Antenna Setup

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ltginrage

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Hello,
I have a antenna setup ready to go in the checkout of amazon. I got the BNC connectors, the coax cable, the antenna and the antenna base. Hoping I could get some professional or experienced radio hobbyist to make sure I'm not missing anything or got the wrong thing. I plan to run the coax cable from a room in the basement to the top of the shed in the back yard which is about 75 ft or so. The antenna would be connected to a BCT15x and sometimes a BCD325P2.
Links:
Antenna Base
Antenna
Connectors :
BNC to BNC to connect the antenna base to coax F Type connector
F-Type to BNC to connect the coax to the BNC connector and coax to the scanner
Coax cable
Thanks
 
digitalanalog

digitalanalog

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that antenna and mount is designed to be mounted on a car, so get a cheap large cookie sheet or pizza pan and nail it to the top of the shed then put the antenna in the middle of the cookie sheet, the cookie sheet will resemble the hood/trunk of a car.

it needs the metal under it to work correctly, the bigger the cookie sheet the better.

enjoy.
 
mmckenna

mmckenna

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Here's what I'd recommend:

Skip the Tram antenna base. They have crappy connectors. I've taken one apart and I'd not trust it, especially outdoors.

Instead, use this: https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/laird-technologies-mbcn-7531
Mount it on a pole, conduit, etc. Get it as high up as you safely can. That will improve range.

The antenna is a good one, you can alway swap it out to your vehicle if you decide to go mobile.

As for the connectors, you have too many adapters for this to be reliable. Each adapter you install becomes a failure point. They also add a negligible amount of loss, so avoiding them if possible is a good idea.
You will need one at the antenna base: https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-Conn...+f+adapter&qid=1602724472&s=industrial&sr=1-3

For the coax, the longer the coax, the more loss you'll have. Ideally you want -just- the amount of cable you need to get from the antenna to the radio. No more, no less.

F connectors are really easy to install. You would do better by purchasing the connectors and 100 feet of cable and rolling your own. It'll be easier to route the cable, you'll use just the amount of cable you need, and you'll have spares in case you want to add more antenna runs later:
 
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JoshuaHufford

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If it were me, I'd probably delete that entire cart, except maybe the antenna, but certainly don't try and use a mag mount on top of a building.

What frequencies do you plan to monitor? If it is going to be a permanent install on a building, a good base antenna would be my suggestion, not a mobile antenna designed to be on a car.

I would also measure exactly how much coax you need and have a custom cable assembly built, for the run length you have I would go better than RG-6, probably something like LMR-400.

I realize this will likely increase the cost, but I've learned the hard way to just do it right the first time. If your working with a limited budget I get that, but I still think there are better choices, knowing what frequencies are in use in your area and what you want to monitor will help with the suggestions.
 
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ltginrage

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mmckenna said:
Skip the Tram antenna base. They have crappy connectors. I've taken one apart and I'd not trust it, especially outdoors.

Instead, use this: https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/laird-technologies-mbcn-7531
Mount it on a pole, conduit, etc. Get it as high up as you safely can. That will improve range.

The antenna is a good one, you can alway swap it out to your vehicle if you decide to go mobile.

As for the connectors, you have too many adapters for this to be reliable. Each adapter you install becomes a failure point. They also add a negligible amount of loss, so avoiding them if possible is a good idea.
You will need one at the antenna base: https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-Conn...+f+adapter&qid=1602724472&s=industrial&sr=1-3

For the coax, the longer the coax, the more loss you'll have. Ideally you want -just- the amount of cable you need to get from the antenna to the radio. No more, no less.

F connectors are really easy to install. You would do better by purchasing the connectors and 100 feet of cable and rolling your own. It'll be easier to route the cable, you'll use just the amount of cable you need, and you'll have spares in case you want to add more antenna runs later:
https://www.amazon.com/Installation...ctor+for+rg6+coax+Klein&qid=1602724880&sr=8-7
Click to expand...
Ok, I've had many people tell me to got the manual coax cable route and I am convinced enough to do. I was told to go with the R6 quad shield coax cable because it works the best the transferring the frequency. I just got to find the correct adapters and such. I chose that specific antenna from a reccomedation from a friend and its also does 150-450-800, which is mostly what I monitor. If I do end up moving to a new house it will be a few years before anything happens. I will change the base of the antenna because that is a more sturdy mount. Regarding the weather seal - I added that to the cart
 
mmckenna

mmckenna

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Decent RG-6 will work well. Don't spend the extra money on quad shield, just the standard stuff will work fine. Quad shield coax is good for use indoors in industrial/business applications where you have a high RF interference potential. For hobby/home use, it's not necessary.

You could certainly go with higher grade coax, like the LMR-400 Joshua mentioned, but for scanner use, unlikely you'd see a big difference. It's a stiffer cable, larger in diameter, and will cost you in the 75¢ per foot range. Connectors are more expensive, too. Would be great if you planned on transmitting at some point (is an amateur license in your future?). You can always upgrade later. High quality RG-6 will work well, is a whole lot cheaper and easy to install your connectors on if you haven't done it before.
 
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ltginrage

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I found a decent deal on the RG-6 ($32 for 250ft roll at Lowe's). I do not plan on transmitting with it (at least for a few years) which is why I choose not to go with the LMR-400. I would prefer to keep this simple since this is my first project for radios/scanner. Do you know what type of connectors I need?
 
mmckenna

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That cable should be fine.
The kit I linked to above includes a couple of F connectors:

You can find cheaper kits, but Klein is a good brand. I have a similar kit in my truck at work for the few times I need to move satellite internet connections at remote sites.

If you need more connectors, you can find them on Amazon, or at most hardware stores. I know for sure Lowes and Home Depot carry them. Since you have linked to the RG-6QS cable, find the connectors that are listed to work with RG-6QS cable.
 
mmckenna

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lu81fitter

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I have the Laird ground plane kit the mmckenna referenced earlier, and use a very similar antenna to the one you are getting. I repurposed an old satellite dish mount and just stuck a piece of aluminum pipe in it to get it above the roofline and mounted the antenna/groundplane kit to that. Works quite well.
 
mmckenna

mmckenna

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ltginrage said:
I noticed the freq range on this is 0-512 mhz. I would be monitoring stuff in 800 range. Does it not matter since its the antenna can receive 800 mhz?
Click to expand...

That's just the base adapter. As long as the ground plane is at least 1/4 wavelength, you'll be just fine.

Use a proper antenna on top of that and it'll work well.
 
digitalanalog

digitalanalog

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ltginrage said:
How is it not designed for the 800 mhz range? Description states it will cover 800s
Click to expand...
While it may work in the 800MHz band, The description does not say 800MHz Band, It say's Frequency Range 0-512MHz.
or are you talking about a different link. That I did not see.
This is the link that keeps getting posted here and discussed.

No doubt it may work, I just said it's not designed to work in the 800MHz range because that's the information provided by the Mfg.
 
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