High Gain Scanner antenna need help!

[Jacob]

I am looking to put up a 50ft tower in the near future and one of the antennas I would like to mount on the tower is a high gain scanner antenna does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks

Jacob

 

[JohnSPWD]

We need to know what freq. your wanting to listen to and how many miles it will need to pick up?

 

[N4JNW]

A good basic all around scanner antenna is the ScanTenna, or a Diamond Discone. They're both wide band antennae, and lots of people have them, use them, and are pleased.

If you want the highest gain, you'll ultimately need a directional yagi beam antenna, either pointed towards the city/area you want to listen to, or on a rotor. With a beam, it will only recieve what it's looking at, so stuff off to your sides and especially to the rear will be non existent.

A rule of thumb, the higher up you can go, the more gain you'll recieve. I have a ScanTenna at about 15 ft, and I have no problems recieving agencies within about a 45 mile radius. I can't vouch for the discone type antennae, I've never owned one.

 

[morfis]

A rule of thumb, the higher up you can go, the more gain you'll recieve.

Not so. Putting the aerial higher increases it's horizon and maybe lifts it clear of local obstuctions but it certainly has no effect on the gain.

 

[Jacob]

i would love to pick Columbia, SC which is east of my QTH, at about 70 miles and it would be nice to be able to pick up as north west as I could get Atlanta but I know that well be out of the question at 150 miles area.

 

[W4KRR]

The Scantenna, Diamond Discone, or the Austin Ferret would be good choices. The Ferret is a large antenna, eight feet long, but it would probably do the best job on VHF low band frequencies, assuming that VHF low band is important to you.

Too bad they don't make the Butternut SC3000 anymore, that was the best base scanner antenna I ever used, especially or VHF and UHF. It was 11 feet long, but it worked great for DX-ing VHF low band skip!