800 antenna to supplement a Discone

[ohiogator]

Update! I just permanently swapped out my high frequency Discone on my dual antenna master receive system with the L-com HGV-906U and signals in the 900MHz amateur band went up right about 5dB on my Icom R8600 meter. The Discone was very small and designed for about 400MHz through about 3GHZ so it would have been near unity gain in the 700/800/900MHz range.

On another test years ago I took careful measurements in the 800/900MHz range on a full size scanner Discone, MP Antennas Super-M Ultra stupid thing and the small Discone measured about 10dB better overall in the 800/900MHz range. That is huge but mostly because the bigger Discone's radiation pattern shifts up above the horizon and this is typical for most like the Radio Shack, Diamond D-130 series, etc.

So this means if you have a typical scanner Discone and want to improve your 700/800/900MHz reception, adding an antenna like the L-com HGV-906U can improve reception by maybe 15dB. That can be a night and day improvement if your in an extreme fringe area. You can also run a diplexer so the big Discone can receive the 100-512MHz range where it does a good job then let the other antenna take over for the higher frequency stuff.

I put my HGV-906U up on Saturday. It was 10º, so I just clamped it to my antenna tower about 20ft up. I need to get it all the way up as the tower pole itself is blocking it from one direction. Prior to this I had my Larsen magnetic mount tri band up around 15ft, so this comparison isn't very fair, but my 700-800MHz reception (which is 100% of my listening at home - Indiana Hoosier and Ohio MARCS) is awesome. The direction I wanted most isn't there yet, but I think it will be when I get it higher on the tower and away from the other antennas.

I paid $60 for it and 100ft of 400 series coax, so I am extremely happy.

 

[jonwienke]

You can also run a diplexer so the big Discone can receive the 100-512MHz range where it does a good job then let the other antenna take over for the higher frequency stuff.

I wonder if it would be possible to construct a "dual band" discone with alternating short and long elements (long elements 4-5x longer than the short ones), to cover a wider frequency range with a single antenna, without using a diplexer.

 

[Ubbe]

The elements are a compromise to a solid disc and cone. The wavelenghts between each elements needs to be long enough to not slip thru the gap to make the antenna loose too much performance.

Having 16 vertical elements and each alterating ones half size, and 16 horizontal elements with each alternativ one being of half size, would not make it dual band but the efficiency at the higher frequency bands would increase slighly, maybe 1dB, but would still point the directivity up in the sky and loose 10-20dB of the signal at the horizon.

If the elements had some type of traps that isolate the outher part at higher frequencies, then it should work considerable better. One discone model use that for some of the lower vertical elements to make it work a little better at lower frequencies without sacrifising performance at higher frequencies.

/Ubbe

 

[prcguy]

There are some really wide band Discones that have some odd dimensions and bent top hats but they are special purpose and expensive. I have one with some fantastic ratings but its for indoor use and I've never really played with it. Here is a link to an old post of mine and this Discone is rated 80MHz to 10GHz but the VSWR gets really bad below about 175MHz. I should dig it out and run some more tests on it.

Otherwise all the commercial scanner type Discones I've seen with different length radials claiming super wide band have just been a gimmick.

Surplus SRI Discone info

There has been several of these unique ultra broad band Discones on Ebay recently and they could provide some very interesting monitoring capabilities. I'm posting this info that will hopefully show up in a Google search since the actual part # 26401/7447-1 does not link to any useful...

forums.radioreference.com

I wonder if it would be possible to construct a "dual band" discone with alternating short and long elements (long elements 4-5x longer than the short ones), to cover a wider frequency range with a single antenna, without using a diplexer.

 

[CHHTX]

I put my HGV-906U up on Saturday. It was 10º, so I just clamped it to my antenna tower about 20ft up. I need to get it all the way up as the tower pole itself is blocking it from one direction. Prior to this I had my Larsen magnetic mount tri band up around 15ft, so this comparison isn't very fair, but my 700-800MHz reception (which is 100% of my listening at home - Indiana Hoosier and Ohio MARCS) is awesome. The direction I wanted most isn't there yet, but I think it will be when I get it higher on the tower and away from the other antennas.

I paid $60 for it and 100ft of 400 series coax, so I am extremely happy.

Where on earth did you find it that cheap??? Please message me if we're not allowed to post the store name here.

 

[ohiogator]

Where on earth did you find it that cheap??? Please message me if we're not allowed to post the store name here.

Ebay. It was on there for $86 and I made an offer and they accepted. There was still one available when I purchased mine, but it is gone now.

 

[CHHTX]

Just to mention, I just bought this one from ebay and its working awesome.

 

[vagrant]

I think that would be interesting. Something with at least six short and six long elements on both the disc and cone. Eight of each would be nice, but cutting a regular eight leaving four of each not so much.

I wonder if it would be possible to construct a "dual band" discone with alternating short and long elements (long elements 4-5x longer than the short ones), to cover a wider frequency range with a single antenna, without using a diplexer.

 

[TailGator911]

I have tried out a lot of antenna combinations over the years, but my current configuration gets the door prize. I monitor my local Ohio MARCS Digital Simulcast Phase 1 system with both the SDS200 and the SDS100 fed from a wideband Diamond D-130J discone and a Wilson directional yagi, both mounted on a side-of-the-house Radio Shack sectional mast about 25-27ft up and aimed at my nearest site about 4.5mi from my QTH behind the Nutter Convention Center. I got the yagi to focus on the MARCS public safety Talk Groups when I read here that a directional yagi aimed at the nearest site was the way to go. In my ongoing battle against lsm it did seem to help a little. So now that the SDS scanners are killing it on the MARCS system, I sometimes play around and switch between the 2 antennas when surfing the ozones. The yagi pulls heavy duty on simulcast, while the discone covers everything else. Having both up there, I feel like I got it covered. That Wilson yagi sure comes in handy.

 

[iMONITOR]

I've had exceptional results with this antenna on the 698-900MHz range! They're about $75 at most sites but they show up on Ebay frequenty brand new in the vox for about $15-$30. Easy to hide from your HOA!



698-2700 MHz 3/3.5 dBi Omni LTE Antenna N Jack

• TESSCO SKU: 309965
• QTY/UOM: 1 EACH
• UPC: 888063099656
• MFG PART #: M3030035O10006O-B

https://www.tessco.com/product/698-2700-mhz-3-3-5-dbi-omni-lte-antenna-n-jack-309965

VENTEV's TerraWave 698 – 896 / 1710 – 2700 MHz 3 / 3.5 dBi omnidirectional LTE antenna with N Jack is designed for outdoor wireless networks operating in the LTE, GSM, CDMA, PCS, 3G, and Wi-Fi / WLAN frequency ranges. This antenna is ideal for outdoor voice and data deployments in remote, rural, and industrial deployments. The antenna's rugged radome protects the antenna's radiators from sun, wind, rain, snow, and dust, and the L-bracket provides a flexible mounting option for masts or flat vertical surfaces. Every TerraWave antenna is RoHS compliant, and is covered by Ventev’s two-year TerraNet warranty program. For more information, contact a regional sales executive at 210-375-8482, 800-851-4965 or sales@terrawave.com, or visit www.terrawave.com.

 

[prcguy]

I have a couple of those and they are wide band but no gain. For most people there is nothing to hear above the 1200MHz amateur band and the L-com antenna at the start of this thread is MUCH better in the 700-960MHz range.

I've had exceptional results with this antenna on the 698-900MHz range! They're about $75 at most sites but they show up on Ebay frequenty brand new in the vox for about $15-$30. Easy to hide from your HOA!

View attachment 101029

698-2700 MHz 3/3.5 dBi Omni LTE Antenna N Jack

• TESSCO SKU: 309965
• QTY/UOM: 1 EACH
• UPC: 888063099656
• MFG PART #: M3030035O10006O-B

https://www.tessco.com/product/698-2700-mhz-3-3-5-dbi-omni-lte-antenna-n-jack-309965

VENTEV's TerraWave 698 – 896 / 1710 – 2700 MHz 3 / 3.5 dBi omnidirectional LTE antenna with N Jack is designed for outdoor wireless networks operating in the LTE, GSM, CDMA, PCS, 3G, and Wi-Fi / WLAN frequency ranges. This antenna is ideal for outdoor voice and data deployments in remote, rural, and industrial deployments. The antenna's rugged radome protects the antenna's radiators from sun, wind, rain, snow, and dust, and the L-bracket provides a flexible mounting option for masts or flat vertical surfaces. Every TerraWave antenna is RoHS compliant, and is covered by Ventev’s two-year TerraNet warranty program. For more information, contact a regional sales executive at 210-375-8482, 800-851-4965 or sales@terrawave.com, or visit www.terrawave.com.

 

[iMONITOR]

I have a couple of those and they are wide band but no gain. For most people there is nothing to hear above the 1200MHz amateur band and the L-com antenna at the start of this thread is MUCH better in the 700-960MHz range.

I've also read that the TerraWave also makes a great WiFi antenna but I haven't tried it on that band.

 

[StoliRaz]

A lot of people are looking for the Holy Grail of antennas to cover everything but it hasn't been found yet. I am a big fan of the Discone for VHF/UHF over the VHF air band through 512MHz where the common size scanner types do very well. Above that range their pattern shifts upward and they loose a lot of gain at the horizon at 800MHz where I have personally measured about 10dB of drop.

For my personal setup I use a large Discone to cover the 118-512MHz range then supplement that with a tiny Discone that is rated for about 400MHz to several GHz then combine them with a diplexer. This gives me consistent gain across a very wide and picks up about 10dB in the 800MHz range over just the big Discone but overall I have no more gain than a Discone operated within its sweet spot.

I've been searching for a higher gain type antenna to cover the 700/800/900MHz range with some good gain but except for some high end commercial antennas with a big price tag, they are hard to find. At least until now. I found an antenna that will suffice for most people who need 800 band reception and this antenna is rated 6dBi gain or about 3.86dBd gain over the 824 to 960MHz range covering public service, trunking and 900MHz amateur. I probably works ok in the 700MHz range with reduced gain. Best part is they can be had fairly cheap on Ebay.

I just ordered one in the $34 range including shipping then found another seller at a cheaper price with many in stock but with a male N connector. No big deal, just install an N female on your cable or use a female to female adapter at the antenna and enjoy the $29 price tag including shipping.

Combine one of these antennas with a diplexer like the Comet CF-413 or one of the many commercial versions that will combine a Discone and this 800/900 antenna with the proper split. The end result will be the good and consistent performance of the Discone over the VHF/UHf range then about a 12-14dB boost over that Discone in the 800/900MHz range.

Here are a couple of ads for the cheap 800/900 antenna with free shipping.

L-com Hgv-906u Antenna GSM 900mhz 100w 50 Ohm for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for L-com Hgv-906u Antenna GSM 900mhz 100w 50 Ohm at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

L-Com SP97177 800/900 MHz 6 dBi Omnidirectional Antenna like HGV-906U w/N-Female | eBay

(1) L-Com SP97177 800/900 MHz 6 dBi Omnidirectional Antenna. Model: SP97177. 800/900 MHz. It would require an N-Male to N-Male adapter (L-Com Part #: AXA-NMNM) to work identically. The mounting adapter is not included.

www.ebay.com

Just wondering if anyone knows, are 97177 and 906U one in the same? I tried looking up the 97177 on L-Com's site but it isn't listed, only the 906 is. The ebay description says "like 906U.." so is the only thing different the connection type? A little confused.

Also question for anyone who owns the 97177, I know it's an 800/900mhz antenna but how does it do on other bands like UHF/VHF/airband? Will it receive anything or nothing at all?

 

[ohiogator]

Just wondering if anyone knows, are 97177 and 906U one in the same? I tried looking up the 97177 on L-Com's site but it isn't listed, only the 906 is. The ebay description says "like 906U.." so is the only thing different the connection type? A little confused.

Also question for anyone who owns the 97177, I know it's an 800/900mhz antenna but how does it do on other bands like UHF/VHF/airband? Will it receive anything or nothing at all?

I have no idea about the different model numbers, but i can tell you that I have the 906U and it is great for 700-900, but I get next to nothing out of it for lower bands.

 

[StoliRaz]

Just to mention, I just bought this one from ebay and its working awesome.

I have no idea about the different model numbers, but i can tell you that I have the 906U and it is great for 700-900, but I get next to nothing out of it for lower bands.

I figured that would probably be the case, thanks for confirming. I have a barely used old RadioShack "sputnik" that I'll probably set up along with this in my attic.