Best mobile antenna

[firefighter_jay]

Anyone found a Mobile Antenna to use in their vehicle for the handheld scanner? Looking for a Magnetic mount or something similar, to install on my car, that i can hook up to my Scanner for better reception while traveling.

Does anyone have anything that they like or had experience with? Anything to stay away from?


Thanks.

Jay

 

[mikewazowski]

Thread moved to Scanner/Receiver Antennas forum.

 

[Blackswan73]

I like my 4 foot Firestik. I get good reception accross the spectrum, and most people never give it a second look.

 

[popnokick]

Here is a reference and a user report on a mobile mag mount antenna for scanners -
http://forums.radioreference.com/scanner-receiver-antennas/324088-vehicle-antenna-recco.html

 

[firefighter_jay]

I will look into both mentioned. Thanks.

I am dispatched on a 154 frequency, but radio communications are unmonitorable as our system is through Spectrum.
I listen to a lot of police stuff, which is 400's, and am soon going to purchase a year membership so i can upload the City of London Fire Fire digital trunked system, so i can listen to my dads calls when I am around London.
I guess I'm just looking for something that is good all around.

Jay

 

[KK4JI]

If everything you want to monitor is 400 MHz, a single band antenna is your best bet. A good option might be a dual-band VHF/UHF amateur antenna. I'm a ham, so I use one of those the rare times I listen on those bands (and it works well). Nearly everything I monitor is 800 MHz, so I have dedicated 800 antennas.

 

[ridgescan]

I love my bastardized Larsen Tribander. I took its whip portion and run it on a glassmounted cellphone antenna base mounted on the side glass of my pickup shell. This thing receives pretty well-a few miles in vhf-lo, up to 30 miles vhf, same in uhf, and about 10-15 miles in 800.
That is not too bad for an antenna without groundplane and side-mounted.
This is why if you get a Larsen and hard mount it to your vehicle body proper you will join the ranks here of many happy Tribander owners.
I have had this setup in my truck for years now because I am quite satisfied with it-but I should try and figure out a properly groundplaned body mount to get max.
Just wanted to proclaim a great mobile antenna here.

 

[firefighter_jay]

Ok. I'm going to dig this one up again.

I recently programmed in the City of London Fire (Ontario Canada) digital system into my scanner (Uniden 396XT). Is there a house mounted antenna available for mobile scanners, that would increase the range or signal, to aide in picking up London? I'm only 45Kms north of the city, but can not pick them up until I am about 5 minutes south of town.

Thanks in advance.

Jay

 

[mmckenna]

An 800MHz Yagi style directional antenna fed with some good coaxial cable would probably help.

 

[fconzero]

I guess if it is a small antenna you may not encounter it coming off the roof and going into or through the persons vehicle behind you.


I have a brute of a ball mount from Breedlovemounts.com in Georgia so I never see my 6 meter mobile H squared loop come off the truck. I was very lucky no one was behind me because the weather was SNOWY.

Be careful.

Insurance company most likely will not cover this type of incident.