Better scanner antenna

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N1XDS

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Hey Guys & Ladies,

What would be a better scanner replacement antenna for the Uniden BCD996XT? For home use I can't put up a tower, due to living in a deed restricted neighborhood. I was thinking of putting up a Yagi antenna or something maybe better I can use. Something will cover mostly 150mhz to 800mhz.

Thanks Jamie
 

pwscott

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Hey Guys & Ladies,

What would be a better scanner replacement antenna for the Uniden BCD996XT? For home use I can't put up a tower, due to living in a deed restricted neighborhood. I was thinking of putting up a Yagi antenna or something maybe better I can use. Something will cover mostly 150mhz to 800mhz.

Thanks Jamie

If you have one thing or area you want to listen to, a Yagi antenna pointed at it and resonant in the band you're listening to will certainly be good. More likely you want to listen to multiple sources in multiple bands, (you even note the multiple bands in the last sentence of your post)....so get an antenna that will pull in various bands and is omni-directional. For me that sounds like a Discone Antenna.
 
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No way! Get a Comet Gp-15,I LOVE mine.(compared to a diamond dj-130J)Oh and use good coax,like 9913 or better.
 

MarkWestin

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As long as you don't have a metal roof you can get great results mounting an (or several) antenna(s) in your attic. In my Barn (attached to the house) I have a TV antenna, A FM antenna, A discone scanner antenna and my shortwave antenna which is 100 feet long and goes all the way around the inside of the rafters in the barn. Any antenna mounted up higher in a building is better than whatever came stock with the radio. The higher the better. If you have a metal roof then then you need to look into such things as a fake sewer vent pipe antenna which can probably be mounted over a real sewer vent pipe.

Mark
 

N1XDS

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Sorry guys I won't be able to put up a antenna like you guys mentioned...I think I will get away with the Yagi antenna but nothing else some of my neighbors will complain about it. I'm renting out a place until this late January until I get move in my house hopefully it'll be fine then I can get put up maybe a Yagi antenna in this neighborhood. I'm just getting suggestions right now until I feel out what my new neighbors will be like.
 

jackj

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You won't find a yagi that will cover the frequency spread you quoted. Yagi antennas are one band antennas. Something like the discone someone else mentioned would cover the bands you want and wouldn't be much more noticeable than a yagi if you don't install the top stinger, you won't need it for your frequencies anyway. Deed restrictions and covenants suck!!
 

neondesert

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Hey Guys & Ladies,

What would be a better scanner replacement antenna for the Uniden BCD996XT? For home use I can't put up a tower, due to living in a deed restricted neighborhood. I was thinking of putting up a Yagi antenna or something maybe better I can use. Something will cover mostly 150mhz to 800mhz.

Thanks Jamie

I've used discones and the RS sputnik in the past but have had great success with the OmniX from DPD Productions. Quality construction and outstanding support from the owner, Dave who frequents these forums as well. :)
 

N1XDS

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If I do go with the OmniX scanner antenna what is all needed for me to use & install it? Also how good is the reception for local and distant areas?
 

neondesert

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If I do go with the OmniX scanner antenna what is all needed for me to use & install it? Also how good is the reception for local and distant areas?

Just a screwdriver to assemble the antenna and a 1 1/4" mounting mast. It comes with a 16 inch pigtail already attached which you would connect to your coax to via a N connector.

Reception for me has been fantastic here in the Las Vegas Valley. I've noticed significant improvement over my previous antennas. Of course, as always, YMMV.
 

BearMan54

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I use a AntennaCraft ST2 & yes it looks different from other scanner antennas but it's a great antenna... I'm amazed at the stuff it pulls in... Best antenna I'v owned over the last 43 year of scanning.....
 

unclescanner

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I used regular coax and stripped off everything but the plastic covering the copper wire. I pick up stations
50 to0 miles away
 

maalox

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i use on my 996xt a aor sa7000 super wideband receive antenna i been using the st2 antennacraft for years but would not stand up to the lousy weather and winds here in nyc lately.
 

jay_camaro1

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i have this $30 radioshack antenna mounted to the rafters in my garage and even with 50+ feet of coax i still have no problem getting police/fire from a couple county's away, even the lowpower wamart and fast food joints from a couple miles away come in good, this antenna has made searching fun, thinking about mounting it higher up outside but it works so good now and i dont have to worry about the weather getting to it.

Outdoor VHF-Hi/UHF Scanner Antenna - RadioShack.com
 
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W2PMX

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Oct 29, 2011
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Fayetteville NC
Hey Guys & Ladies,

What would be a better scanner replacement antenna for the Uniden BCD996XT? For home use I can't put up a tower, due to living in a deed restricted neighborhood.

Deed restrictions set by a homeowner's association? Anything in the attic, or even in the living room. A multi-element ground plane works pretty well, unless the transmitters you want to hear are quite distant.

Deed restrictions set by municipal laws? Since you're a ham, any antennas used for ham purposes are exempted from them by PRB-1. Oops, I think your 2 meter antenna is tuned a little too high in frequency, isn't it?
 
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