Antenna on a mast

[DeRanKeR]

So I dropped out of the scanner hobby for a while. I'm working on setting up a discobe to monitor the Cincinnati area. I consider myself somewhat proficient in radios, going so far as to pass my tech exam. But I'm curious and can't find anything on the web's. My question is, if I attach a my discone to the mast via a clamp, would the mast not interfere with the receptivity of the antenna? As in the antenna trying to use the rod as an antenna and decrease it's use? If so, then a simple rubber padding should alleviate this I'd assume. Thanks guys

 

[wowologist]

Actually, I believe the nature of the discone antenna itself requires the mast as a ground plane/static discharge route. Unlike a say 1/4 wave that has a dipole/center and 3-4 (more the merrier actually) rods attached to the shielding/ground. If however the dipole rods touch physically with the mast your antenna would be way of out of wack... there is very little chance of capacitive coupling with a well designed discone.

 

[rivardj]

No need to insulate the antenna mount from the mast. If you purchase a commercially available discone antenna follow the installation instructions that come with the antenna.

 

[mmckenna]

So I dropped out of the scanner hobby for a while. I'm working on setting up a discobe to monitor the Cincinnati area. I consider myself somewhat proficient in radios, going so far as to pass my tech exam. But I'm curious and can't find anything on the web's. My question is, if I attach a my discone to the mast via a clamp, would the mast not interfere with the receptivity of the antenna? As in the antenna trying to use the rod as an antenna and decrease it's use? If so, then a simple rubber padding should alleviate this I'd assume. Thanks guys

Yeah, not required. Don't overthink it, but it's good to question. The mast does not cause any issues with performance.