$300 to spend on an antenna what would you buy?

[Chromdome35]

Wife is letting me spend $500 on an antenna for my BCD996XT. I am budgeting 300 for the antenna and 200 on install, coax, etc.

I also have a grundig 750 sat.that I like to ply around with.

Here is the catch....due to our POA, I can't have an external antenna visible so it has to go in the attic. The upside to this, we have a huge vertical space in our attic so a 10 ft tall antenna would fit.

So if you were in my shoes what antenna would you get?

1) for the scanner only
2) for the 750 only
3) one antenna that they both could use?

I know the attic is less than optimal but it has to be better than the stock antenna.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[n5ims]

What frequency/frequencies do you need the antenna to be designed for? An antenna is frequency dependent so a great antenna for the VHF-Low (think 30 - 50 MHz here) will be about the worst antenna to use for the 800 MHz band and vice-versa. And don't just say since your scanner covers from the CB band on up to the 1.7 GHz band you need full coverage of that entire range since any antenna that covers that full range will not be good at much of any of it. If you have very specific needs (like only needing coverage of the 800 MHz band) we can give you some very good options. If you want to add the VHF-Hi (140 - 160 MHz here) and UHF (450 - 500 MHz here) there are still a couple of good options. Any one band will have several good options.

If you add VHF-Low along with VHF-Hi, UHF, and 800 MHz, you've wasted the good options and are down to the ST-2 or any one of the many discones on the market (all wide-band, little gain antennas).

Keep the scanner and grundig 750 on separate antennas. You'll never find a good antenna that will cover that entire range, even if they claim it will.

 

[signal500]

Wife is letting me spend $500 on an antenna for my BCD996XT. I am budgeting 300 for the antenna and 200 on install, coax, etc.

I also have a grundig 750 sat.that I like to ply around with.

Here is the catch....due to our POA, I can't have an external antenna visible so it has to go in the attic. The upside to this, we have a huge vertical space in our attic so a 10 ft tall antenna would fit.

So if you were in my shoes what antenna would you get?

1) for the scanner only
2) for the 750 only
3) one antenna that they both could use?

I know the attic is less than optimal but it has to be better than the stock antenna.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

1) for the scanner I would use the Comet DS150S discone
https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/ncg-comet-ds-150s-1079.html

2) for the 750 I would use a multi-band dipole antenna
Buckmaster OCF Dipole Antenna

3) one antenna that they both could use? The Scan King SE-1500 Base Scanner Antenna
Scan King SE-1500 Base Scanner Antenna

I would also suggest the Times Microwave LMR-400 coax for any antenna feed lines.

Just my 2 cents, for what it's worth.

 

[AA6IO]

The above options mentioned above sound good to me. I agree with n5ims, keep the antennas for each separate. IMHO, I don't think you will be very pleased with the performance of a single antenna that is going to cover essentially the entire radio spectrum. Even covering low VHF to 800 Mhz with one antenna is sometimes a stretch. But there are some decent discones out there. Really depends what you most want to listen to.
Curious where exactly you are located, how far from trunking systems, if any, and other such information. Might help to pinpoint best antenna/s selection regarding 996XT, which as you know is a great scanner.
Steve AA6IO

 

[KD9KSO]

I'd buy one of the many discones on the market and then try to find a Grove scanner beam somewhere. The rest I'd spend on altitude.

 

[davenlr]

Surprised no Austin Ferret users have chimed in. The design of the Ferret would appear to favor the OPs installation, and should have a little gain over a discone, according to the design. The price always kept me from trying one, but its within the OPs budget for the scanner.

For anything below 30Mhz, I would just build a wire fan dipole, with one wire for each band of interest, and spend the real money on the scanner antenna and LMR400 feedline for the scanner.

While the Buckmaster probably works real well, you could build your own for about $40, including the balun. Their $250+ price for a wire dipole seems a little steep to me (REALLY steep).

 

[mule1075]

I'd buy one of the many discones on the market and then try to find a Grove scanner beam somewhere. The rest I'd spend on altitude.

Scanner master is selling the old grove scanner beam.Just saw it on their website the other day if the OP decides to go that route.

Sent from my Z750C using Tapatalk

 

[ka3jjz]

Chrome, for your 750, please take a look at the answer here as a couple of much cheaper possibilites are mentioned there...

http://forums.radioreference.com/receive-antennas-below-30mhz/291119-best-antenna-grundig-750-a.html

Please don't cross post questions - it's considered a no-no here.

Mike

 

[KD9KSO]

Scanner master is selling the old grove scanner beam.Just saw it on their website the other day if the OP decides to go that route.

Sent from my Z750C using Tapatalk

Wow. Thanks for that. I've been looking all over for another one of these.

I had great performance with this antenna pointed at KSTL many years ago. I was about 35 miles away and could hear both sides of the conversation.

 

[davedaver1]

Antennacraft ST2 for the scanner, will fit in your 10 ft space. A loop for your HF radio, as wide as you can make it in the attic. Forget spending gobs of money on either of these, you'll just be wasting it.

 

[Ed_Seedhouse]

The 750 is easily overloaded, so a long piece of wire isn't going to help all that much. You will just find the strong local stations overloading and distorting the weaker ones. 15 foot of wire tossed out the window is about all you'll need. At least that was my experience with this radio.