Any new 700/800 antennas in the works?

[scanman1958]

Just wondering if there are any new 700/800 base antennas in the works for us scanner listeners? It seems like we keep discussing the antennas that have been around for eons. I was hoping manufactures are working on new and improved antennas for us that we might see real soon.

Thanks a bunch.

 

[prcguy]

Just wondering if there are any new 700/800 base antennas in the works for us scanner listeners? It seems like we keep discussing the antennas that have been around for eons. I was hoping manufactures are working on new and improved antennas for us that we might see real soon.

Thanks a bunch.

I don’t expect any new groundbreaking designs and there are plenty of great 800 antennas available now.

 

[Enjoi19]

There's only so much that can be done and... it's mostly been done, I'd say.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

I was hoping manufactures are working on new and improved antennas for us that we might see real soon.

What exactly are you looking to "improve" that you feel current antennas don't offer?

 

[sonm10]

I'm surprised @mmckenna hasn't piped in, but I know he'll say you can't change physics!

 

[mmckenna]

I'm surprised @mmckenna hasn't piped in, but I know he'll say you can't change physics!

That's pretty much what prcguy said above. Didn't feel the need to repeat it.

I suspect the OP was talking about modern replacements for antennas like the ST2.

 

[scanman1958]

I was not trying to stir the pot. Just asking a simple question. We, as scanner hobbyists, are always looking for new and improved gadgets. I was hoping to hear from from our great group of people on a new(er) and possibly improved antenna for 700/800. If there are no improvements to be made I'll move along and pick something that might fit my need. Thank you.

 

[mmckenna]

Other than companies like DPD, I haven't seen much in the way of US based hobby antenna design/production.

There's a lot of amateur antenna development going on, but nothing really "new", just goofy designs based off existing technology.
There's a ton of Cheap Chinese Antennas, which seem to be low buck designs with grandiose claims.

If you are really looking for a good 700/800MHz antenna, your best bet is to look for used/retired LMR antennas. They skip the gimmicks and give you proven design and reliability.

 

[prcguy]

There are ways to improve the average scanner setup that uses a Discone by supplementing the Discone with a gain type 700/800 antenna and diplexing them onto one feedline. A typical scanner Discone is not very good at 800MHz due the the radiation pattern shifting up off the horizon and you can easily make a 10dB improvement diplexing a good 800 antenna with it.