ham antenna for scanning

[HOLEBILLY]

anyone on here ever use a 2m/70cm ham base antenna for scanning? and if so how did it work.Thanks

 

[ridgescan]

I run a 2-meter 4-element yagi for vhf/uhf action south of me. It rocks! Bonus is I get some stuff from the north even though it's pointed south! It's tuned for vhf hi but pulls in Highway Patrol on the 2's nicely

 

[jon_k]

I've noticed the amateur antennas work ___GREAT__ if you monitor bands they're suppose to transmit on.

However, scanning antennas always do "ok" and by golly if you try to transmit in the band it's made to monitor the SWR is through the roof. Which to me states it's not capable of radiating power out at that frequency -- so what makes it good at receiving power at that frequency? If it can't transmit good why would it do any better at rx?

 

[KC0QNB]

Well simply stated, some rx antennas are at best a compromise or tuned to an "average" frequency in the case of a dual band rx only antenna, it is built to the highest frequency in each band (therefor making the antenna shorter and requiring less material, thereby costing less to make) for example a dual band scanner I looked at is 21" long, but the tx capable antenna for the same frequencies is 38" long, this gives you more "capture area" there for it works better.

 

[kb2vxa]

I have always used my Amateur Radio antennas on the scanner and 800MHz is the only band they're deaf on. That hole gets filled with an old cell phone antenna, the system has worked well for many years. Never mind all the technobabble, they work and that is that.

 

[stevolene]

I have always used my Amateur Radio antennas on the scanner and 800MHz is the only band they're deaf on. That hole gets filled with an old cell phone antenna, the system has worked well for many years. Never mind all the technobabble, they work and that is that.

I have good results with a duel band 2m/440 antennas even on the 800 band, I use a larson NMO trunk lip mount, I couldn't tell you what the antenna is, however its approx 18", I have 2, one is silver with a little more give than the black one, I have a cell phone antenna that I tried and really didnt see that much difference in the trunked systems, which in my area is the motorola smartnet II, I also have a pmm3, and the ks3, I really cant tell the difference in any of these antennas. I can however say that the pmm3 antennas make a really good antenna for transmitting on 2M, stick it on a cake pan and Ive hit repeaters 50 miles away with an HT, I cant make that claim for the cell antenna of course, I guess what it boils down to it, its really what you want to spend and what you wanna listen to, its my belief that for general listening, theres not much that wont work.

 

[N1BHH]

My Larsen NMO-2/70 works excellent for scanning when it's not being used for transmitting here at home. Mine is on a mag mount on the air conditioner only 10 feet off the ground and does what I want it to do. Same thing on the van does what I want it to do.

 

[K4DHR]

My dual band Cushcraft mounted on the roof works great for air-comm and other VHF/UHF reception. However, it is almost completely deaf on 800/900MHz.