I need help designing and installing a combination TV / scanner antenna. A couple names of commercial antenna fabricators and installers would be great.
Here is what I posted on the Antenna Forum.
"Is there anybody in my area that can help me design or who will build and install a combination TV/scanner Antenna?
I have a guest a cabin that needs an antenna. The cabin has a metal hipped roof about 15' high at the top of the gable. I am thinking the antenna will be installed in the ground about 6 -10' from the structure and will extent up over the roof top about 5'. I dunno, does this sould about right.
The cabin is located on the Northwest side of Canyon Lake 2 miles South of Fischer, Tx at about at an altitude of 1000'."
Thanks,
Jerry
Jerry,
Not trying to discourage you by any means, but the signals used by television broadcast and those that are monitored by the scanning community are polarized differently. While you could put up an antenna that encompasses the frequencies desired, your reception on one band or the other (depending on which way you mount) it will suffer.
If you look at a standard outdoor TV antenna, on the roof of a house, you'll notice that it basically "lays flat", with it's elements spreading out more or less parallel to the ground (excepting that corner reflector some have for Uhf).
Now, look at this
Scanner Beam antenna, sold by retailer Grove Enterprises. See how it mounts so that the elements are vertical instead of horizontal? As you can see, it resembles a television antenna. The difference is that the radials (the antenna elements themselves) are cut to different lengths than those of a tv antenna, for reception in the bands of interest for scanner users. I had an earlier model of this antenna. Worked very well for years, till a storm toppled a large tree limb onto it.
While a single antenna for both uses may not be satisfactory, there's no reason you could not use a longer mast, and put the two antennas on it, one above the other. I should point out that in some cases, televisions can interfere with scanner reception, so separation between the two antennas, as much as practical, could be desirable if that proves to be an issue. That would also be a drawback to trying to use only one antenna, splitting it's feed into a scanner & tv component. Any 'noise' or other electrical interference generated by the tv would have a clear shot to the scanner.
As far as what type of scanner antenna, that will depend on exactly what you are trying to hear. The altitude will help you as far as range goes, though some of the more distant signals, especially the 800mhz trunks & LCRA (900mhz) will be impacted by intervening hills between your location and any transmitting tower. I would imagine, that with a good antenna, you should get excellent range on any Vhf-high channels from the area.