MD7018j
Member
I'm purchasing a Pro-2045 and I need to upgrade from the stock antenna. I was conserding the Radio Shack Outdoor VHF-Hi/UHF Scanner Antenna (Model 20-176). Does anybody have any suggestions?
thanx
thanx
Pro-2045 Antenna
- Thread starter MD7018j
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madnachos
Member
What do you listen to most often?
For general coverage I like the Scantenna...you can get them off eBay pretty cheap. I see some on there now for $42, shipping included.
For general coverage I like the Scantenna...you can get them off eBay pretty cheap. I see some on there now for $42, shipping included.
MD7018j
Member
I will mostly listening to air/MilAir with it. Would ebay be the best place to buy the scantenna?
ka3jjz
Wiki Admin Emeritus
Before I begin - anything in blue is a link.
It's probably much better to buy from a reputable dealer. I would wonder if the coax came with the antenna (I think Antenna Warehouse sells it with 50 foot of RG6 - pretty good for this application), or if I were buying an older version of the antenna. This older version didn't have the long element reinforced against the wind, and I've seen several comments that it snapped off (you can do the reinforcement job yourself, however - this pic shows you how to do it)
No matter who you buy your antenna from, getting the right coax is very important. The higher you go in frequency, the more loss you will incur. As milair tends to be kinda weak from time to time, minimizing loss is important. This page from the popular Strong Signals website gives a decent explanation. And here's a nice page from one of the NASA ARC websites that lays out loss versus type of coax and freq range.
Where to get your coax? I know several folk that have gone to The RF Connection in Gaithersburg and been quite pleased. Don't think you will get good stuff from the local RS - most likely ain't gonna happen
Of course, the ScanTenna is only one of many that will work on both the civil and milair bands. One that I heard about recently - I don't have any direct idea of how it works - is the Omni Miltennas from DPD Productions. Antennas tuned for specific ranges - they have one just for VHF/UHF milair - will work better than a broadbanded design. If you are just going to be using the 2045 for civil and milair, it certainly looks like one to consider.
You can get some ideas of other antennas that might also work - such as the homebrewed off center dipole, which I understand does work well in the milair bands - from our Wiki page
73s Mike
It's probably much better to buy from a reputable dealer. I would wonder if the coax came with the antenna (I think Antenna Warehouse sells it with 50 foot of RG6 - pretty good for this application), or if I were buying an older version of the antenna. This older version didn't have the long element reinforced against the wind, and I've seen several comments that it snapped off (you can do the reinforcement job yourself, however - this pic shows you how to do it)
No matter who you buy your antenna from, getting the right coax is very important. The higher you go in frequency, the more loss you will incur. As milair tends to be kinda weak from time to time, minimizing loss is important. This page from the popular Strong Signals website gives a decent explanation. And here's a nice page from one of the NASA ARC websites that lays out loss versus type of coax and freq range.
Where to get your coax? I know several folk that have gone to The RF Connection in Gaithersburg and been quite pleased. Don't think you will get good stuff from the local RS - most likely ain't gonna happen
Of course, the ScanTenna is only one of many that will work on both the civil and milair bands. One that I heard about recently - I don't have any direct idea of how it works - is the Omni Miltennas from DPD Productions. Antennas tuned for specific ranges - they have one just for VHF/UHF milair - will work better than a broadbanded design. If you are just going to be using the 2045 for civil and milair, it certainly looks like one to consider.
You can get some ideas of other antennas that might also work - such as the homebrewed off center dipole, which I understand does work well in the milair bands - from our Wiki page
73s Mike
trainman111
Member
I second getting the coax from the RF Connection. They were extremely friendly and very helpful. They will answer any question you have that deals with coax etc. and they will explain why the answer is such. I will definately be doing business with them again. I would also recommend having them install the connectors for you. It's much easier that way, well, it would have been for me at least.
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