Best Air-Band Antenna
- Thread starter ASTRO_Man
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Mobile, portable, or base station?
I have the same question. I am using a BC780XLT with a RS Discone, airband only at 20 ft off ground. It just doesn't work that well receiving tower communications 5-10 miles out. There has got to be something better suited than a discone wide band antenna which I assume has little gain?
Thanks, Ken.
Thanks, Ken.
nodak1crdet3
Member
I'm surprised your RS Discone isn't picking up better with your BC-780XLT. I mainly use my RS Discone for Milair (225.000Mhz to 380.000Mhz AM mode) with my PRO-2052. I can hear Selfridge ATIS, clrnc, grnd, twr, & dep. I'm about 18 miles from Selfridge. My Discone is on the roof about 25 to 30 feet up, fed with RS RG-8 coax. I need to change that coax some year, it's getting pretty old. ;~)
Take a look at the Scantenna. I have the RS version, & it does well on the VHF airband. Google Scantenna. There is a few companies that make it.
nodak1crdet3
Member
WA1ATA
Member
See DPD Productions - VHF Air Band & ADS-B (SBS / RadarBox) Antennas for Commercial & Hobbyist Applications for some commercial airband antennas, both for VHF and combo VHF/UHF. These are by the manufacturer of the Traintenna antenna for the railroad band, which has developed a great reputation among rail fans.
I've experimented with several antennas for the 118-137 airband. A simple, cheap twinlead J-pole antenna beats both the stock rubber duck antenna and also the RadioShack 20-176 wideband scanner antenna. The J-pole (and Slim Jim) designs should have the same peformance as a simple dipole, but my experience is that they work much better than both regular dipole and twinlead folded dipole + 4:1 balun antennas that I have built. The Jpole/Sim Jim is also significantly better than the OCFD (off-center fed dipole) such as Homebrewed Off-Center Fed Dipole - The RadioReference Wiki.
I've built a couple of different variants of twinlead J-poles and Slim Jims, all of which I attempted to center at 124MHz, which is a local tower freq. Perhaps because of propagation delay differences, I had better performance when using the cheaper, flimsy twinlead than when I used the low loss foam filled version. I also ended up with slightly better performance with the Slim Jim variant, where the top of the twinlead is shorted (I assume that this is because the higher feed impedance worked better with the feed point of my matching network). With no test equipment, I just built and trimmed according to reception of VORs just below the desired band, and some weak ATIS signals near the top.
I ended up with the cheap twinlead, total antenna length of 60". A 1/4 inch notch about 19-1/4" up from the bottom. The wires at both the bottom and the top of the antenna were shorted together (i.e Slim Jim rather than classic J-pole). The coax is attached about 1.5" from the bottom short, with the shield to the side with the notch.
If you want to buy this sort of antenna, but from ladder line, with a proper mechanical mount, and professionally tuned, then see DPD Productions, aka the "Traintenna guy", VHF Air Band Indoor Blade Antenna and VHF Air Band Outdoor Antenna .
http://elkhartcap.com/FLEXIBLEJPOLEANTENNA.aspx --- 146MHz twinlead J-pole design.
http://www.m0ukd.com/Calculators/Slim_Jim/index.php -- calculator and diagram for Slim Jim. Don't use these dimensions if building with twinlead,
I've experimented with several antennas for the 118-137 airband. A simple, cheap twinlead J-pole antenna beats both the stock rubber duck antenna and also the RadioShack 20-176 wideband scanner antenna. The J-pole (and Slim Jim) designs should have the same peformance as a simple dipole, but my experience is that they work much better than both regular dipole and twinlead folded dipole + 4:1 balun antennas that I have built. The Jpole/Sim Jim is also significantly better than the OCFD (off-center fed dipole) such as Homebrewed Off-Center Fed Dipole - The RadioReference Wiki.
I've built a couple of different variants of twinlead J-poles and Slim Jims, all of which I attempted to center at 124MHz, which is a local tower freq. Perhaps because of propagation delay differences, I had better performance when using the cheaper, flimsy twinlead than when I used the low loss foam filled version. I also ended up with slightly better performance with the Slim Jim variant, where the top of the twinlead is shorted (I assume that this is because the higher feed impedance worked better with the feed point of my matching network). With no test equipment, I just built and trimmed according to reception of VORs just below the desired band, and some weak ATIS signals near the top.
I ended up with the cheap twinlead, total antenna length of 60". A 1/4 inch notch about 19-1/4" up from the bottom. The wires at both the bottom and the top of the antenna were shorted together (i.e Slim Jim rather than classic J-pole). The coax is attached about 1.5" from the bottom short, with the shield to the side with the notch.
If you want to buy this sort of antenna, but from ladder line, with a proper mechanical mount, and professionally tuned, then see DPD Productions, aka the "Traintenna guy", VHF Air Band Indoor Blade Antenna and VHF Air Band Outdoor Antenna .
http://elkhartcap.com/FLEXIBLEJPOLEANTENNA.aspx --- 146MHz twinlead J-pole design.
http://www.m0ukd.com/Calculators/Slim_Jim/index.php -- calculator and diagram for Slim Jim. Don't use these dimensions if building with twinlead,
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Hi Will,
I think I posted a similar reply in another discussion, but here it is again. Without a doubt I would recommend to everyone the Centerfire VHF Airband Base Station Scanner Antenna. I use mine all of the time. You can see my personal review of the antenna I just wrote clicking the link below to my website.
I really do not know why I did not write that review sooner. I have owned my Centerfire antenna for about 15 years and the thing is still in awesome shape and works as well as the day I first installed it. I would recommend that particular antenna to anyone who is into picking up aircraft transmissions with the highest gain. I routinely pick up ground control communications at an airport more than 18 miles away! It is an awesome antenna to say the least. Again, you can read my review of it at the site listed below, if you are interested. I also provide a link on my site letting you know where to get it for the cheapest price as well.
I think I posted a similar reply in another discussion, but here it is again. Without a doubt I would recommend to everyone the Centerfire VHF Airband Base Station Scanner Antenna. I use mine all of the time. You can see my personal review of the antenna I just wrote clicking the link below to my website.
I really do not know why I did not write that review sooner. I have owned my Centerfire antenna for about 15 years and the thing is still in awesome shape and works as well as the day I first installed it. I would recommend that particular antenna to anyone who is into picking up aircraft transmissions with the highest gain. I routinely pick up ground control communications at an airport more than 18 miles away! It is an awesome antenna to say the least. Again, you can read my review of it at the site listed below, if you are interested. I also provide a link on my site letting you know where to get it for the cheapest price as well.
We have a review section here. How about posting it here first, instead of leading users to another site for sales / click-through's etc. I count *FIVE* click-through links to the same product alone in your review.
As mentioned in another airband thread, that Centerfire may be well built, but the marketing of it seems to try and make it seem more magical than just a standard quarter-wave groundplane.
Dunno' when I read reviews praising the "gain" of this type of antenna, (are you talking DBD, DBI, etc??? ) along with the ability to pull-in local towers / ground comms without mentioning the fact that to do so you need a few miles proximity, and height clearance (usually), it leaves a bad taste in mouth as 18 miles would be exceptional for most who might expect that after plopping it on top of their one-story roof or apartment railing.
One thing not mentioned is the quality / length of the feedline used, which a newbie might mistakenly hook up to some junk high-loss coax. That's important - fortunately this is all covered here on RR.
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This is simply a review of an antenna that I have used quite frequently for many years, with excellent results. I am simply stating my account of using this antenna. You can list technical details all day long in regard to any antenna, but the truth of the matter is your personal experience may vary with any antenna, including height of the antenna, obstacles around your location, your receiver, and a plethora of other details. What may be an excellent antenna in one person's experience may fail under the conditions of another person's location and setup. I hear of this all the time on this site. Listing a ton of technical details does nothing to account for the varying experiences the same equipment produces on different locations and setups. That is why when it comes to people recommending "the best" anything (scanner, antenna, receiver etc), you are ALWAYS going to get varying opinions based on individual experience. This is simply my opinion.
All I am stating is that this has been an excellent antenna for my location and setup. I have had excellent results with the antenna and proudly recommend it to others based upon my personal experience. I simply do not recommend things based on technical details alone for the aforementioned reasons. I only recommend things I have personally used and would recommend to others based on my experience with the performance and quality. Any site you go to selling antennas or equipment is filled with marketing copy that may or may not deliver similar results with your setup and location. This is a risk you take with any purchase.
While some may be into DIY, or other antenna types or brands, I am simply listing my review to assist others in their pursuit of a good quality air band antenna. If you are mechanically inclined, and have that drive than this can produce a very good and inexpensive antenna. This is something I plan on trying for my myself. That is what makes this site great. You can take in a number of different opinions and make a decision off of the various opinions and experiences you gain here. At the end of the day, all of the helpful info on this site boils down to people's personal accounts, experiences, and opinions. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and your opinion may differ.
All I am stating is that this has been an excellent antenna for my location and setup. I have had excellent results with the antenna and proudly recommend it to others based upon my personal experience. I simply do not recommend things based on technical details alone for the aforementioned reasons. I only recommend things I have personally used and would recommend to others based on my experience with the performance and quality. Any site you go to selling antennas or equipment is filled with marketing copy that may or may not deliver similar results with your setup and location. This is a risk you take with any purchase.
While some may be into DIY, or other antenna types or brands, I am simply listing my review to assist others in their pursuit of a good quality air band antenna. If you are mechanically inclined, and have that drive than this can produce a very good and inexpensive antenna. This is something I plan on trying for my myself. That is what makes this site great. You can take in a number of different opinions and make a decision off of the various opinions and experiences you gain here. At the end of the day, all of the helpful info on this site boils down to people's personal accounts, experiences, and opinions. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and your opinion may differ.
I understand your enthusiasm.
However, instead of posting the review on RadioReference, it comes across as a diversionary 3rd party sales tactic for Amazon click-throughs, where the review itself has 5 click-through links.
Just be honest about it - when reading the privacy policy for your site, it clearly defines the needs of advertising partners, cookies, tracking and the like. Your site is not really just a hobbiest blog, and benefits from the huge exposure of RR being the unintended front.
While I haven't read the entirety of the site, do you have any links BACK to RadioReference as an acknowledgement? Surely the newcomer to scanning that you are targeting would benefit when they outgrow the somewhat simplistic intros.
Many threads on RR have links to products for convenience or evaluation, but they are DIRECT for the most part and don't benefit a middleman.
That is why I'd like to see a review here perhaps with only a single DIRECT link to the antenna and not your site itself.
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hertzian,
Yes, I most certainly do have links on my site to Radio Reference. I point to Radio Reference frequently in a number of my posts. I think Radio Reference is the premiere source of radio communications and hobbyist information.
My site is intended to be a basic site intended for newbies. That is why you will not find a ton of technical jargon. It is intended to give the newbie a leg up in getting started in this hobby, and so outside of my content, I frequently point people to here.
And while there are products that I point to that I completely stand behind for performance and ease of use for newbies, some of those are affiliate links. There is nothing wrong with that. Trust me, you do not make much off of a small hobbyist site. It is more for the love of this hobby and getting others interested in this fascinating and entertaining hobby more than anything.
Much of this hobby consists of equipment along with information. Nobody is being tricked or duped when you point to solid products you stand behind and use yourself. At the end of the day, it really just boils down to a matter of opinion. There are at least a few good air band antennas out there (many listed in this and relates threads), and I think everyone should have the antenna that works best with their location, equipment, and setup. The title of this thread is "Best Air-Band Antenna". And anytime you see "Best" anything, you are going to get a number of opinions, to which some you may not agree with. And that is why I like this site so much. After a number of opinions and a ton of information, you almost always uncover the answer you are looking for.
Anyway, I did not intend to hijack this thread. So let's get back to it. I would rather hear more from others and their experiences with air band antennas. If anything, many of you may have already convinced me to spring for, and try out another air band antenna, even though I have a garage full of antennas.
I like what I am hearing about people's experiences with the DPD Productions antennas. I have been hearing for quite some time that they are a solid performing air band antenna. I may just have to pick one up.
Best Regards,
Yes, I most certainly do have links on my site to Radio Reference. I point to Radio Reference frequently in a number of my posts. I think Radio Reference is the premiere source of radio communications and hobbyist information.
My site is intended to be a basic site intended for newbies. That is why you will not find a ton of technical jargon. It is intended to give the newbie a leg up in getting started in this hobby, and so outside of my content, I frequently point people to here.
And while there are products that I point to that I completely stand behind for performance and ease of use for newbies, some of those are affiliate links. There is nothing wrong with that. Trust me, you do not make much off of a small hobbyist site. It is more for the love of this hobby and getting others interested in this fascinating and entertaining hobby more than anything.
Much of this hobby consists of equipment along with information. Nobody is being tricked or duped when you point to solid products you stand behind and use yourself. At the end of the day, it really just boils down to a matter of opinion. There are at least a few good air band antennas out there (many listed in this and relates threads), and I think everyone should have the antenna that works best with their location, equipment, and setup. The title of this thread is "Best Air-Band Antenna". And anytime you see "Best" anything, you are going to get a number of opinions, to which some you may not agree with. And that is why I like this site so much. After a number of opinions and a ton of information, you almost always uncover the answer you are looking for.
Anyway, I did not intend to hijack this thread. So let's get back to it. I would rather hear more from others and their experiences with air band antennas. If anything, many of you may have already convinced me to spring for, and try out another air band antenna, even though I have a garage full of antennas.
I like what I am hearing about people's experiences with the DPD Productions antennas. I have been hearing for quite some time that they are a solid performing air band antenna. I may just have to pick one up.Best Regards,
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