Antenna help please

[sloped39]

Okay so I am looking for advice on antenna options. I am scanning primarily ARMER 800-900mhz, I am approximately 18 miles from signal, I am using whistler 1040. With stock rubber duck the signal I am trying to obtain shows nothing when I analyze. I purchased a Remtronix and this improved signal but not enough. If I roam property with scanner in analyze mode I do get a reading of (38% N--- W:BEE07 Sy40F R001 S006) I am not clear on what this data indicates, is the percentage Signal strength?
The other 2 counties I monitor come in great and percentage indicates 80 to 99% when analyzing.

So I am looking for and economical relativity small discreet antenna that might do the trick. Being I have no real knowledge and rather then continued guess work I was hoping for some insight.

Will a mobile auto antenna give me better results?

Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestion,
Dave.

 

[Frankhappyg]

Okay so I am looking for advice on antenna options. I am scanning primarily ARMER 800-900mhz, I am approximately 18 miles from signal, I am using whistler 1040. With stock rubber duck the signal I am trying to obtain shows nothing when I analyze. I purchased a Remtronix and this improved signal but not enough. If I roam property with scanner in analyze mode I do get a reading of (38% N--- W:BEE07 Sy40F R001 S006) I am not clear on what this data indicates, is the percentage Signal strength?
The other 2 counties I monitor come in great and percentage indicates 80 to 99% when analyzing.

So I am looking for and economical relativity small discreet antenna that might do the trick. Being I have no real knowledge and rather then continued guess work I was hoping for some insight.

Will a mobile auto antenna give me better results?

Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestion,
Dave.

A mobile antenna will definitely improve your issues.
Rented a house for a few years a mounted one to a rain gutter with excellent results.
If you can’t do that just placing it on or next to a window will show results.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[N5TWB]

Key factors to getting signal into the radio with an antenna are antenna design to receive the desired frequencies, location that allows the antenna to "see" the transmitting antenna, elevation to get the antenna clear of obstructions, & low-loss feedline to hold onto the received signal. Elevation while being "discreet" is often accomplished with mounting the antenna in the attic space. Since you are concerned with reception at a fixed location, a directional antenna should be considered for the attic mount. Here's one small option for the frequencies of interest: 806-902 MHz 6dB 4 Element Yagi Antenna | Scanner Master

 

[dave3825]

If you have some cereal box cardboard, a glue gun or zip ties, a chassis mount f or sma connector, and some household electric wire, you can build a moxon antenna. I am 41 miles line of sight from Central Park and 30 miles line of sight from a transmitter for a p25 system. I am able to receive it from inside an apartment. The moxon is sort of directional so if all you listen to is the same direction from your location, it might work good for you.


https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/772-mhz-moxon-antenna-project.379514/

 

[sloped39]

Key factors to getting signal into the radio with an antenna are antenna design to receive the desired frequencies, location that allows the antenna to "see" the transmitting antenna, elevation to get the antenna clear of obstructions, & low-loss feedline to hold onto the received signal. Elevation while being "discreet" is often accomplished with mounting the antenna in the attic space. Since you are concerned with reception at a fixed location, a directional antenna should be considered for the attic mount. Here's one small option for the frequencies of interest: 806-902 MHz 6dB 4 Element Yagi Antenna | Scanner Master

Thanks for the advice. I also tried a PRO 197 base unit that I had givin to my Dad and that actually brings in the county in question but not as strong as I would like.
I have a couple questions you may be able to advise on:
1. I am assuming (low loss feedline) refers to my coax coming from antenna. Is this correct and does price pretty much dictate quality?
2. I have a basic triangle of of three counties I want to monitor and I am in the middle. If I use a directional pointed at lowest signal will the strong signals make it through from an opposite direction or will it be necessary to have an omni directional?

 

[sloped39]

If you have some cereal box cardboard, a glue gun or zip ties, a chassis mount f or sma connector, and some household electric wire, you can build a moxon antenna. I am 41 miles line of sight from Central Park and 30 miles line of sight from a transmitter for a p25 system. I am able to receive it from inside an apartment. The moxon is sort of directional so if all you listen to is the same direction from your location, it might work good for you.


https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/772-mhz-moxon-antenna-project.379514/

 

[sloped39]

If you have some cereal box cardboard, a glue gun or zip ties, a chassis mount f or sma connector, and some household electric wire, you can build a moxon antenna. I am 41 miles line of sight from Central Park and 30 miles line of sight from a transmitter for a p25 system. I am able to receive it from inside an apartment. The moxon is sort of directional so if all you listen to is the same direction from your location, it might work good for you.


https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/772-mhz-moxon-antenna-project.379514/

Thanks for the information. I actually whipped one of these suckers together and it works every bit as well as the 800 mhz Remtronix.

 

[sloped39]

A mobile antenna will definitely improve your issues.
Rented a house for a few years a mounted one to a rain gutter with excellent results.
If you can’t do that just placing it on or next to a window will show results.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the responce. I am in the prcess of figuring out what works best. I will follow up with results.

 

[N5TWB]

Thanks for the advice. I also tried a PRO 197 base unit that I had givin to my Dad and that actually brings in the county in question but not as strong as I would like.
I have a couple questions you may be able to advise on:
1. I am assuming (low loss feedline) refers to my coax coming from antenna. Is this correct and does price pretty much dictate quality?
2. I have a basic triangle of of three counties I want to monitor and I am in the middle. If I use a directional pointed at lowest signal will the strong signals make it through from an opposite direction or will it be necessary to have an omni directional?

Thanks for the clarification on your location relative to the transmitting antennas. Yes, the omni-directional will ensure you are not rejecting a desired signal. The front-to-back ratio on a Yagi directional antenna will tell you how much signal will be rejected that would arrive from the opposite direction than the antenna is pointed. With your relative location, the issue will be finding an omni antenna with the gain to pull in the weaker signals at a reasonable price. Elevation will be a key factor and that's when feedline loss becomes an issue.

Price sometimes indicates quality of various kinds of coax. The actual performance quality you want to pay for is having the least signal loss at your desired frequency. It is reported as loss, in dB (decibels), at a certain frequency per 100' of coax. A 3dB loss means you lose 50% of the received signal. Here's the chart of various kinds of coax and the loss (attenuation) info: Coaxial Cable Attenuation Chart

As you've already discovered with the Moxon you built, it is possible to experiment at a relatively low cost in order to gather information for a better decision. The solution proposed by Frankhappyg of an outdoor-mounted mobile antenna would also be in that category. I'd recommend starting with a basic quarter-wave antenna that's already made for 2 meters and is about 19" long. Even though it is not frequency-specific, I've had excellent results with one of these as a mag-mount when operating a borrowed vehicle. This is a less-than-$20 experiment to get more info.

 

[sloped39]

Thanks for the clarification on your location relative to the transmitting antennas. Yes, the omni-directional will ensure you are not rejecting a desired signal. The front-to-back ratio on a Yagi directional antenna will tell you how much signal will be rejected that would arrive from the opposite direction than the antenna is pointed. With your relative location, the issue will be finding an omni antenna with the gain to pull in the weaker signals at a reasonable price. Elevation will be a key factor and that's when feedline loss becomes an issue.

Price sometimes indicates quality of various kinds of coax. The actual performance quality you want to pay for is having the least signal loss at your desired frequency. It is reported as loss, in dB (decibels), at a certain frequency per 100' of coax. A 3dB loss means you lose 50% of the received signal. Here's the chart of various kinds of coax and the loss (attenuation) info: Coaxial Cable Attenuation Chart

As you've already discovered with the Moxon you built, it is possible to experiment at a relatively low cost in order to gather information for a better decision. The solution proposed by Frankhappyg of an outdoor-mounted mobile antenna would also be in that category. I'd recommend starting with a basic quarter-wave antenna that's already made for 2 meters and is about 19" long. Even though it is not frequency-specific, I've had excellent results with one of these as a mag-mount when operating a borrowed vehicle. This is a less-than-$20 experiment to get more info.

Thanks again for getting back. I have ordered a inexpensive yagi and also the 2 meter. I was planning on using higher end cable TV coax for my experimenting.
I will update as I gather info.