A STUPID ANTENNA QUESTION---SORRY

[unitcharlie]

i have a discone antenna (radio shack: Outdoor VHF-Hi/UHF Scanner Antenna Catalog #: 20-176--i am on a tight budget) mounted on the roof of a building (approximately 15 meters above the ground); should the entire antenna be line-of-sight to receive what i want to hear... it is behind a false front that is taller than the antenna's height... just wondering if i need to raise the antenna so it is completely exposed, etc....

thanx for the indulgence to yet another stupid question from me....

 

[loumaag]

Not really a stupid question, but the answer depends. That particular antenna (providing you gave the correct RS # and are not talking about the RS Discone POS) is a pretty good unity gain antenna that works best up and away from objects. The further away from objects, the better it works. Specifically if the false front is metal (read will block RF) then yes, you should raise it, if it is plastic or some other similar material and not too thick, then it might make a difference and it might not.

BTW, if you are a ham (and I can't remember right off the bat) on a budget, that antenna makes a pretty inexpensive dual band (2M / 70CM) antenna with acceptable SWR throughout both bands. :wink:

 

[AZScanner]

i have a discone antenna (radio shack: Outdoor VHF-Hi/UHF Scanner Antenna Catalog #: 20-176--i am on a tight budget) mounted on the roof of a building (approximately 15 meters above the ground); should the entire antenna be line-of-sight to receive what i want to hear... it is behind a false front that is taller than the antenna's height... just wondering if i need to raise the antenna so it is completely exposed, etc....

thanx for the indulgence to yet another stupid question from me....

Well, hard to say without looking at it... but:

IF the false front is not made of a material that reflects RF well or IF the desired signal is not blocked by said false front, then no, you shouldn't need to move the antenna. However the very fact you are asking about it tells me the antenna didn't work well where you mounted it. To be absolutely sure, I'd mount it so that the antenna elements are above the false front if you can.

-AZ

 

[unitcharlie]

thanx folks... that helps a great deal.... the building is sheathed in aluminum (false front, too).... i will begin the negotiations to see if i can raise the antenna...

lou: i am in the process of learning enough to take the technician test....


again, thanx for the help....