AOR DS3000A VHF~UHF Discone Antenna

[MacombMonitor]

I'm getting ready to mount my first outside antenna on my new home. I was going with the Icom AH-7000 discone, because of it's wide-band design, and type N connector, for less loss. Then I saw the AOR DS3000A discone, which also has a type N connector. What surprised me is that Icom, and the AOR, are suppled with 50' of RG58/U? Isn't that about the worse cable they could use? They both go to the trouble, and expensive of N connectors, then use RG58!

After all the talk about the need to go with LMR400, this was quite a shock. Cable aside, what do you think of the AOR, vs. the Icom?

Thanks!

 

[MacombMonitor]

Almost forgot...NIL-JON Super M Base Antenna

Almost forgot...I was also consider considering the NIL-JON Super M Base Antenna, only to find out it's supplied with an SO-239, to accept a PL259!!! Don't these antenna manufactures practice what they preach?

 

[kb2vxa]

Hi MacombMonitor and all,

AOR is an Icom knock-off and I suspect they do it with antennas as they do with Amateur tranceivers. I'll bet if you look deeper you'll find plenty of manufacturers which produce "second line" equipment at lower prices.

Funny, until now I've not heard about an AOR or Icom antenna, live and learn.

Of course they supply RG-58 coax, pretty much everybody does since that "gold plated" stuff is more expensive than the antenna. Frankly I'm surprised they supply anything, Amateur Radio antennas don't come with coax, they leave selection up to the individual acording to his needs.

Frankly I don't see what all this hoopla over that "special" coax is all about, I have compared electrical characteristics vs. price and found that Belden 9913 gives the best bang for the buck. Don't get ripped off by that mysterious legal disclaimer "(number) type", 9913 is a proprietary part number and ONLY Belden makes the real McCoy. Frankly it's one of a kind, technically it's semi-rigid air dielectric transmission line. For that reason it hates tight bends, the center conductor migrates out of position toward the outer conductor in too tight a radius worse than it does in solid or foam dielectric cable.

I wouldn't worry overmuch about the N connectors, they're a bit over-rated for receive only operation. They best come into play with high power VHF/UHF transmitting applications because of their constant impedance characteristics. They're also used with some Amateur Radio amplifiers but since you're not going to be pushing 1500W up the pipe I really wouldn't worry about it. Hmmm, I'll bet you're going to put a PL-259 and a Motorola adapter on the other end anyway like I have since I use my vertical for the scanner when I'm not on the air. (;->)

 

[Al42]

Hmmm, I'll bet you're going to put a PL-259 and a Motorola adapter on the other end anyway like I have since I use my vertical for the scanner when I'm not on the air. (;->)

Gainless antenna, 0.1db loss in the oh-so-expensive coax, 0.1db loss in the N-connectors and 10db loss in the motorola connector going into the scanner.

Just a smiley doesn't express the laughter, huh?

 

[bsavery]

Hmmm, I'll bet you're going to put a PL-259 and a Motorola adapter on the other end anyway like I have since I use my vertical for the scanner when I'm not on the air. (;->)

Gainless antenna, 0.1db loss in the oh-so-expensive coax, 0.1db loss in the N-connectors and 10db loss in the motorola connector going into the scanner.

Just a smiley doesn't express the laughter, huh?

Is is early and I haven't finished my first cup of coffee yet, but.....

Why on earth would he want to convert from an N connector, to a PL-259, to a Motorola, then to a BNC so he can plug it into the scanner?!?! :?

ok... back to the coffee....

Bob

 

[doogman23]

Diamond Discone

Bill,

Since you are a milscanner, have you looked at the Diamond D130J Discone? I dont have one but have been see good things on alot of posts about it.

Keith

 

[MacombMonitor]

Re: Diamond Discone

Bill,

Since you are a milscanner, have you looked at the Diamond D130J Discone? I dont have one but have been see good things on alot of posts about it.

Keith

There again, the Diamond uses the SO239/PL259 VHF connector, only rated for up to 200MHz. The Diamond is the same as the Icom AH-7000. which is supplied wtih a "N" connector, which is much better, rated for up to 11GHz! Problem with the Icom is they put cheesy RG58/U cable on those connectors. So the solution might be the Icom AH-7000, and a new cable made up with LMR400, with N connectors.

 

[doogman23]

Good solution.

Yeah, thats sounds like the way to go, getting the least amount of signal loss using the N connector and a good wide band antenna.

Like you said earlier, I cannot figure out why they dont get this type of thing straight. N connector but feed it with RG58...hmm....

Keith

 

[bsavery]

Re: Good solution.

Yeah, thats sounds like the way to go, getting the least amount of signal loss using the N connector and a good wide band antenna.

Like you said earlier, I cannot figure out why they dont get this type of thing straight. N connector but feed it with RG58...hmm....

Keith

That's what happens when marketing and accounting types take over a product after the engineers are done building it.

I'd like to see them sell the antenna by it's self. I can then mate it with the right cable and not have another decoration for the garage wall!

Bob

 

[K2KOH]

I wouldn't worry overmuch about the N connectors, they're a bit over-rated for receive only operation. They best come into play with high power VHF/UHF transmitting applications because of their constant impedance characteristics. They're also used with some Amateur Radio amplifiers but since you're not going to be pushing 1500W up the pipe I really wouldn't worry about it. Hmmm, I'll bet you're going to put a PL-259 and a Motorola adapter on the other end anyway like I have since I use my vertical for the scanner when I'm not on the air. (;->)

Don't kid yourself about the N connector, especially at 800 MHz and above frequencies. As a fellow ham, you know that as well as I do. Better to match the ends of the coax to the equipment it's being connected to.