Antenna recommendations (144/220/440)

[N0BDW]

Hi folks,

I'm shopping for a new mobile antenna but there are so many choices I don't know which one to pick!

Here are my pie in the sky wants:
Wide RX (as wide as I can get, but at least 6M - 800/900MHz would be nice)
TX 144/220/440
TX into the public safety bands (150, 450) [yes, I do have a part 90 radio, and only use it when authorized]
NMO mount

My current antenna (Comet CSB-790A) is mag mounted with an MFJ-336S to the trunk. Recommendations there also appreciated... obviously I'll need a new way to mount an NMO antenna as this mount is PL-259...

I'm often 30+ miles from my favorite repeaters so something high-gain is pretty essential (hence the ridiculously long 790A).

Thanks
Ben

 

[N0BDW]

Hmm.. has anyone used one of these?
MP Antenna Super-M Classic Mobile Antenna

 

[fineshot1]

Hi folks,

I'm shopping for a new mobile antenna but there are so many choices I don't know which one to pick!

Here are my pie in the sky wants:
Wide RX (as wide as I can get, but at least 6M - 800/900MHz would be nice)
TX 144/220/440
TX into the public safety bands (150, 450) [yes, I do have a part 90 radio, and only use it when authorized]
NMO mount

My current antenna (Comet CSB-790A) is mag mounted with an MFJ-336S to the trunk. Recommendations there also appreciated... obviously I'll need a new way to mount an NMO antenna as this mount is PL-259...

I'm often 30+ miles from my favorite repeaters so something high-gain is pretty essential (hence the ridiculously long 790A).

Thanks
Ben

You have such an expansive list of wants here you are not gonna find any one
thing to totally fit the list. There is no such thing as a wide band antenna that
can cover all you list above, i don't care what a antenna manufacture claims.
You must remember that any one antenna that is multi-band is a comprimise
of all the bands in order to get that into one antenna.

I'm thinking you should try the comet antenna below as it has your main 3 ham
band coverage and settle for what it receives out of band.

Comet SBB224 and SBB224NMO Mobile Antenna

Hmm.. has anyone used one of these?
MP Antenna Super-M Classic Mobile Antenna

No magic on this - to me its design looks like garbage to begin with.
Perhaps it is a 1/4 wave on each one of those elements but a 1/4 wave
aint gonna get you close to what you are looking for in your wants list.

 

[N0BDW]

OK great! I appreciate the recommendation and wise words.

 

[k4fv]

First I would look for an antenna that provides transmit coverage in the bands you require (2m, 220 and 440). Consider any antenna that provides for additional receive flexabilty a bonus. Do not expect to be able to transmit in the 150MHz band with a reasonable SWR. With that said look at some of the models offered by Austin Antenna (Multi-band Mobile Antennas for Law Enforcement). A quaility antenna, despite its published lower gain numbers, may suffice if you have a well implemented NMO installation. If necessary use additional power on transmit.

Also look at the eHam reviews for Austin Antenna. (Austin Spectra Amateur Four Band Mobile 30, 150, 450, 800 MHz Product Reviews and Austin 500C Antenna Product Reviews)

 

[Wave]

I saw this in QST April 2011

MP Antenna News

 

[N0BDW]

MP Antenna News

Nice! But I don't think it would work so well for mobile use, hehe. I probably should have been more explicit in my first post that it's a mobile antenna that I'm shopping for.

 

[ka3jjz]

They also have their own line of mobile antennas - as long as you don't mind looking like a helo that's about to take off (hi)

best regards..Mike

 

[kb5udf]

My suggestion

Get one of these: comtelco A1132B 140-170/440-470 MHz
$23 from rfwiz.com

I have one on both my vehicles. It does fine as rated. Add a second ant of your choice for 220.

JB

 

[Wave]

Oops...Base and Mobile models

Oh yes, you are correct, Ben. Sorry.

Mike is right too....
Super-M Classic™ Mobile Antenna
and
Super-M Ultra™ Mobile Antenna



Looks like very good reviews came from Monitoring Times also:
http://www.mpantenna.com/pdf/1109new.pdf

 

[N0BDW]

I really like the looks of the Comtelco stuff, thanks for the suggestion.

As much as I tend to not care about appearance, I'm pretty sure I couldn't bring myself to mounting one of those MP antennas on my vehicle, haha