Dixie cup antenna for a scanner???

[mfred]

These new antennas are showing up all over police cars and fire trucks in my area (tri-state). They come in different sizes and look like a Dixie cup or a Styrofoam coffee cup on the roof. My town uses them for their UHF car radios. I’ve seen them in white and black, and some look like hockey pucks or disks. Anyway, what is the correct name for these new antennas and do they make one for a scanner?
Thanks.

 

[nd5y]

They are usually just called low profile antennas.
Most of the major antenna manufacturers make them.

http://www.radialllarsen.com
http://www.antenex.com
http://www.maxrad.com
http://www.antenna.com

Tom

 

[K5MAR]

Note, these antennas are for metro/urban environments, and don't have the range of reception that a standard antenna does. Probably not your best choice as a scanner antenna. Oh, and as far as I know, they are all single band antennas.

Mark S.

 

[unitcharlie]

i prefer my little antenna that makes me look like i have a cell fone in the car....

 

[Suntracker]

What it sounds like you are describing is the antenna for a vehicle locator system. It is GPS. Tracks the location of the vehicle (as well as speed and time). Mainly used for safety (location of officers), efficiency (closest unit to a pending call, response time, etc) and sometimes used by supervisors to track the movements of employees ("problem children" who are where they aren't supposed to be).

 

[RolnCode3]

What it sounds like you are describing is the antenna for a vehicle locator system. It is GPS.

Not necessarily.

The Antennex ones run the spectrum. They run from VHF to 2+ ghz. They also have GPS antennas (which I believe do not require a ground plane). SO, they do in fact have multiple versions for multiple purposes. The Phantoms are VHF, UFH, 800, and up, as well as the "Discadoos" which are the hockey pucks. Dunno what the GPS ones are called, but they look like the Discadoos.

 

[mfred]

Thanks for the responses. I called Antenex the other day. They do not make a multi-band low profile (dixie cup or as they call them, salt & pepper shaker) antenna that would be good for mobile scanning. They recommended a whip. Oh well, Ill find something that looks good and works well. My Radio Shack glass mount isn’t cutting it.

 

[jbstahr]

Thanks for the responses. I called Antenex the other day. They do not make a multi-band low profile (dixie cup or as they call them, salt & pepper shaker) antenna that would be good for mobile scanning. They recommended a whip. Oh well, Ill find something that looks good and works well. My Radio Shack glass mount isn’t cutting it.

Stay away from the RS Mag Mount also :evil:

 

[hughwsharp]

I've seen a pie pan an a Pringles can used for the 400 MHz range.

I was quite amused.

 

[rasputen246]

I just ordered an Antenex
"450-470MHz white low-profile Phantom antenna with 3dB of gain. Uses standard NMO mount".

From John Wayne/ (Waltel)

I need 460.200 & 460.375, & also need to get my mini van in parking garages (yikes!) :shock:

I already have a nice all band, & 2 NMO mag mounts so I can transfer these antennas & a 1/4 wave 800Mhz around between my van & car.

Since I really only care about 460 UHF most times the 3db gain looks attractive.

Can someone tell me a bit about the Phantom construction???
What's it got inside the can, just a loaded/tuned narow band antenna with a protective cap????

Dumb a$$...er ....enquiring mind want's to know. :roll:

 

[N_Jay]

Can someone tell me a bit about the Phantom construction???
What's it got inside the can, just a loaded/tuned narow band antenna with a protective cap????

Dumb a$$...er ....enquiring mind want's to know. :roll:

Go tyo their web site and have them send you a catalog.

 

[rasputen246]

Got my Antenex "Dixie Cup" 450-470Mhz antenna & tried it out.

Now I realize some can't deal with a narrow band antenna, but this thing took my clear reception from just at the edge of the city to 30 miles away (with some static).Better than my 30' pole mounted scantenna at home.

Also within 5-7 miles 800Mhz is fine.

Again, I am monitoring several 460Mhz departments, so I am dead center freq for this model (ATXTRA4503).

But 3db is 3db!

Thinking I need one on top of my base pole!!!! :roll:

Also Waltel is awsome.
(disclaimers implied)

 

[N_Jay]

Got my Antenex "Dixie Cup" 450-470Mhz antenna & tried it out.

. . .

But 3db is 3db!

Glad it works for you application.

But 3 dB is 3dB only if you know the reference point. :wink:

 

[astrodanco]

But 3 dB is 3dB only if you know the reference point. :wink:

I'll second that and then some.

When not stated, I used to assume dBi rather than dBb until I ran into a retailer who was actually refering to "dB over a discone on the same band." WTF! Naturally the discone on the same band was down in the negative dBi and their antenna was actually a 0 dbi antenna. Not even as good as a simple quarter wave dipole.

I don't recall which manufacturer it is, but one of them is refreshingly honest about the gain on some of their antennas. For instance, the gain on one band for one of their tri-band antennas is in negative dBi territory and they unashamedly publish that fact in their catalog. Makes one wonder just what about that antenna makes it "tri-band" compared to any other antenna if the reception on one band is that poor. I'd guess other "tri-band" antennas might be even worse, so maybe they're proud of theirs. Good/poor reception is relative and the measurement tools in the hands of most hobbyists aren't particularly quantitative.

 

[rasputen246]

From the Antenex site:
*Gain on a Phantom® antenna is measured in db-MEG.

What is dB, dBi, dBd and dB MEG?
dB is a logarithmic function that is used as reference to define antenna gain. Each 3dB of gain is an effective doubling of output power. Many times this figure is expressed with reference to a known standard. Such is the case with dBi where the gain is referenced to an isotropic or 0dB source, dBd where the gain is referenced to a dipole antenna or 2.4dB source and dB-MEG where the gain is referenced to Mean Effective Radiation.


Correction> 3db-MEG is 3dbMEG! :roll:

All I know is I now get much better reception even on the car to car chanels than with any other antenna I have used.
Plus I can get in the parking garages without pulling (or breaking) my antenna. Not to mention "being COOL"!!!

Are there any negatives to that?????? N-Jay??

 

[N_Jay]

From the Antenex site:
*Gain on a Phantom® antenna is measured in db-MEG.

What is dB, dBi, dBd and dB MEG?
dB is a logarithmic function that is used as reference to define antenna gain. Each 3dB of gain is an effective doubling of output power. Many times this figure is expressed with reference to a known standard. Such is the case with dBi where the gain is referenced to an isotropic or 0dB source, dBd where the gain is referenced to a dipole antenna or 2.4dB source and dB-MEG where the gain is referenced to Mean Effective Radiation.


Correction> 3db-MEG is 3dbMEG! :roll:



Are there any negatives to that?????? N-Jay??

I love it. What marketing BS.

Guess they know their traget customer.

Glad it works for you.

 

[N_Jay]

From the Antenex site:
*Gain on a Phantom® antenna is measured in db-MEG.

What is dB, dBi, dBd and dB MEG?
dB is a logarithmic function that is used as reference to define antenna gain. Each 3dB of gain is an effective doubling of output power. Many times this figure is expressed with reference to a known standard. Such is the case with dBi where the gain is referenced to an isotropic or 0dB source, dBd where the gain is referenced to a dipole antenna or 2.4dB source and dB-MEG where the gain is referenced to Mean Effective Radiation.


Correction> 3db-MEG is 3dbMEG! :roll:

Are there any negatives to that?????? N-Jay??

Hmmm, wondere what thay equals in dBDL? (dB compaired to a Dummy Load) :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:


I love it. What marketing BS.

Guess they know their target customer.

Glad it works for you.

 

[rasputen246]

Again:
All I know is I now get much better reception even on the car to car chanels than with any other antenna I have used.
Plus I can get in the parking garages without pulling (or breaking) my antenna. Not to mention "being COOL"!!!

 

[N_Jay]

Again:
All I know is I now get much better reception even on the car to car chanels than with any other antenna I have used.
Plus I can get in the parking garages without pulling (or breaking) my antenna. Not to mention "being COOL"!!!

I would guess that where you are gain is not what you needed.

I just find it funny that a company would just make up a reference without explanation.

The very nature of dB is a compairative measure.
dB without a reference point is completely meaningless.
So then they have dB-MEG, but never explain MEG.

 

[rasputen246]

I read somewhere on the Antenex site that the Phantom is tuned to both the electric and magnetic waves of the freq. That being "Diversity" as they described, I guess they have 2 antennas inside at 90 degrees as that is the relationship of electric to magnetic wave form travel.

At $29 I am ready to buy a second one so I don't have to switch from car to car & thinking seriously of mounting one on the pole fort my base scanners.

However much you disparage (justly) their marketing BS of a fake standard, these antennas work very well.

It really boils down to whether or not you can live with a narrow band essentially 1 freq antenna or not.

I put 2 scanners on my pole mounted Scantenna for 2 seperate computer recorders and found I get excellent reception on my home 246 using a 30' tall pole mounted 10dbi 800Mhz Yagi. I just tested it to see & I get great 460Mhz reception even tho I expected it to be terrible as it is so far out of band. Sure it is not acting as a yagi at 460Mhz, but the 30' tall folded dipole driven element(LMR-400) picks up as good as the 20' mounted Scantenna (RJ6).

Point is specs are not everything, sometimes you can get by with something less than perfect.