Has anyone tried this Antenna

[digitalanalog]

Seen this and was wondering if anyone tried this or similar on their scanner/receiver.
might work? coverage is fair, just wondering.

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[popnokick]

This "set top" TV antenna... or one very similar... was tried and written about by someone here on RR a few years ago. You may be able to find what was written by searching. I recall only two things about what was written by the tester: 1) It worked fairly well on a scanner when it was near a window, and 2) it worked best if it was rotated 90 degrees so that all the elements were oriented vertically rather than horizontally (changing the polarity from horizontal to vertical).

 

[MDScanFan]

I like their claim that the lower band coverage is 40 MHz to 230 MHz, there is a band split, and then 470 to 860. Why not just claim it works 1 MHz to 1000 MHz and sell more of them? Also, they mention it is amplified but I do not see any reference to how it is powered.

Though it is cheap I would not waste your money. What frequencies are you trying to listen to? I am sure there are better options for about the same amount of money. It looks like a crude version of anlog periodic. The longest element is around eleven inches, which is resonant around 500 MHz. At best it “works” from from around 500-800 MHz.

 

[popnokick]

Yes, it's not going to work well... if at all... for VHF low band (30-50 mHz). You simply need more metal in the air for that. But if the OP doesn't need low band (and the OP didn't write it either way in the first post)... then for $24.95 it may be a good deal... or not that great a loss if it doesn't pick up what the OP wants to hear. It's a magnitude of order much less expensive than a log periodic... and it certainly may not perform like one. But it costs nowhere near as much as a log periodic antenna... or even a simple Yagi.

 

[Ubbe]

Why not just claim it works 1 MHz to 1000 MHz and sell more of them?

They sell more if it looks as if it where made specifically for some frequencies, that happens to match what you are looking for. You often see the same thing with other antennas like discones, advertised as being able to be used for transmit on 145MHz and 440MHz that matches the amateur bands when it in fact can be used from 100-2000MHz with low SWR and a discone doesn't have any specific prefered frequency where it will work considerable better.

/Ubbe

 

[digitalanalog]

I never intended on buying one of these, was just wondering if anyone has.
for the right freq, it would work and mounting outside would be even better.

I used other OTA antennas for as low as $19.99 and for the 400-500MHz band
it worked GREAT, dead every where else but so what, thats all i wanted for anyway.

maybe I should buy one and scan it with the VNA. Just a thought

 

[popnokick]

Maybe I missed it but I couldn't see anything saying it was OK for outdoor use. These types of antennas are usually made to sit on top of a TV set or tabletop indoors. A VNA scan would be very interesting to read here. Actually, VNA scans of any of the "made for HDTV" indoor flat panel, leaf, stick on window, set-top / desktop antennas would be interesting... particularly regarding their TV channel-adjacent (meaning scanner frequencies) bandwidth.

 

[Ubbe]

Remember that low swr and return loss doesn't always equal good antenna performance. A dummy load would then be the perfect antenna. I modify my Diamond X510 antenna by soldering in jumpers and removing components that are inserted to give low swr at amateur frequencies and I wanted to get as high signal levels as possible in all frequency bands without considering any swr values.

It still received equally good at the amateur frequencies but all other frequencies got a hugh boost and are better than tuned 1/4 and 5/8 GP antennas at their frequencies. The swr are at best 1:3 and are terrible but reception are great.

/Ubbe