True or False ?

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scannerbum

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I seen a site today that stated , a 1/4 ground plane whip cut at 18" ( and some change dont remember the fraction ) would be the best all around VHF high antenna for 154.0 - 158.8 .based on antenna calculators.
 

SAR923

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Why is this false? According to my calculations, 18 inches is the correct length for 156.00 MHz, the center point of the range in question.
 

jonny290

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it's not the best antenna. It's the simplest tuned antenna

i can show you a 12 bay dipole array or a stack of 4 yagis that have about 25-30 dB gain, but they're not physically convenient in the least bit :)
 

k9rzz

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scannerbum said:
I seen a site today that stated , a 1/4 ground plane whip cut at 18" ( and some change dont remember the fraction ) would be the best all around VHF high antenna for 154.0 - 158.8 .based on antenna calculators.

Hmmmm ... best for what? A 5/8 wave will put more sig. to the horizon - better range, but if you're talking to / listening to close in towers, then a higher angle would be better - the 1/4 wave is your pick.

So, it depends upon your application.

John K9RZZ
 

scannerbum

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What Iam Looking For.

I want to pick up VHF up to at least 35 miles , low power handheld from state police with in 10 miles , 400. mhz at least 10miles , and 800 mhz trunked nearby like 2 miles ,
and last but not least 42.660 ( though not going to be around for much longer ) state police lowband at least 10 miles .

What kind , how high , how many , etc......
 

k9rzz

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scannerbum said:
I want to pick up VHF up to at least 35 miles , low power handheld from state police with in 10 miles , 400. mhz at least 10miles , and 800 mhz trunked nearby like 2 miles ,
and last but not least 42.660 ( though not going to be around for much longer ) state police lowband at least 10 miles .

What kind , how high , how many , etc......

Well, if you want mobile coverage at 42 mhz, I'd steer you to something longer, like a 2 meter 5/8 wave whip (48 inches?) which will work fine up through 162mhz. It should work okay at 450, and may not be your best bet at 800 mhz, but you certainly won't hear much 42 mhz stuff with a 800 mhz whip.

:^]

John K9RZZ
 
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