Commercial grade antennas
- Thread starter N-L-M
- Start date
This is an overly broad question. There are many different types of antennas within each band category. To get any sort of meaningful answer,, you're going to need to be more specific. And are you looking at an antenna for Tx/Rx or just Tx or just Rx?
Looking for Rx/Tx antennas. I don't want to be pennie wise and dollar foolish on choosing a manufacture.
I understand that not every manufacture offers every type of antenna for every band segment. Don't want the 1st set of strong winds to destroy an antenna.
Have not decided on the type(s) of antennas - but probably a Yagi directional design for the HF.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
Depends on what you want. The type of HF antenna you need depends on what kind of communications you are doing? Long distance? NVIS? RX only?
Lots of good commercial brands, although they can get -really- expensive, especially if you start looking at the higher end commercial repeater site type antennas. Very easy to spend $2K or more on a single antenna.
Laird makes some nice inexpensive commercial band antennas that are durable and affordable. Ran one on GMRS for many years.
Depends on what you mean by "microwave" and what you are going to use to receive/decode that traffic.
No idea, what Satellite stuff I do use is using some very specific antennas based on the service.
Mainly Long Distance at the start. (Tx/Rx)
Thanks. I've seen Laird mentioned on other posts, I'll keep this on the list.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
How much room do you have? HF antennas that cover all the HF ham bands can be rather large.
Thanks for clarifying things!
I can't make any considered recommendations on anything other than VHF/UHF antennas., and as @mmckenna said, some "tower quality" models can get pricey.
I'd start looking at Pulse-Larsen and Laird. Both are well established companies and offer a broad array of products and antenna mounting accessories. Now that The Antenna Farm seems to be back from hiatus, they're a good vendor to begin your browsing: Commercial Base Antennas | The Antenna Farm.
Brands to avoid (and many users here will concur) are Tram/Browning and any brand with a name you can't pronounce.
For HF,
I can only provide examples, and with most, you are going to need a lot of real estate.
My best performer was a 90 foot terminated tri folded dipole (T3FD). If you want 160 meters, this would be 200 foot.
Supported no less than 45 foot above ground. Power handeling limited by the wattage of the termination resistor and fed with open twin lead.
With a tuner, these are very broadband, covering full HF and usable on 6 meters. price for the antenna alone can run up to $1100
If you prefer a stearable Yagi, Start with a 65 foot guyed tower and put up a 5 band Mosley on a HAM-M rotor.
Options here can be a 1/2 wave inverted V, or a trapped dipole, or considder a vertical.
VHF and UHF have been reasonably suggested above.
Microwave covers 80% of the amateur spectrum and you are talking a 2 meter dish plus waveguides and feeds for any of the different segments. Pads and LNAs simplify such installation.
I get by with a 1.2 meter steerable with appropriate LNBs and pads.
For satellite work, it much depends which satellites. Frequency ranges typically from 136 MHz to 13 GHz
OSCAR is UHF uplink, VHF downlink and steerable antennas work best.
I can only provide examples, and with most, you are going to need a lot of real estate.
My best performer was a 90 foot terminated tri folded dipole (T3FD). If you want 160 meters, this would be 200 foot.
Supported no less than 45 foot above ground. Power handeling limited by the wattage of the termination resistor and fed with open twin lead.
With a tuner, these are very broadband, covering full HF and usable on 6 meters. price for the antenna alone can run up to $1100
If you prefer a stearable Yagi, Start with a 65 foot guyed tower and put up a 5 band Mosley on a HAM-M rotor.
Options here can be a 1/2 wave inverted V, or a trapped dipole, or considder a vertical.
VHF and UHF have been reasonably suggested above.
Microwave covers 80% of the amateur spectrum and you are talking a 2 meter dish plus waveguides and feeds for any of the different segments. Pads and LNAs simplify such installation.
I get by with a 1.2 meter steerable with appropriate LNBs and pads.
For satellite work, it much depends which satellites. Frequency ranges typically from 136 MHz to 13 GHz
OSCAR is UHF uplink, VHF downlink and steerable antennas work best.
rf_patriot200
Member
Decibel Products is a great company for commercial Vhf/Uhf.
nd5y
Member
The original company hasn't existed since 1992.
They are still around under the name DBSpectra and still make VHF/UHF antennas for repeater and trunking systems. I seriously doubt many, if any, hams would spend $2000 to $5000 on a VHF or UHF base antenna. They do not make dual-band antennas. They make two-port antennas vertically separated for repeaters and trunking systems with separate TX and RX antennas. For $8000, you can have one on your repeater systems.
rf_patriot200
Member
Holy Cats! Nope, not in my budget lol!
rf_patriot200
Member
Hmm... I'll have to check with management of my High Rise apt. building lol.
prcguy
Member
It’s not a discone, it’s a conical monopole just as it says. A discone is a completely different type of antenna.
prcguy
Member
I’m using a DB Products two port split 8-bay dipole array at my house for two separate repeater systems. What’s the big deal?
I am not really sure at this point. If I mount on the home, then I would be much more limited to the size of a boom that could be used, as I would be more limited to height of the antenna.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
If space/size is a concern on HF, then you may want to look at either a small loop antenna, or a basic wire antenna.
JustinWHT
Member
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2022
- Messages
- 44
That's like comparing General Sherman's March Into Atlanta to a Sunday afternoon family BBQ.
