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Budget mobile scanner antenna choices

J

jordoncloutier

Newbie
Joined
Apr 9, 2018
Messages
43
Location
Edmonton , Alberta , Canada
Hello all ,

Just wanted to run a question past all of you , Im looking for the best performance out of an antenna for a simple mobile scanner setup ... I mainly use it when on highway trips here in Alberta , Canada . I like to monitor all of the trucking vhf Ladd channels , gmrs on my uniden 125 handheld ... Currently I have a nmo mag mount with a no name vhf/UHF antenna that I purchased a few years ago from a local guy who sells tons of 2 way radio systems to truckers. The whip is about 3ft in length .

I recently lost the ball off the tip and am curious toward if it messes with the performance at all ..

I was concidering a tram 1181 antenna but I am concerned about performance loss .... Can I get better performance from a shorter 20" antenna ?

I'm looking to spend under $100 Canadian . Any suggestions on a good bang for the buck nmo antenna .

Thanks
 
mmckenna

mmckenna

Luxury Subscriber
Joined
Jul 27, 2005
Messages
21,274
Location
LATA 722
jordoncloutier said:
I recently lost the ball off the tip and am curious toward if it messes with the performance at all ..
Click to expand...

No, won't impact performance. It's primarily for safety to keep the sharp end of the whip from doing damage. You can buy replacement ones if you search around. You'll need to know the diameter of the whip.

Larsen BALL3B - Misc Antenna Parts | The Antenna Farm

Tear drop black rod tips for .100 diameter non-tapered rods. Package of 10
theantennafarm.com theantennafarm.com

jordoncloutier said:
I was concidering a tram 1181 antenna but I am concerned about performance loss .... Can I get better performance from a shorter 20" antenna ?
Click to expand...

Without knowing what your current antenna is, it would be difficult for us to compare performance between two unknown antennas.

A shorter antenna can work better if it is actually tuned for the frequencies in use. A longer antenna may have more gain if it is tuned for what you listen to.

There are some perfectly good multiband antennas that will come in under 20 inches that -MAY- work better than what you have.
But, skip the Tram/Browning/Hobby/Ham grade crap antennas. They are usually cheap Chinese crap antennas. You won't see them used in professional applications. If you want reliability and performance, as well as actual support from the manufacturer (replacement parts!) Go with the known name brands.

jordoncloutier said:
I'm looking to spend under $100 Canadian . Any suggestions on a good bang for the buck nmo antenna .
Click to expand...

Larsen NMO-150/450/850 is a good VHF/UHF/800MHz antenna that will work well. Larsen is a well known company that makes quality antennas used in public safety applications. You ~should~ be able to find one for less than $100cdn.

Tri-Band 150-165, 450-470 & 806-940 MHz Mobile Two Way Radio Antenna Scanner

150/450/800 Antenna, Gain (dB) Unity, 100 Watts, Whip Length 16.5"
theantennafarm.com theantennafarm.com

I've been trying out a few EMWave antennas for about 2 years now, and am very happy with them. I have this multiband antenna on my work truck and I've been swapping it between the VHF radio and the 800MHz radio, and I've been impressed:

EM Wave EM-M43002 - Triple Band Mobile Antennas

EM-M43002 Tri-Band IP67 Rated Roof Mount Antenna, 150-162/450-490/763-870 MHz
theantennafarm.com theantennafarm.com
 
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