I provide the Baltimore area rail feed hosted on this site, and was wondering what my options are for upgrading my antenna come the spring possibly, without breaking the bank. I currently am utilizing a Motrola Spectra mobile radio hooked to a 3dBi omnidirectional gain antenna cut to the railroad band width located in the attic of my townhome. The feed covers roughly 30 miles. Can get I better gain at a reasonable price with any other omnidirectional antenna? Keep in mind I only have about 8 feet of veritcal clearance at the highest point in the attic. Also I am preferably looking for something that doesn't require a ground plane. Thanks for any advice.
Can I do better without breaking the bank?
- Thread starter Andrewo
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J pole cut for 160 MHz, I've read they have anywhere from 2-5.1 dbi gain. I don't know how much I believe this, but I use one for transmitting and it works great with almost no noise on it. I've been simplexing 30 miles having it hung in the corner of my bedroom from a plant hanger and some fishing line. Plus they only cost about 20 dollars to make and it's a fun project.
A J-pole antenna would not give you any more gain than the antenna you already use. With only 8 feet of vertical space, you won't be able to get much more gain than you already have. Your only other option would be to change to some type of directional antenna like a yagi or log-periodical. However 30 miles range is pretty good as most RR base stations aren't using much antenna height.
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