Roof antenna recomendations

[yorkphotog]

Hey all, I'm just looking for anyone with some suggestions about the best scanning antenna for me to mount on the side/roof of my townhouse. I currently have a large ugly antenna in my attic, but am moving and would like to put one outside.

I'm looking for something with good VHF/UHF/800 performance, without being a total eyesore for the townhouse complex.

The cable run will only be about 30 ft or so from the roof to the radio, so I should be fine to use something w/ coax cable.

Thanks!

 

[436isthe1]

Hey all, I'm just looking for anyone with some suggestions about the best scanning antenna for me to mount on the side/roof of my townhouse. I currently have a large ugly antenna in my attic, but am moving and would like to put one outside.

I'm looking for something with good VHF/UHF/800 performance, without being a total eyesore for the townhouse complex.

The cable run will only be about 30 ft or so from the roof to the radio, so I should be fine to use something w/ coax cable.

Thanks!

 

[zl1tkl]

google discone

 

[mmckenna]

I'm looking for something with good VHF/UHF/800 performance, without being a total eyesore for the townhouse complex.

To get that sort of coverage, you pretty much have two choices.

Under the "eyesore" category, you have several options of discone antennas to choose from. Diamond makes pretty good ones that are not too expensive. And while they are not terribly pretty, they do have thin elements that blend in well.

Other option would be to do a Larsen NMO-150/450/800 with an NMO base station adapter. That'll give you good performance in most installations, provide some actual gain on UHF and 800, and will be pretty low profile.

https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/larsen-nmo150-450-800-1050

https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/laird-technologies-mbcn-7531

and get 30 feet of LMR-240 with an N male connector on one end to connect to the above base station adapter mount, and a connector to match your scanner.

 

[yorkphotog]

To get that sort of coverage, you pretty much have two choices.

Under the "eyesore" category, you have several options of discone antennas to choose from. Diamond makes pretty good ones that are not too expensive. And while they are not terribly pretty, they do have thin elements that blend in well.

Other option would be to do a Larsen NMO-150/450/800 with an NMO base station adapter. That'll give you good performance in most installations, provide some actual gain on UHF and 800, and will be pretty low profile.

https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/larsen-nmo150-450-800-1050

https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/laird-technologies-mbcn-7531

and get 30 feet of LMR-240 with an N male connector on one end to connect to the above base station adapter mount, and a connector to match your scanner.

Nice, I like this idea... Thanks! But what about the lack of a ground plane (specifically for VHF)? Whenever I've tried the Larsen tri-band indoors, without putting the mag mount on a baking sheet etc, the signal is awful...

Does the base station adapter not require a ground plane?

 

[trap5858]

The base adapter kit converts the mobile antenna to a ground plane.

 

[daddyjohn]

I use an OMNI-X antenna and it works great with lmr-400 coax.

OmniX Scanner Base Antenna

Specs Gain: 3 VHF 4 UHF dBi Pattern: Omni-directional Wavelength: 1/2 Elements: 3 Tuned: 118-137, 148-175 & 225-900 MHz Band: UHF & VHF Connector: N Female Cable: RG8X Cable Length: 16 Inches Height: 45" Width: 30" Weight: 2 lb Features Multi Band-Wide Coverage: The uniquely...

dpdproductions.com

 

[mmckenna]

Does the base station adapter not require a ground plane?

The base station adapter I linked to has an NMO connector on top and an N connector on the bottom. Between those two is the 'adapter' and it has 4 ground radials that stick out the side and provide the proper ground plane for the antenna.

 

[sallen07]

Other option would be to do a Larsen NMO-150/450/800 with an NMO base station adapter. That'll give you good performance in most installations, provide some actual gain on UHF and 800, and will be pretty low profile.

I put this combination up on Halloween and I have been very happy with it. Definitely a less "visible" option. From 15-20 feet away you can hardly see the vertical and won't even notice the radials unless you know they are there and are looking for them.

 

[zl1tkl]

well how about that some who think their antennas are ugly good news for you the majority think they are absolutely beautiful I have a 4.5 meter dish and no-one has ever said it was ugly most admire the marvels of its design and its construction comparing it to other engineering marvels icon the world ! So drop the preference for nit picking females and get a real woman who has appreciation for effort . Antenna work on a basic theory strength is proportional to capture area the more capture area the more signal strength and that cant be classified as a fashion statement . I f you were to build it yourself then its something to be proud of and that cant be ugly can it your choice ???

 

[cmdrwill]

Simple to make. 4S box cover and radials

 

[mass-man]

The Larsen base station adapter is quick n easy! I’ve used several in the past...

 

[yorkphotog]

Thanks everyone - this isn't my area of expertise so your help is appreciated! Judging from the replies, I think I'm going to go with the Laird base adapter, with the appropriate antenna and coax cable.

With respect to the mount/mast, what's the best route for that? I've attached a pic of where I plan on installing the antenna - it'll likely be mounted to the brick, right at the top of the peak.

 

[mmckenna]

With respect to the mount/mast, what's the best route for that? I've attached a pic of where I plan on installing the antenna - it'll likely be mounted to the brick, right at the top of the peak.

The antenna will be lightweight, so you don't need a lot. Simple/cheap approach will work:

Winegard Universal Pipe J-Mount for TV Antennas and Satellite Dishes (DS-2016) | eBay

Find great deals for Winegard Universal Pipe J-Mount for TV Antennas and Satellite Dishes (DS-2016). Shop with confidence on eBay!

www.ebay.com

 

[popnokick]

And slightly sturdier than the J-Mount is a Gable End Mount bracket. Here is one by Winegard -
Winegard Adjustable Gable End Mount for Antenna Masts (SW-0012)

 

[436isthe1]

Thanks everyone - this isn't my area of expertise so your help is appreciated! Judging from the replies, I think I'm going to go with the Laird base adapter, with the appropriate antenna and coax cable.

With respect to the mount/mast, what's the best route for that? I've attached a pic of where I plan on installing the antenna - it'll likely be mounted to the brick, right at the top of the peak.

Put antenna at the peek, height is Mite.

Thanks everyone - this isn't my area of expertise so your help is appreciated! Judging from the replies, I think I'm going to go with the Laird base adapter, with the appropriate antenna and coax cable.

With respect to the mount/mast, what's the best route for that? I've attached a pic of where I plan on installing the antenna - it'll likely be mounted to the brick, right at the top of the peak.

 

[yorkphotog]

Both the Widegard end mount and J-mount look interesting...

With the J-mount, is there an additional pole I would need to mount the actual NMO base adapter? From the pics it looks like a satellite dish pole, and I'm not sure if i would need to put a pole in it first?

The end mount looks like it's good to go as it is, and I would just attack the base adapter directly to it.

 

[popnokick]

Either type of mount is going to require a mast at least five feet long to get the antenna above the roofline and allow attachment of the radials. The adapter is designed to mount atop a mast.

 

[krokus]

Both the Widegard end mount and J-mount look interesting...

With the J-mount, is there an additional pole I would need to mount the actual NMO base adapter? From the pics it looks like a satellite dish pole, and I'm not sure if i would need to put a pole in it first?

The end mount looks like it's good to go as it is, and I would just attack the base adapter directly to it.

The gable mount shown above does not include the mast.

With a J mount, you can attach this directly to the integrated pole:

https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/laird-technologies-mbcn-7531

 

[lu81fitter]

I used to have satellite TV at my house. When I discontinued service, I removed the "dish" part of the antenna and stuck a pole in the "J" mount. I then mounted the exact same thing that mmckenna recommended (ground plane kit). It works quite well. The ground plane kit in the pic is an old one that was home made, but you get the idea.