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Tram 1411 Broad Band Discone Base Antenna Help

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seagravebuff60

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Hi all,

I Am buying a Tram 1411 Broad Band Discone Base Antenna for my BCT15X, and the pictures and Reviews don't really give me a good explanation of it.

After i set this up what kind of cables do i need to get to my scanner? Do i need any additional connectors?(The back of my BCT15X has BNC). Does it require any power to receive?

Here is the link on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tram-1411-Di...00QVNI1V0/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_pl_foot_top?ie=UTF8

Thanks in advance.
 

dlwtrunked

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Hi all,

I Am buying a Tram 1411 Broad Band Discone Base Antenna for my BCT15X, and the pictures and Reviews don't really give me a good explanation of it.

After i set this up what kind of cables do i need to get to my scanner? Do i need any additional connectors?(The back of my BCT15X has BNC). Does it require any power to receive?

Here is the link on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tram-1411-Di...00QVNI1V0/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_pl_foot_top?ie=UTF8

Thanks in advance.

It (the Tram discone) has an SO-239 connector so a PL-259 is required on your cable. If your cable does not have a PL-259 then you will need an adapter for the whatever cable connector to a PL-259. On the scanner end, your scanner certainly dos not have a SO-239 and PL-259/SO-239 are poor choices for upper UHF frequencies (even though the Tram uses one). So on the scanner end, you may need an adapter from whatever your cable to a BNC or whatever your scanner has. Summary, without knowing the cable, your question cannot be completely answered. And "no:, the antenna does not need any power.

You might use RG-6 TV coax (some will argue about impedances but that does not matter for receiving). In that case, you could put a Type-F male on the RG-6 and use a Type-F female to PF-259 adapter on the antenna end, and use a Type-F male on the scanner end, with a Type-F female to BNC male. The adapter are made. Or you might get a BNC male that is made for the RG-6 on the scanner side and not need an adapter on the scanner end. With Radio Shack essential gone, use eBay to look for cheap adapters (another good place is hamfests).

Personally I would go for a better antenna and cable like LMR-400 but it is probably not worth it for that that antenna. But if you get it high enough, it should outperform one night so high.
 

BITT211

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tram 1411 antenna

hello , i am using a browning br-6157 , excellent on uhf , and strong on high band , take a look @ spec's.
i am using it alone side a ominx antenna , both seem to be pretty much the same on excellent reception.
Also - browning has a N-conector .
 

seagravebuff60

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Hi all,

So i got the antenna yesterday.. It came with no Instructions on how to set up and no cables... Thankfully i watched a YouTube video on how to set everything up out of the box, and i was able to instal everything correctly.

Now all i need is the cables and mounting hardware. I will post some pictures up here later.

Now at the bottom of the antenna i have some sort of female connector, and i need to know what cable to install there then i need to connect that cable to a BNC.

Like i sad i will be posting some pictures of everything later.
 

seagravebuff60

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Here are some pictures of my setup as of now.
648011fd332a97ed36bcc8f64ef979ec.jpg
2680d645256d213824b6ef41ce7b0d50.jpg


My question is what wire do I need to go from the base of the antenna.

fafe80f7b3c3702e942e1428ed84200e.jpg


Thanks
 
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mmckenna

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OK, so it looks like it is either missing some parts, or you just hadn't finished putting it together. Around the base there should be some elements angled down at about 45º.

As for the cable…
DLWTrunked gave you good advice above.
The connector on the bottom of the antenna is a female UHF (aka SO-239) connector.
Your scanner has a female BNC connector on it.

To connect the two, you'll need a suitable length of coaxial cable with a male UHF connector (PL-259) on one end and a male BNC on the scanner end. The RG-6 cable that he recommended would be a good cost effective choice in most cases. Depending on the total cable length you need and your performance expectations, you may need to step up to a higher grade cable. In most residential/hobby instances, RG-6 will work just fine.
Length of cable will depend on exactly where you are going to mount the antenna. Ideally it needs to be outside and up as high as you can get it.
 

seagravebuff60

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OK, so it looks like it is either missing some parts, or you just hadn't finished putting it together. Around the base there should be some elements angled down at about 45º.

As for the cable…
DLWTrunked gave you good advice above.
The connector on the bottom of the antenna is a female UHF (aka SO-239) connector.
Your scanner has a female BNC connector on it.

To connect the two, you'll need a suitable length of coaxial cable with a male UHF connector (PL-259) on one end and a male BNC on the scanner end. The RG-6 cable that he recommended would be a good cost effective choice in most cases. Depending on the total cable length you need and your performance expectations, you may need to step up to a higher grade cable. In most residential/hobby instances, RG-6 will work just fine.
Length of cable will depend on exactly where you are going to mount the antenna. Ideally it needs to be outside and up as high as you can get it.

Ok thanks for the advice. I haven't finished putting everything together, i just have to put the other elements on and start motioning it. I just had a question about the wires. thanks for clearing everything up.
 

seagravebuff60

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Thank you dlwtrunked this info helps a lot... I took some of this info and finally decided how i am going to hook everything up.

It (the Tram discone) has an SO-239 connector so a PL-259 is required on your cable. If your cable does not have a PL-259 then you will need an adapter for the whatever cable connector to a PL-259. On the scanner end, your scanner certainly dos not have a SO-239 and PL-259/SO-239 are poor choices for upper UHF frequencies (even though the Tram uses one). So on the scanner end, you may need an adapter from whatever your cable to a BNC or whatever your scanner has. Summary, without knowing the cable, your question cannot be completely answered. And "no:, the antenna does not need any power.

You might use RG-6 TV coax (some will argue about impedances but that does not matter for receiving). In that case, you could put a Type-F male on the RG-6 and use a Type-F female to PF-259 adapter on the antenna end, and use a Type-F male on the scanner end, with a Type-F female to BNC male. The adapter are made. Or you might get a BNC male that is made for the RG-6 on the scanner side and not need an adapter on the scanner end. With Radio Shack essential gone, use eBay to look for cheap adapters (another good place is hamfests).

I have figured out how i'm going to connect the antenna to the scanner. Here's how it goes (Antenna --> Scanner):

Pl-259 Male --> PL-259 Male (18' Cable RG-58 U/A Coax Cable) --> SO-239 UHF Female to BNC Male Coax Adapter --> BNC Female Jack to BNC Female Adapter --> BNC cable to my scanner.

Here are all the links:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008TM21YE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001JT1IWU/ref=ox_sc_act_image_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LWTA0CQ/ref=ox_sc_act_image_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A8GRJU0V6WTPX
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IEFMMEY/ref=ox_sc_act_image_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A249WQMFP7W27G (6 and 50 Ft)
 

mmckenna

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I'd avoid RG-58 and reduce the number of adapters if you can.

RG-58 is fine for short runs, but it gets really lossy fast, especially on 700/800MHz.
Adapters can be an issue as they'll add a tiny bit of loss, and they don't add anything, other than convenience.

RG-6 is better suited for what you are doing. If you really want to stick with 50Ω cable, then step up to LMR-400.
 

seagravebuff60

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Ok thanks for the advice… I rethought what I can do and I got a idea. Here it is, its much simpler than last time:
Pl-259 to RG-6 Adapter --> 75’ RG-6 Coax Cable --> RG-6 to BNC Adapter --> 6’ BNC Cable

Here are all the links:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015R1BBHC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A380AQVAFE6T5Y
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FW1TCMI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A249WQMFP7W27G
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...ct_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3L0AU0BNEPO0T*
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CXNG9O8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2PXC5AB6J60IH

Once I get all the wires, and mounting stuff together I will be taking pictures and sharing.

-Nick
 

mmckenna

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I'd skip the BNC to BNC cable.

That's usually a really good idea when using really heavy coaxial cable as it helps reduce the strain on the radios antenna connector. But for RG-6, that isn't an issue.

Unlikely the additional loss of that extra jumper is going to be noticeable, but it will save you a few bucks.
 

seagravebuff60

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Just an update

Hi Everyone,

Just an update. I just finished setting up my antenna. These the wires i went with:
Pl-259 to RG-6 Adapter --> 75’ RG-6 Coax Cable --> RG-6 to BNC Adapter --> 6’ BNC Cable --> Scanner. I have just finished installing it this afternoon and am seining some difference already. I like this antenna.Iit has seemed to improve my coverage area. I will also Mention that when i ordered this it came with no instructions, thankfully i was able to google it and figure out how to put everything together.

I'd skip the BNC to BNC cable.

I may do this at a latter time but now i will stick with the BNC cable. Why do you think i should skip it? Do you think it will interfere with the performance of the antenna?

Thanks all and i will post some pictures of the setup soon.
 

mmckenna

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I may do this at a latter time but now i will stick with the BNC cable. Why do you think i should skip it? Do you think it will interfere with the performance of the antenna?

Not that you'd notice. The additional loss of a few inches of cable and a pair of extra connectors likely won't be noticeable.

The reason I suggested skipping it was simply for cost savings. If cost isn't an issue, then don't worry about it.

Where it's common to use small jumpers like this is where you are using heavy cable that will damage the antenna jack. Since RG-6 doesn't qualify as "heavy cable", it's not necessary. If you were using something like LMR-400, LMR-600, Heliax, etc. then yeah, you'd want it.

If you are happy with the performance, then that's good enough.
 

jonwienke

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6 feet of cable, not 6 inches. I'd eliminate it if the RG-6 is long enough to reach the scanner on its own.
 
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