I spent part of the weekend updating the frequencies in my primary Civil/Milair scanners and it got me thinking about the antennas I use. As background, I have three scanners I use for Civil/Milair in my shack and portable use. This first is the venerable PRO-43. I am now on my third Pro-43 (Thanks Scott!) and it is by far the best portable aviation scanner out there bar none (In my opinion of course).
The second scanner I have is the Yupiteru MVT-7100 which follows close behind the '43. It has the memory I require for the various locations I travel to. Finally, for ease and flexibility, I have a Uniden BC396T which I find to be a good overall air band scanner and great for those times when you want to hear a lot of varied things. I use this scanner in the car a lot paired to a Niljon Super M mobile antenna. When I travel in the car, because of it's capacity, the uniden is the scanner I use.
Now to the antennas. I am an antenna junky. I know, that the key to reception is the antenna, more so than the scanner attached to it. As an example, the Pro-43 is in my opinion the top dog. However, if you use the stock antenna, it is basically deaf on Civil/Milair unless you are in a couple of miles of the airport. You will certainly copy aircraft in flight, but not in any great distance.
Now, if you take the 43 (or 7100, or 396T) and connect a Diamond RH-77 (or SRH-77 for the 396T), you now have something that I consider adequate for monitoring aircraft. From my home, I can easily copy O'hare's towers and ground control freqs from 20 some miles away over relatively flat ground. Air coverage is greatly increased for Civil and Miliair over stock antennas. I can usually copy ACM maneuvers in Central Indiana on 350.350 AM and this is quite a distance from me.
Although it's been written here that the Maldol AL500H air (civil and Milair) is comparable to the Diamond RH-77, in my case, it is not. I find the Maldol to be far superior to the Diamond, especially for O'hare and Chicago Center and Approach/Departure traffic. For air/air, it also is several s units stronger than the Diamond using the Yupi and 396T.
However, the Maldol is pricey at $44.00 or so and may be priced out of the average scanner listeners price range. Also, the Maldol is long and gangly. Certainly you cannot use the scanners on a belt with this antenna attached. You have to leave the scanner on the table. However, in my use, it is a significant improvement over the Diamond RH-77. The Maldol is not as broadbanded so it is not effective on 800MHZ as the Diamond is.
Ultimately though, the duck and collapsible antennas I have tuned for the Civil air work best for 118-137 MHZ. They are tuned for the civil air band only and work best for that application only. Your mileage may vary.
The second scanner I have is the Yupiteru MVT-7100 which follows close behind the '43. It has the memory I require for the various locations I travel to. Finally, for ease and flexibility, I have a Uniden BC396T which I find to be a good overall air band scanner and great for those times when you want to hear a lot of varied things. I use this scanner in the car a lot paired to a Niljon Super M mobile antenna. When I travel in the car, because of it's capacity, the uniden is the scanner I use.
Now to the antennas. I am an antenna junky. I know, that the key to reception is the antenna, more so than the scanner attached to it. As an example, the Pro-43 is in my opinion the top dog. However, if you use the stock antenna, it is basically deaf on Civil/Milair unless you are in a couple of miles of the airport. You will certainly copy aircraft in flight, but not in any great distance.
Now, if you take the 43 (or 7100, or 396T) and connect a Diamond RH-77 (or SRH-77 for the 396T), you now have something that I consider adequate for monitoring aircraft. From my home, I can easily copy O'hare's towers and ground control freqs from 20 some miles away over relatively flat ground. Air coverage is greatly increased for Civil and Miliair over stock antennas. I can usually copy ACM maneuvers in Central Indiana on 350.350 AM and this is quite a distance from me.
Although it's been written here that the Maldol AL500H air (civil and Milair) is comparable to the Diamond RH-77, in my case, it is not. I find the Maldol to be far superior to the Diamond, especially for O'hare and Chicago Center and Approach/Departure traffic. For air/air, it also is several s units stronger than the Diamond using the Yupi and 396T.
However, the Maldol is pricey at $44.00 or so and may be priced out of the average scanner listeners price range. Also, the Maldol is long and gangly. Certainly you cannot use the scanners on a belt with this antenna attached. You have to leave the scanner on the table. However, in my use, it is a significant improvement over the Diamond RH-77. The Maldol is not as broadbanded so it is not effective on 800MHZ as the Diamond is.
Ultimately though, the duck and collapsible antennas I have tuned for the Civil air work best for 118-137 MHZ. They are tuned for the civil air band only and work best for that application only. Your mileage may vary.