Antenna placement and reception

[erikTromatowski]

If I wanted to recieve a VHF signal from the east with a tuned VHF antenna, please tell me what would be better in my case:

1) Place the antenna on the east side of the building, then run 60 ft. of RG-58 cable to the west side of the building where my scanner is located.

2) Place the antenna on the west side but only have to run 10 ft. of RG-58. But also, the signal must then pass through the building (the exterior of which is brick).

In both areas, it would be placed on a window sill, not the top of the building (live in an apartment). I would appriciate any help.

 

[N_Jay]

1) Go on the east side (+5 to +15 dB) over the west side.

2) Get better cable (+1 to +3 db) over the RG-58

 

[Voyager]

1) Go on the east side (+5 to +15 dB) over the west side.

2) Get better cable (+1 to +3 db) over the RG-58

Yep - East side. A small yagi would greatly help, too. Being tuned is fine, but it won't save you any money on car insurance. ... I mean it won't gain (pun intended) you as much as a small 3 element yagi will - even one that isn't tuned exactly on frequency but is just in the same band.

Make sure the polarization matches, too. If it's a vertically polarized signal you are listening to, make sure your antenna is veryically polarized. Cross polarization loses 20 dB (roughly - varies depending on many factors).

Joe M.