Indoor use of a Discone antenna?

[KE0GXN]

I am not interested in the mini-discone manufactured in the UK......however.....

I am thinking, I want to experiment with a Discone antenna inside my house, mounted on a sub-woofer tripod.

I am currently using a mobile base converter on it now and would be curious what gains if any could be made by mounting a Discone on it instead.

From what I have researched most all Discones are huge for indoor purposes though, or at least they appear to be.

My only spec preference would be that the Discone be female N terminated, as I already have a run of LMR 240 in my possession with a male N connector.

If anyone on here has experience with this, I would appreciate your feedback and if I am grasping at straws, don't hesitate to let me know that too.

Thanks!

 

[W3DMV]

Need more info

How long is the LMR-240 ?

What bands do you listen to ?

What is a mobile base converter ? Type of antenna now in use ?

 

[mmckenna]

They suck.

Discones are useful antennas where you need a whole lot of bandwidth but no gain. They are bulky antennas.
Indoors with the attenuation created by being inside coupled with the lack of gain would probably result in worse performance than what you have right now.

I have a $1500 commercial discone at work for a wide band remote receiver and for use as an "emergency" antenna at that specific site for a couple of repeaters. It works in that it does an OK job covering 50MHz well up above 3GHz, but there isn't much gain. Switching to a dedicated antenna designed for the frequency I'm listening to really improves performance.

Shouldn't be any issue finding one with an N connector. Due to the broad banded nature, they tend to be the default connector choice.

It'd be an interesting, yet slight expensive, experiment, but I think you might be disappointed.

 

[KE0GXN]

Need more info

How long is the LMR-240 ?

What bands do you listen to ?

What is a mobile base converter ? Type of antenna now in use ?

-25 foot run

-150, 450, 800mhz trunked, P-25 phase 2 (maybe some distant P25 phase one if I am lucky)

-http://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/laird-technologies-mbc800-1650.html

-Current antenna on it is a Laird 150/450/800 ABSCANC

 

[KB7MIB]

If you're not interested in VHF-Lowband, you can remove the top vertical whip, and it becomes much more manageable. I've heard of people just setting it on the floor, the cone elements supporting it.

I believe that the Diamond discone can be ordered with an N connector.

Discone antennas have no gain across their bandwidth, however. If the antenna you're using now has any gain, you may actually hear less across those frequencies. However, there may be some advantage in receiving some frequencies with the discone that your current antenna doesn't receive, but only if you have the receiver with which to receive them.

John
Peoria, AZ

 

[KE0GXN]

They suck.

Discones are useful antennas where you need a whole lot of bandwidth but no gain. They are bulky antennas.
Indoors with the attenuation created by being inside coupled with the lack of gain would probably result in worse performance than what you have right now.

I have a $1500 commercial discone at work for a wide band remote receiver and for use as an "emergency" antenna at that specific site for a couple of repeaters. It works in that it does an OK job covering 50MHz well up above 3GHz, but there isn't much gain. Switching to a dedicated antenna designed for the frequency I'm listening to really improves performance.

Shouldn't be any issue finding one with an N connector. Due to the broad banded nature, they tend to be the default connector choice.

It'd be an interesting, yet slight expensive, experiment, but I think you might be disappointed.

Yeah I hear ya, from what I have seen the decently reviewed ones are about $90+ or more.....The Diamond D130NJ is one I have been spying.

Till the day I can afford three or four scanners, with three or four dedicated band antennas.....I will continue to have to settle for a "wideband" application

 

[KE0GXN]

If you're not interested in VHF-Lowband, you can remove the top vertical whip, and it becomes much more manageable. I've heard of people just setting it on the floor, the cone elements supporting it.

I believe that the Diamond discone can be ordered with an N connector.

Discone antennas have no gain across their bandwidth, however. If the antenna you're using now has any gain, you may actually hear less across those frequencies. However, there may be some advantage in receiving some frequencies with the discone that your current antenna doesn't receive, but only if you have the receiver with which to receive them.

John
Peoria, AZ

I have very little to no low band interest in my area. A couple agencies still use it as a back-up, otherwise they are on 800 or P-25.

Not sure about the gain on the Laird I am using.....specs state, "unity" for gain, whatever that means?

Currently using an HP-2.

 

[Euth]

Not sure about the gain on the Laird I am using.....specs state, "unity" for gain, whatever that means?

Looking at the specs of your current antenna (Laird 150/450/800 ABSCANC) it seems the gain is 2.1 dBi.

statebear, I am currently in the same boat as you as far as the frequencies listened to and wanting to go the
discone route. I am also currently using a small mobile antenna as well except mine isnt made for 800mhz at all.

I am currently looking at picking up the OmniX Scanner Base Antenna from here. DPD Productions - Scanner, Aviation, NOAA, Low-Band, 700 MHz Public Safety, Base & Mobile Radio Antennas for Commercial & Hobbyist Applications

It is more on the pricey side but it does offer some gain where as a discone generally doesn't. I would rather go ahead and pay for something that would hopefully work better than spend it on something like
a discone that may or may not work as well as what I'm using now. Then again I may be just throwing my money down the drain, lol.

A member recently told me...

If you don't restrict your ranges (by choice or actually needing a very wide range), you can still get an OK antenna, but it will work OK (but not great). As some may say, a wide band antenna will work equally poorly on all frequencies.

Mine will also be an inside mount as well. I wish you luck with your search and hopefully you get one that works for you.

 

[W3DMV]

Looks like you have a standoff. The Laird is a deceit antenna and the discone
will not be an improvement with the exception of reception on the VHF aircraft
band and mil aircraft on 225-380 Mhz.
You have a nice short feed line so not a factor with loss. The only big
improvement would be to move everything outside and raise the height
of the antenna.

Good luck......

 

[KE0GXN]

You are probably right. I don't monitor aircraft or mil freqs....

I may have to come to the realization that I have done everything I could indoors. Going outside is going to have to be the next step. Now if I could just muster the courage to mount something, run the lines, drill the holes and whatever else putting an antenna on an outdoor tower/mast entails...I would be golden...LOL!

As always thanks for the feeback guys!!

 

[mmckenna]

You are probably right. I don't monitor aircraft or mil freqs....

I may have to come to the realization that I have done everything I could indoors. Going outside is going to have to be the next step. Now if I could just muster the courage to mount something, run the lines, drill the holes and whatever else putting an antenna on an outdoor tower/mast entails...I would be golden...LOL!

As always thanks for the feeback guys!!

Cooler full of beer and a couple of friends on a Saturday is a pretty typical solution.

I've done a few mobile antenna installs for hobbyists in the area free of charge.

 

[KE0GXN]

Got to start setting aside some funding, if I am going to do it, I want to do it right.