Scantenna question

[wink]

I just got my Scantenna the other day and to my surprise it came with 50 feet of RG6. I thought i read that Rg6 wasn't a good idea to use . If not what kind of coax should i use to make my 50 foot run. My other antennas are using Rg58 52 ohms from radio shack , they seem to be working fine. One more thing does anyone have any suggestions on my install [ Tips that i should know about ] Thank you in advance.

 

[iMONITOR]

For the 800MHz band, RG6 is actually better than RG58. The 75 ohm vs 50 ohm is not an issue for receive only.

It's best to mount it on PVC plastic pipe/conduit if you can.

 

[tbharper]

Why Is It Best To Mount It On Pvc Plastic Pipe

 

[iMONITOR]

Why Is It Best To Mount It On Pvc Plastic Pipe

A metal mast will make it behave like a Yagi to some extent, causing it to be somewhat directional.

 

[wink]

Great because that's what i already have set up .. My mast is 1'' and quarter metal tube then converted to pvc near half way up. The Metal part is grounded . Ill try and get it setup today . Ill be taking down a hustler discone which really seems to work great. Hopefully the scantenna will do even better.

 

[nighthawks]

Ill be taking down a hustler discone which really seems to work great. Hopefully the scantenna will do even better.

What are you going to do with the discone?

 

[wink]

The Hustler is back in the Box. Im gonna hold on to it for a bit to make sure i like the scantena. Ill post it if im gonna sell it .

 

[wink]

Scantenna is up

 

[nighthawks]

Scantenna

Who makes this one? Looks different than the ones I've seen. Is the one elelment shorter on both sides? Looks shorter in your pic. maybe just the pic.

After looking at it again and again , it's the angle of your picture, makes the one element look short.

 

[wink]

That scantenna i bought from Grove enterprises in NC . I found they were recommended quite a lot. No the elements are all the same size . Its just the angle

 

[nighthawks]

The Hustler is back in the Box. Im gonna hold on to it for a bit to make sure i like the scantena. Ill post it if im gonna sell it .

I had a Diamond discone back in Ohio for many years, 30 foot tower, I put a pre-amp on it to pull in some of the local mobiles units in a town about 20 miles. Over all it was "ok" but it wasn't all that great.

Now in the hills of Tn. running two small yagis, one pointed east and the other west. working rather well but want to get a rotor point the yagis in the same direction (better gain) then have a good omni for more of the locals.

Let me know what you think about scantenna, does it out perform the discone?

Some say to mount it on a plastic or PVC pipe, when metal mast is used the antenna somewhat becomes directional, I really don't know.

 

[wink]

My mast is half Metal and then it switches to Pvc. The scantenna is mounted on the pvc top portion. I painted the mast gray so you really cant tell. Well so far i been listing for about three hours now with the scantenna and i noticed a couple of frequencies sound much cleaner . I'm not really sure just yet if it made a big difference or not . I to have been looking for a cheap rotor to mount a 800 mhz yagi that i won on ebay. Hopefully that will work good. I Did here so kind of radio test today ware countys had to respond and i heard Cape may county which is about sixty miles from here so i figure it must be working Dam good.

 

[ampulman]

My mast is half Metal and then it switches to Pvc. The scantenna is mounted on the pvc top portion. I painted the mast gray so you really cant tell. Well so far i been listing for about three hours now with the scantenna and i noticed a couple of frequencies sound much cleaner . I'm not really sure just yet if it made a big difference or not . I to have been looking for a cheap rotor to mount a 800 mhz yagi that i won on ebay. Hopefully that will work good. I Did here so kind of radio test today ware countys had to respond and i heard Cape may county which is about sixty miles from here so i figure it must be working Dam good.

Not to burst your bubble, but I've heard similar transmissions, I believe were on one of the NJSP TG's which are simulcasted.

AM

 

[ampulman]

I had a Diamond discone back in Ohio for many years, 30 foot tower, I put a pre-amp on it to pull in some of the local mobiles units in a town about 20 miles. Over all it was "ok" but it wasn't all that great.

Now in the hills of Tn. running two small yagis, one pointed east and the other west. working rather well but want to get a rotor point the yagis in the same direction (better gain) then have a good omni for more of the locals.

Let me know what you think about scantenna, does it out perform the discone?

Some say to mount it on a plastic or PVC pipe, when metal mast is used the antenna somewhat becomes directional, I really don't know.

Looking at Wink's picture, it appears that the center cluster of elements, as well as the 2 smaller outlying elements (UHF & UHF Hi?) are all tied together, i.e., they appear to be driven. Wouldn't this give a directional quality to the array?

AM

 

[wink]

i Kinda thought that was too far for me to here ,but im new to this so i really wasnt sure. Let me know if ya think my antenna is installed wrong..... Heck it could be .

 

[iMONITOR]

My mast is half Metal and then it switches to Pvc. The scantenna is mounted on the pvc top portion. I painted the mast gray so you really cant tell. Well so far i been listing for about three hours now with the scantenna and i noticed a couple of frequencies sound much cleaner . I'm not really sure just yet if it made a big difference or not . I to have been looking for a cheap rotor to mount a 800 mhz yagi that i won on ebay. Hopefully that will work good. I Did here so kind of radio test today ware countys had to respond and i heard Cape may county which is about sixty miles from here so i figure it must be working Dam good.

That other antenna you have mounted parallel to the Scantenna may be having some ill effect on performance.

 

[iMONITOR]

Looking at Wink's picture, it appears that the center cluster of elements, as well as the 2 smaller outlying elements (UHF & UHF Hi?) are all tied together, i.e., they appear to be driven. Wouldn't this give a directional quality to the array?

AM

Very little, but some.

 

[LukeB]

I was told that when using a Scantenna, its best to use 75 ohm cable. Is there any fact to this? Who makes 75 ohm cable and where can I find it? Is it RG-6, RG-58?? Is anyone able to explain in leyman terms, what ohms are and how they factor in to signal and reception?

In addition, I heard that you can modify a scantenna and add regular tv antenna elements to the long, middle upper and lower elements on the scantenna and improve your lowband reception. Has anyone tried such a mod and had success with it? I am leaning towards this antenna as I think it will help my reception, although my antenna is not that high. I know height is might, but I dont have much of an option. I just need to know a little more about the ohms in coax as it is not clear to me.

TIA

 

[wink]

Good question...

 

[prcguy]

The coax running down the PVC mast is no different than using a metal mast and it will make the antenna somewhat directional.
prcguy

A metal mast will make it behave like a Yagi to some extent, causing it to be somewhat directional.