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APX 8500 Base Station Antenna

estone4009

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I have an APX 8500 base station that needs a 700/800 antenna. This is the only band currently in use. Can anyone recommend a simple indoor antenna setup to try as mouting.an antenna outdoors will be problamatic? Singal strength inside rhe building is decent.
 

estone4009

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Trucked system and only transmitting a couple times a week. I will have to look into the transmit power options.
 

mmckenna

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At work, in this sorts of applications, I just have them use a standard 800MHz 1/4 wave whip on a mag mount. That would get stuck on a file cabinet or window sill. Keep the power low if you do programming. Or, just make sure it's spaced away from the user.

This antenna:

This mount:
 

N4KVE

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I used to deliver cars to the HUGE car rental return building across from the Miami Airport. Basically a 4 story parking garage, in the office they had a radio on the counter with a magnetic antenna sitting on the radio. I had to laugh.
 

mmckenna

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I had to laugh.

It drives the radio guy inside me nuts, but it works.

I -really- want to do an external antenna, but the cost/effort is beyond what they want to spend. Usually these installs are places where a portable works fine, but battery charging/replacement becomes more costly than just doing a mobile with a power supply.

TKONXED.jpg
 

N4KVE

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At least it works, & the radio operator’s face isn’t 6 inches from the antenna. At the Hertz garage, the coax was tightly coiled with the magnetic antenna on the radio which was sitting on the PS, & the radio operator‘s face less than a foot away. And this office was deep in the bowels of the parking structure, but by a window facing towards a concrete wall.
 

DeoVindice

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It drives the radio guy inside me nuts, but it works.

I -really- want to do an external antenna, but the cost/effort is beyond what they want to spend. Usually these installs are places where a portable works fine, but battery charging/replacement becomes more costly than just doing a mobile with a power supply.

TKONXED.jpg
This gave me flashbacks to a plant control room radio I once used. Kenwood TK-980 with a magnetic car phone antenna stuck to a giant nut that probably came off a jaw crusher. The antenna was set on the exterior windowsill a few feet from the motor control panel. It did in fact work.
 

prcguy

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It drives the radio guy inside me nuts, but it works.

I -really- want to do an external antenna, but the cost/effort is beyond what they want to spend. Usually these installs are places where a portable works fine, but battery charging/replacement becomes more costly than just doing a mobile with a power supply.

TKONXED.jpg
If I can find four rotating coaxial joints I might move all my car antennas to the hub caps and drive that way.
 

FFPM571

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I used to deliver cars to the HUGE car rental return building across from the Miami Airport. Basically a 4 story parking garage, in the office they had a radio on the counter with a magnetic antenna sitting on the radio. I had to laugh.
Laugh all you want.. It's common to do that We call it a control station and its set to 5 w . Businesses and airports do it as to not have to use a handheld radio and get lost. stolen or battery not charged.
 

FedFyrGuy

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Relocated an 800Mhz control station for a medical lab company courier service one time. They had an 800Mhz mobile antenna on a mag mount affixed to a STOP sign above the drop ceiling. Apparently it worked for them.....
 
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