• To anyone looking to acquire commercial radio programming software:

    Please do not make requests for copies of radio programming software which is sold (or was sold) by the manufacturer for any monetary value. All requests will be deleted and a forum infraction issued. Making a request such as this is attempting to engage in software piracy and this forum cannot be involved or associated with this activity. The same goes for any private transaction via Private Message. Even if you attempt to engage in this activity in PM's we will still enforce the forum rules. Your PM's are not private and the administration has the right to read them if there's a hint to criminal activity.

    If you are having trouble legally obtaining software please state so. We do not want any hurt feelings when your vague post is mistaken for a free request. It is YOUR responsibility to properly word your request.

    To obtain Motorola software see the Sticky in the Motorola forum.

    The various other vendors often permit their dealers to sell the software online (i.e., Kenwood). Please use Google or some other search engine to find a dealer that sells the software. Typically each series or individual radio requires its own software package. Often the Kenwood software is less than $100 so don't be a cheapskate; just purchase it.

    For M/A Com/Harris/GE, etc: there are two software packages that program all current and past radios. One package is for conventional programming and the other for trunked programming. The trunked package is in upwards of $2,500. The conventional package is more reasonable though is still several hundred dollars. The benefit is you do not need multiple versions for each radio (unlike Motorola).

    This is a large and very visible forum. We cannot jeopardize the ability to provide the RadioReference services by allowing this activity to occur. Please respect this.

Base Antenna Basics...

Joined
Nov 1, 2023
Messages
19
I know that antennas can be designed to TRANSMIT directionally, but can an antenna be designed to RECEIVE directionally?

I appreciate all the input and ideas that have been shared here.

I've read several posts, in this thread and elsewhere, that allude to an antenna's effectiveness because it gets out well (i.e. this is my antenna and I can talk all over).

That's not the real target here.

There's a Toyota Tacoma parked out in the woods running a 60 watt PEP through a 7' Skipshooter...

That's the only signal I care to capture and I want to hear it at the theoretical limits.

Should I be considering a horizontal antenna?
Yes an antenna designed to transmit directionally will also receive better in that direction. Horizontal would not work for your signal of interest. He is transmitting vertically. You would need vertically polarized beam antenna. Such as a Yagi, etc
 

prcguy

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jun 30, 2006
Messages
16,244
Location
So Cal - Richardson, TX - Tewksbury, MA
I know that antennas can be designed to TRANSMIT directionally, but can an antenna be designed to RECEIVE directionally?

I appreciate all the input and ideas that have been shared here.

I've read several posts, in this thread and elsewhere, that allude to an antenna's effectiveness because it gets out well (i.e. this is my antenna and I can talk all over).

That's not the real target here.

There's a Toyota Tacoma parked out in the woods running a 60 watt PEP through a 7' Skipshooter...

That's the only signal I care to capture and I want to hear it at the theoretical limits.

Should I be considering a horizontal antenna?
Antennas are reciprocal on transmit and receive, whatever direction they do on transmit will be the same on receive. If the Tacoma scenario is local or somewhat line of sight you want to have the same antenna polarity which would be vertical in this case. If the Tacoma was 1200mi away then its a tossup if vertical or horizonal would be better, with some height discussions to go with that.
 
Top