Antenna Question

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dallascowboys

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Has anyone or does anyone know how the W-881 Portable Antenna works and is this a good all band antenna ? looking for the best for my 436 .

Thanks
 

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Silent Key
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That antenna doesn't say anything about low band - just HAM bands.
Agreed. But you'd be hard pressed to find an "all band" portable antenna that performs well on low bands unless you go with one of the telescoping whips.

The Diamond RH77CA (the BNC version) has always been my go-to antenna for anything other than the 700-850 MHz bands. The O.P. didn't indicate any emphasis on the low bands. What do you recommend?
 

ShyFlyer

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I've used the Diamond RH77CA for the 125, 396, and now the 436 and have been well pleased with it's performance, indoors and out.
 

RF23

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The Ham band frequencies stated for the Diamond RH77CA are for transmit the receive specification is 100-900 MHz.
 

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Silent Key
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Looking for an antenna that covers 100 - 800 Mhz, I listen to Military , Fire, Police and etc.

Again the Diamond would be hard to beat. I find it works very well for VHF/UHF commercial/mil-air and although not the best for 700-850 MHz, it's acceptable if you're in a good signal area.
 

jtsjc1

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I'd also recommend the diamond. I don't have an external antenna yet so I'm using the RH77CA on my 996P2 and from central NJ I pick up FDNY Bronx and Queens. Not always clear but most times I can understand the transmission.
 

questnz

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I got all of the above mentioned antennas in my collection, Diamond RH71CA, Watson 881, 889, 901 for Air and shorter version of 881 WSMA 801. Without any scientific or measure tests I found performance is very comparable. Shorter WSMA 801 is my preferred antenna for all out vehicle portable scanning requirements.
 

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Silent Key
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That's good to know but how will that compare with the standard telescope antenna? How much better is it in that 400MHz band?

/Ubbe

Some times you have to spend a few bucks to find out. Not everyone's results will be the same. I avoid telescoping whips, they carry a high risk of damaging your scanner's antenna mount if you're not really careful!
 

jtsjc1

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That's good to know but how will that compare with the standard telescope antenna? How much better is it in that 400MHz band?

/Ubbe
I found it much better than the telescoping antenna. I also put one on my BC246T and it also increased its range. Most NYPD and FDNY is in the 400MHz range so its a big improvement. I intend to get a D130NJ for my attic so I would imagine it can only get better from there. The Citywide freqs come in crystal clear.
 

Ubbe

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I can't use any antenna connected directly to a scanner, too much electronic interference in the room. I had some external antennas at a lower roof for a while and them moved them up 3 meters, 10 ft, to the chimney and that made a huge difference. If you are lower to average ground level then hight of the antenna are the most important thing. If you live higher up above ground it tends to be of less importance. I have one guy that covers most of stockholm county using 1 watt on pretty much any frequency he uses. He sometimes switch between 1 watt and 0,5 watt to let listeners know how much a 3dB difference are, and usually he comes in at 25% noise and I can't detect any difference when he switch between the two output levels. I probably wouldn't notice a 0dB to 6dB difference so antenna performance are secondary to the importance of antenna hight.

/Ubbe
 

MisterLongwire

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And what has that got to do with a RECEIVING antenna for a 436??? He is not TX as it is a scanner. Stick with the subject-he is looking for a scanner antenna for certain bands
 

trentbob

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I have a w - 881. A pretty good performer, because of the thin whip its very flexible. It's also a definite improvement over the standard issue.
 

dallascowboys

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Thanks for all the information very helpful, I am trying to decide between the W-801 or the W 881 , not sure what would get me the best performance , like I said above listen to fire, police, military, airports etc. Again thanks for all your help on this matter.
 

trentbob

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I also have a w801 and it is also a good performer end is better than the stock antenna. I guess the advantage would be it's shorter? Good luck, I hope they're in stock.
 

wizardofid

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