Time to replace my antennas (160-172/410-420/450-460 and occasional DXing)

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villager57

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Oct 2, 2009
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Here's my dilemma. I expect to change my antennas for my Icom R5 scanner. I mostly monitor the 160-172 mHz, the 410-420 mHz and the 450-460 mHz ranges, but I wouldn't mind to use it from time to time for the CB / SW / MW (AM) DXing (probably on my SW radio). Also, the 410-420 mHz signals I monitor are local, but their reception is very weak.

I don't use my Icom stock antenna, because it is pretty much useless for anything out of a 10 mile radius range or for the UHF signals.

I replaced it with my good old Rat Shack center-beam telescopic whip antenna (aka the 20-006) I used on an older and dead scanner. It is a little long when the 9 sections are up, but I have good results overall monitoring signals in a 25 miles radius, except it is maybe a little too average on the local UHF or obviously if I need to go in a car or indoor.

That antenna still offers me a good reception (even if it seems not to be as good as it used to be), but the sections shake a lot when extended (Does that shake will affect the reception quality?).

The other antenna I generally use is a DIY CB half wave vertical dipole. It looks like a random coax cable installed outside connected to my scanner indoor and it is designed for CB, but it is great to receive VHF/UHF signal in a 30 miles radius. It is just a little too weathered and need to be replaced.

About the CB band, I know that it reception was ok in the past, but I don't have much local CB transmission around here to test it now. I know that don't receive the signals from the trucks rolling on the highway 15 miles from here. It is pretty much the same thing with my Realistic CB telescopic whip antenna screwed on a magnetic base.

For the AM/SW DXing, I also used a 70 ft copper wire, but the climate here is too harsh and my yard is not very appropriate (too many falling tree branches and not enough unidirectionnal length) for such a fragile tiny wire. Also, if I need to install a tower, I am stuck with a dumb municipal by-law and a complicated permit procedure. I guess that I can use my roof or hide it in a tree, but my options are limited

We have a amateurish local commercial FM transmitter in town and they create often intermod on the commercial FM band, but it doesn't affect me much.

I searched online in the last days, but we have so many models available on the market and it is hard to find good comparaison charts and comparaison point with what you have on hands. Also, one can like or hate model X or Y, but not everybody have the same needs, equipments and geographic/weather constraints.

So, I don't expect to find out a one size fits all answer and I think that I should probably look for two or three antennas: one for my handheld VHF/UHF needs when I am on the road, a fixed VHF/UHF one for my home base and maybe a third one for DXing. I wish to have equal or better reception to what I currently have, then improve my 410-420 weak reception and maybe use it for DXing too. I often see wideband or "144, 440..." coverage, but nothing tuned to offer better 410-420 reception.

Since I need two or three antennas, I would rather prefer something unexpensive, but I am willing to pay more, if the added results are outstanding.

By the way, does it really worth to buy a preamp or it would be more just like tuning volume up (louder good signal, but louder garbage as well)?

What are your suggestions? TIA and 73's
 
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