed and the `whip' all the way out for some reason, of all the 2006s *I* have used one on.])
For a non mag mount *my* preference for use with my 2006s is an old RS discone that has been heavily modified over the years. It has had the elements in the `cone', it came with flimsy tubular elements, replaced with solid SS `custom' trimmed elements. The `disc' section first had the originals then they, too, were replaced with some `custom' SS elements and then I went back to the originals. I then started playing around with various `add on' vertical elements and tried all sorts of `bought' ones, basically assorted different other lower freq antennas, homemade elements, and the last, and current, element was made from an old center loaded CB antenna. The very last `mod' was the addition of an amp mounted right at the base of the antenna that has just enough gain to compensate for the coax losses. (Unfortunately I don't think that unless you have access to either the right people or equipment you aren't going to be able go the amp `route' as at the time I went that way I had access to both some people and a couple labs at Ball Brothers and the amp was built to match the coax I use. ['Course *if* *I* ever run out of, or cannot find, anymore of *that* coax *I* am going to be somewhat SOL myself, too. {WAN GRIN!}]) Anyway the `long and short' of it is that as far as it is/was possible I am lucky enough to have about as good as reception as I am interested in with the PRO-2006. As a `side effect' I also just happen to have fairly decent reception with the rest of my scanners but don't always have them hooked up to that antenna as I don't use them for the same uses as the 2006s and one can only get so far even with `compensated' / `amplified' multi-couplers. (My 2006s are primarily my `search' scanners anymore these days. I've got OPTO456s in all but 2, one of which has dedicated `tone seeker' and the other a `code reader' installed, of them and when I fire them up I usually also fire up at least one computer or so and a few other things occasionally, too. {GRIN!} They are the `legacy?' of about 40 or so years of this `hobby' {CHORTLE!})
Anyway... Just an `Olde Fart's' 2¢ worth.
For a non mag mount *my* preference for use with my 2006s is an old RS discone that has been heavily modified over the years. It has had the elements in the `cone', it came with flimsy tubular elements, replaced with solid SS `custom' trimmed elements. The `disc' section first had the originals then they, too, were replaced with some `custom' SS elements and then I went back to the originals. I then started playing around with various `add on' vertical elements and tried all sorts of `bought' ones, basically assorted different other lower freq antennas, homemade elements, and the last, and current, element was made from an old center loaded CB antenna. The very last `mod' was the addition of an amp mounted right at the base of the antenna that has just enough gain to compensate for the coax losses. (Unfortunately I don't think that unless you have access to either the right people or equipment you aren't going to be able go the amp `route' as at the time I went that way I had access to both some people and a couple labs at Ball Brothers and the amp was built to match the coax I use. ['Course *if* *I* ever run out of, or cannot find, anymore of *that* coax *I* am going to be somewhat SOL myself, too. {WAN GRIN!}]) Anyway the `long and short' of it is that as far as it is/was possible I am lucky enough to have about as good as reception as I am interested in with the PRO-2006. As a `side effect' I also just happen to have fairly decent reception with the rest of my scanners but don't always have them hooked up to that antenna as I don't use them for the same uses as the 2006s and one can only get so far even with `compensated' / `amplified' multi-couplers. (My 2006s are primarily my `search' scanners anymore these days. I've got OPTO456s in all but 2, one of which has dedicated `tone seeker' and the other a `code reader' installed, of them and when I fire them up I usually also fire up at least one computer or so and a few other things occasionally, too. {GRIN!} They are the `legacy?' of about 40 or so years of this `hobby' {CHORTLE!})
Anyway... Just an `Olde Fart's' 2¢ worth.
- Status
Similar threads
