• To anyone looking to acquire commercial radio programming software:

    Please do not make requests for copies of radio programming software which is sold (or was sold) by the manufacturer for any monetary value. All requests will be deleted and a forum infraction issued. Making a request such as this is attempting to engage in software piracy and this forum cannot be involved or associated with this activity. The same goes for any private transaction via Private Message. Even if you attempt to engage in this activity in PM's we will still enforce the forum rules. Your PM's are not private and the administration has the right to read them if there's a hint to criminal activity.

    If you are having trouble legally obtaining software please state so. We do not want any hurt feelings when your vague post is mistaken for a free request. It is YOUR responsibility to properly word your request.

    To obtain Motorola software see the Sticky in the Motorola forum.

    The various other vendors often permit their dealers to sell the software online (i.e., Kenwood). Please use Google or some other search engine to find a dealer that sells the software. Typically each series or individual radio requires its own software package. Often the Kenwood software is less than $100 so don't be a cheapskate; just purchase it.

    For M/A Com/Harris/GE, etc: there are two software packages that program all current and past radios. One package is for conventional programming and the other for trunked programming. The trunked package is in upwards of $2,500. The conventional package is more reasonable though is still several hundred dollars. The benefit is you do not need multiple versions for each radio (unlike Motorola).

    This is a large and very visible forum. We cannot jeopardize the ability to provide the RadioReference services by allowing this activity to occur. Please respect this.

Vhf low profile options

Status
Not open for further replies.
N

NYChief

Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2015
Messages
12
Location
Queens NY
Need some recommendations one of my neighboring FD's has a weird on glass antenna on the engine. As the windshield needed to be replaced I stated to put a std NMO mount with a 1/4 wave antenna. With checking clearance to the garage door it will hit.

I came across someone selling a Antenex VHF phantom unit in 150-165 MHz field tunable (for cheap IMHO) but then seen some unfavorable reviews power output is under 50W and they will soon be switching to UHF so could use a recommendation for a cheap solution as it will be somewhat temp.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
mmckenna

mmckenna

I ♥ Ø
Joined
Jul 27, 2005
Messages
24,000
Location
I am a lineman for the county.
Phantom VHF antennas are junk. You will hate it. The department will hate it. I've never found anyone that spoke favorably of them, other than maybe how hard they were able to throw the thing against the wall. There is a reason they are being sold cheap. They have their place, but it certainly isn't on top of a fire engine for a primary radio.

They are limited in power. They are very narrow bandwidth. For a fire department the narrow bandwidth thing would rule out just about any mutual aid use. I'm a firm believer that EVERY radio should have the DHS IFOG interoperability channels programmed in. No way you could successfully do that with one of these antennas.

1/4 wave VHF is your best bet. Yeah, it may hit, but they are flexible.
They are also dirt cheap. Proven. Reliable. Wide banded (great for interoperability). Durable. Etc. Etc....

$10 or so should get you a name brand 1/4 wave VHF antenna. Buy a few at that price.
Easy enough to swap out with a 1/4 wave UHF when the time comes.
 
T

TLF82

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jul 29, 2011
Messages
357
Location
Texas
Stick with the 1/4 wave until you switch. It's cheap and will work a million times better. The only time I recommend the VHF phantom is for a vehicle repeater system.

Now, on UHF and above the PCTEL version of that antenna is hard to beat.
 
M

mm

Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
659
Location
oregon
If you have minimal overhead clearance then you need something like the PCTEL, LOW PROFILE TRANSIT LINE, which is made for installations such as FIRE VEHICLES and buses.

They can take ~ 100 watts and cover 148-160 in the vhf model which is ASPB574, and 450-470 MHZ in the UHF model which is an ASP572.

https://www.talleycom.com/images/pdf/MXRMAT275PCK.pdf

SEE PAGE 13 FOR THESE MODELS.
 
F

FFPM571

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Mar 11, 2003
Messages
1,720
Location
Nashvillle
Sti-co flexi whip...on an NMO you can hit the garage door hundreds of times and it bends right back. When its time to go to UHF you can cut it down to 6 in
 
cmdrwill

cmdrwill

Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2005
Messages
3,984
Location
So Cali
Use the 1/4 wave whip Motorola style antenna on the NMO mount.in your application, cut the ball off the end of the whip so it will not hang up in the garage door.
 
N

NYChief

Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2015
Messages
12
Location
Queens NY
Thanks for the info. If they were staying vhf I would use the fin antenna the issue is the planned swap and funds. So I'll use a 1/4 wave now hopefully it won't get beat up to much and research a good low pro uhf.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
F

FFPM571

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Mar 11, 2003
Messages
1,720
Location
Nashvillle
A good Low pro is the antenex phantom Elite UHF it is about 3 in tall.. Even a 6in 1/4 wave would probably be fine as hopefully you have more than 6in clearance from the door frame to the top of the cab
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

lb2910
  • Locked
Low Profile VHF Antenna Performance
2 3 4 5
Replies
80
Views
8K
mmckenna
mmckenna
F
  • Locked
Antenna options for the Tahoe
Replies
11
Views
3K
SLWilson
SLWilson
Top