Antenna Noob question.....

[Jake68111]

I've looked and maybe someone can post a link for me but I'm sure this has been asked before:

I have the opportunity to obtain an old school outdoor rooftop T.V. Antenna for use with my scanner. Do these antennas work for scanners? Is it worth all the work (take down / build)? Will it hurt my scanner in anyway? What do I need to know about doing something like this?

Like I said before, I'm sure this has been asked before but I'm not sure where to find it.....

Any info would help and thanks in advance!

Jake

 

[gewecke]

Yes! old vhf / uhf tv antennas work great for scanner use, but they work much better if you can mount them so that the elements are vertical instead.
Most of your scanner comms will be transmitted from vertical sources with the exception of aircraft which will still be horizontal. They will not hurt your scanner in any way, but be sure to ground them for lightning protection.
Usually redrilling new mounting holes in the boom is all that's needed, and use rg6 quad shield cable instead of the rg59 variety.


73,
n9zas

 

[Jake68111]

Yes! old vhf / uhf tv antennas work great for scanner use, but they work much better if you can mount them so that the elements are vertical instead.
Most of your scanner comms will be transmitted from vertical sources with the exception of aircraft which will still be horizontal. They will not hurt your scanner in any way, but be sure to ground them for lightning protection.
Usually redrilling new mounting holes in the boom is all that's needed, and use rg6 quad shield cable instead of the rg59 variety.


73,
n9zas

Thanks for the response!

Yes, that is the type of antenna I'm talking about. Now with all that said, this antenna is on, what I would call, a mast. It seems like there would be a lot of work to tear it down, transport it then erect it at my house. Is it worth all of that? I mean, is the distance I gain with this type of antenna worth the hours and planning of getting this thig up? Also, I'm assuming that the LESS cable I use, the LESS loss of reception right? I would want the antenna as close to where the scanner is going to be in the house, right?

I so totally don't know what I'd be getting myself into! 0_o

 

[trap5858]

The other thing to keep in mind when using this type of antenna is that it is directional in nature. It will work in it's current form but not well. Also you would need to point it more or less in the direction of the transmitting antenna. Similar to a yagi antenna. Also, the antenna is probably cut for higher frequencies so keep this in mind also when evaluating it's performance.

 

[Violation]

Jake, take it down if you can get it down safely. If you can't use the antenna as a whole unit, the aluminum individual parts can be used for home-brew antennas. I've made a couple of directional yagi antennas ( one for 800 mhz. and one for 460 mhz.) out of used elements. I don't have an antenna analyzer, but I build mine according to various measurements and plans on the internet. Some work and some are not so hot, but it's alot of fun experimenting. Anything you don't have to pay for is money in your pocket, given the higher cost of metals these days. GOOD LUCK.....PW

 

[gewecke]

Thanks for the response!

Yes, that is the type of antenna I'm talking about. Now with all that said, this antenna is on, what I would call, a mast. It seems like there would be a lot of work to tear it down, transport it then erect it at my house. Is it worth all of that? I mean, is the distance I gain with this type of antenna worth the hours and planning of getting this thig up? Also, I'm assuming that the LESS cable I use, the LESS loss of reception right? I would want the antenna as close to where the scanner is going to be in the house, right?

I so totally don't know what I'd be getting myself into! 0_o

Your assumptions are mostly correct, keeping in mind that the antenna is directional and should be "aimed" toward the desired signal.
The front of your tv antenna should have shorter elements than the rear (longer). The least amount of low loss cable, the better.
Now, is it worth doing...you'll know,once you get it up and receiving!

73,
n9zas