ATC Antenna advice.

[dannews]

Hi there,

I'm a keen ATC listener and want to improve what I'm able to receive.

Currently, my Uniden BCT15X is connected to a regular VHF television antenna, picks up some stuff pretty well, but I'd like to try and improve signal strength.

I live 15km from Auckland Airport, and as per usual the frequency range is around 112-135 for aviation.

Are there any aerials that would either help me receive tower/ground from my location or strengthen what I hear on approach/departure type frequencies?

Thanks!

 

[prcguy]

The typical scanner Discone from Radio Shack, Diamond and others is a very good performer in the VHF air band. You can also find actual base station antennas used at airports which work great.

Hi there,

I'm a keen ATC listener and want to improve what I'm able to receive.

Currently, my Uniden BCT15X is connected to a regular VHF television antenna, picks up some stuff pretty well, but I'd like to try and improve signal strength.

I live 15km from Auckland Airport, and as per usual the frequency range is around 112-135 for aviation.

Are there any aerials that would either help me receive tower/ground from my location or strengthen what I hear on approach/departure type frequencies?

Thanks!

 

[mark432k]

I use a DPD productions antenna for aviation and love it.

 

[mmckenna]

Hi there,

I'm a keen ATC listener and want to improve what I'm able to receive.

Currently, my Uniden BCT15X is connected to a regular VHF television antenna, picks up some stuff pretty well, but I'd like to try and improve signal strength.

I live 15km from Auckland Airport, and as per usual the frequency range is around 112-135 for aviation.

Are there any aerials that would either help me receive tower/ground from my location or strengthen what I hear on approach/departure type frequencies?

Thanks!

If what you want to listen to is in the same general direction, try turning the television antenna 90º so the elements are pointing up and down. That will probably improve your reception a bit.

Other than that, a purpose built (either by you, or manufactured) VHF vertical antenna would give you 360º coverage. It's not hard to build your own 1/4 wave ground plane antenna from a coaxial connector and some copper wire. May not be fancy, but it'll work.

 

[dannews]

Thoughts on this one?

https://www.trademe.co.nz/sports/av...13.htm?rsqid=b2bbb5e09e834748bae95a2e76987b84

 

[prcguy]

The VHF air band is about 19MHz wide and this antenna is rated at 14MHz wide at the 2:1 VSWR points. In other words, it does not cover the full band with the same performance, you have to tune it to the section of the band you want to use.

I would look for an antenna that is designed to cover the entire air band with a good match and consistent performance. To do that the vertical element will usually be very thick like 2" in diameter.

Thoughts on this one?

https://www.trademe.co.nz/sports/av...13.htm?rsqid=b2bbb5e09e834748bae95a2e76987b84

 

[majoco]

The OP is in New Zealand. What you can get in the USofA and what we can get out here are two different things. NZ$99 is way over the top for what you can make. Have a look at making a 1/4 wave ground plane form my other post in the Airband section. It's all very well saying that you can hear the tower or ground from 15km away, but it's what is in between that counts. My stepdaughter lives in Ellerslie and I have tried to hear the ground frequency from there and not a hope! Most of the approach and ground frequencies are certainly in the 120 to 125MHz area so you should be able to 'tune' an antenna for that range. Download the approach and departure plates from this website...

AIP New Zealand

...and you'll have more info than you can handle....

PS - the AM voice portion of the band starts at 118MHz, below that are the VOR and ILS navigation beacons. the ILS is on 109.9 and 110.3, I forget what the VOR is on, somewhere around 115MHz probably.

PPS - I'm coming up to Akl next week, PM me with your phone number and we'll have a chat.

 

[Ubbe]

Aircrafts high in the sky are often received with anything you connect to your scanner. It is the tower/ground that are more difficult to receive but the signals come only from one direction so a directional antenna are perfect.

A suitable vertical tv antenna for VHF 175MHz-250MHz are cheap and works acceptable even down in the airband, especially if you fit an amplifier to it. You can also lenghten some dipole elements to improve the airband coverage. I added a pair of 60cm metal rods to the longest elements of a multiband tv antenna using a hose clamp to get a better airband signal.

I would try with this antenna type to focus just on tower reception https://www.iskra.eu/en/YAGI-VHF-antennas/VHF-TV-Antenna-VF-6/

If you need to add coverage of airplanes as well, you'll need omnidirectional stacked vertical antennas. These 10dB gain and the 6dB gain antennas are just too expensive for scanner use as they are made for transmit and professional use.
RigPix Database - Antennas - Aerial OY AV1910
https://www.antennaexperts.in/model-detail.asp?RecID=344

/Ubbe

 

[majoco]

See my post here....

https://forums.radioreference.com/aircraft-monitoring-forum/375242-new-guy-looking-some-help.html

...for a quarter wave ground plane antenna you can make for less than NZ$10!

 

[majoco]

Just read your first post again where it says you are using a VHF TV antenna - have you rotated it so that the elements are vertical?

 

[AI7PM]

The VHF air band is about 19MHz wide and this antenna is rated at 14MHz wide at the 2:1 VSWR points. In other words, it does not cover the full band with the same performance, you have to tune it to the section of the band you want to use.

I would look for an antenna that is designed to cover the entire air band with a good match and consistent performance. To do that the vertical element will usually be very thick like 2" in diameter.

Won't mean anything measurable on receive.

 

[Ubbe]

An antenna works exactly the same in both transmit and receive mode. If you can measure something in transmit, like coverage and loobs directivity, it would also apply to receive.

/Ubbe

 

[GROL]

If what you want to listen to is in the same general direction, try turning the television antenna 90º so the elements are pointing up and down. That will probably improve your reception a bit.

Other than that, a purpose built (either by you, or manufactured) VHF vertical antenna would give you 360º coverage. It's not hard to build your own 1/4 wave ground plane antenna from a coaxial connector and some copper wire. May not be fancy, but it'll work.

Correct. The antenna should be oriented vertically instead of horizontal. You can have as much as a 20db drop in signal with the wrong antenna polarization. If you want a directional antenna for gain in one general direction, the TV antenna should work well oriented vertically. If you want to receive in all directions and that antenna is no longer wanted for anything else, you can remove all the elements other than the driven elements and if the driven elements are at least 20 inches with 22 inches being best. 22 inches for each driven element. Also should be oriented vertical.

 

[GROL]

Just read your first post again where it says you are using a VHF TV antenna - have you rotated it so that the elements are vertical?

Yes, vertical polarization is very important. It will probably work pretty well vertical. But of course in the direction it is pointed.

 

[majoco]

Pity we haven't heard from the OP.