best antenna for state police

[windchaser]

gentlemen, i have a bc296 that i keep in my truck and would like some advice on an antenna that i could mount on the roof-low profile if possable- of my pu truck. this scanner would mostley be used for local and state. i live on the boundry line between divison 1 and 5 so i can pick up both. i am open to all suggestions. thanks windchaser usmm

 

[kc4jgc]

You don'y say where you are and what freqs are used by the locals. VHF low, VHF high or UHF?

Assuming VHF high or UHF a 1/4 wave VHF antenna should be fine for you. It would cover VSP and anything else in that range nicely. Also, the 1/4 wave should also do well for UHF as a 3/4 wave and 800 MHz as well.

 

[windchaser]

i live in lanexa on the jcc line, jcc,york co and williamsburg are all in the 800mhz area,i also live abt 3 miles from the eoc building in toano. thanks wind chaser usmm

 

[LEH]

I've been using a Larsen NMO antenna for the past several years. There may be something better out there but I haven't found it. Take a look at page 100 of the Ham Radio catalog

http://www.hamradio.com/web/newcat/hrocat9.pdf

You will need the antenna and a mount. I have the trunk lip mount on one car and the mag mount on the SUV. Both have served me well for four or five years.

I like the fact they are not overly tall, being NMO they can be unscrewed and a cap placed on the mount if you don't want to have the antenna seen. Of course you lose reception that way. I take them off when I have to leave the car at the airport or something like that.

I recall paying something like $30 for the mount and around $40 for the antenna.

I can even pick up the low powered McDumbDumbs most common drive through VHF-LO freq up to half mile away.

For VSP, I live in the Yorktown area and I hear some of the Richmond freqs routinely in the car. I have picked up the VSP low powered TAC channels two or three miles away (maybe further, but I wasn't really checking). For the York/JCC system, I lose it south of the HRBT.

Before I got the Larsens. I used the RS tri band scanner antenna. About twice the height and I think poorer reception.

 

[windchaser]

thanks for the replys, i picked up an austin spectra new in the clear tube today at a yard sale for $20, so i will mount that on the roof and see what happens. windchaser usmm

 

[CVASSB]

What a deal

That's what I use. It cost me around a hundred dollars. You are going to be using a top grade antenna that picks up the 800MHz band very well. It scans all of those bands very well from VHF low on up.