1/4 wave antenna for scanner. Possible?

[gen3led]

I have a 1/4 wave antenna lying around and was wondering if I could hook it up to my mobile scanner without hurting anything. Is this possible?

It would just be to monitor my Fire Depts frequency when in my truck

Just wanted to know if it's possible, since I already have the antenna lying around, if not i'll just go out and buy a scanner antenna anyway.

Thanks in advance!

-Joe

 

[BoxAlarm187]

Yes, it's entirely possible! Just remember that the antenna is tuned to a specific frequency range, so make sure it's tuned for the same range as your FD uses, and you'll be good to go. 8)

 

[gen3led]

Great! Thanks for the quick reply.

-Joe

 

[scanbc780]

Just as a rough reference and are approx.

VHF = 18"
UHF = 6"
800 = 3"

You can also use this if you wanna trim it to the proper length.

2808 / FREQUENCY in MHz = Length in inches

ie: (2808 / 155.000 = 18.12")

 

[fmon]

Hmm, I calculate 155.000 MHz near 6.5 feet for full wave. 18 feet is full wave for near 56 MHz.

Edit: Dummy me Yor ref was inches, not feet. Sorry.

 

[scanbc780]

what do you have your PRO-2067 mounted in? (I see it in your avatar). Look like it fit in pretty good.

 

[fmon]

01 Saturn LW 200. Had very little modification for fit. Gonna replace it with the 2096 when available.

I've also mounted a 2067 in an 86' Plymouth Colt, which we rarely drive. Just sitting in the garage but we still pay the two T's and I's. The last inspection indicated less then 150 miles driven in a year. But then, I also have an 80' Dodge pickup which only had 87 miles between inspections, again the T's & I's. The Saturn gets driven about 6000 miles a year but the tires get an additional 7K while going down the hiway hooked up to the RV. T's & I's twice again.

I retired in 96' and my bride hasn't driven 20 miles since, though she pushes on the brakes sooner then I do. :roll: Although there are benifits for the duty driver--I also get to choose which scanner she needs when they become available. :twisted:

 

[scanbc780]

After I thought about it after reading this post i realized it was really really familiar. There is a larger pic of your install on pro-92.com http://pro-92.com/images/Saturn Dash.jpg

I remember really weird things like that. :shock:

 

[fmon]

After I thought about it after reading this post i realized it was really really familiar. There is a larger pic of your install on pro-92.com http://pro-92.com/images/Saturn Dash.jpg

I remember really weird things like that. :shock:

Yup, very astute. I'd forgotten about it, that picture has been on Johns pages for nearly 4 years. I think he had the other format at the time.

 

[W4KRR]

gen3led, when you said you had a 1/4 wave antenna lying around, what type of antenna did you mean? Do you mean a 1/4 wave CB antenna? Because a 1/4 wave CB antenna would be around 11 feet or so long. This would work well for the VHF low band, but the higher up you go in frequency, the worse this antenna would perform. Someone posted lengths for 1/4 wave antennas for various bands, this would be good to follow for better reception in the band of interest.