Does anyone know of a quick home brew antenna for 800mhz trunking. I am taking a trip and want to use something other than the rubber duck antenna. I have a K30 magnet antenna I am going to use for the cb, but thought someone might be able to make a suggestion on a antenna for the car for my handheld scanner. Thank You
Home brew car antenna for 800mhz.
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kf4lne
Member
Quick and simple: Hit a flea market and buy a mag mount cell phone antenna and hit radio shack and buy an adapter or a whole new connector. If you want even quicker and simpler than that get a peice of coax with a connector that fits your scanner on one and and 3 inches of exposed center conductor on the other end and duct tape that to the back window. You could also hit up a /\/\otorola shop and just buy the kit for about the same price as home brewing a mobile antenna. I paid ~$10 for a UHF antenna kit including mounting hardware, i think the antenna was about $7 and the mounting hardware was another $2.50. All ya got to do is pop a couple of screw holes on the inside of the trunk lip and run the cable. You can get the 150 or 450MHz antenna and cut it down to 3.5 inches to make it into an 800MHz antenna.
kf4lne
Member
Motorola shop might have a used mag mount they will hook you up with cheap too. You might be able to find a cheap scanner antenna in a truck stop CB shop and cut it down. For 800MHz scanning all you need is 3.5 inches for a 1/4 wave antenna.
Josh
Member
Well shoot, if you're gunna hit up a Moto shop, you might as well get the 800Mhz antenna with the coil in it, I believe it makes an electrical 5/8 wave over 5/8 wave colinear or something like that. It definitly has gain and will work better, although be about triple the size of the 1/4 wave antenna mentioned already, price will be about the same too.
As for mag-mount, or trunk lip mounts w/ coax, you're talking $30, I dunno where $2.50, or $10 for a total cost came from, it'll definitly cost you more.
-Josh
As for mag-mount, or trunk lip mounts w/ coax, you're talking $30, I dunno where $2.50, or $10 for a total cost came from, it'll definitly cost you more.
-Josh
DickH
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Here's another approach.
I had a through-the-glass 800MHz antenna. Removed it.
Now I use a Radio Shack 800MHz rubber duck and mount my PRO-95 right on the door. It's only a couple of feet lower than the roof and there is no coax and connector loss. It has worked very well for two years now. Much better than the through-the-glass.
I also got a little bonus. When near a Nextel site I simply grab the antenna instead of turning the attenuator on and off to eliminate the interference. Works like a charm.
I put VELCRO on both the door and scanner. see photos.
http://www.pbase.com/dickh/image/40547826
http://www.pbase.com/dickh/image/40547839
I had a through-the-glass 800MHz antenna. Removed it.
Now I use a Radio Shack 800MHz rubber duck and mount my PRO-95 right on the door. It's only a couple of feet lower than the roof and there is no coax and connector loss. It has worked very well for two years now. Much better than the through-the-glass.
I also got a little bonus. When near a Nextel site I simply grab the antenna instead of turning the attenuator on and off to eliminate the interference. Works like a charm.
I put VELCRO on both the door and scanner. see photos.
http://www.pbase.com/dickh/image/40547826
http://www.pbase.com/dickh/image/40547839
Thats a good idea Dick but with the BR330T they have this little round metal knob that sticks out for the belt clip to stick on.I have looked all around the drivers dooor and tried different ways but there is no where I can put it.So that is why I need something that will connect to the coax.Also Thanks Josh for your info on motorola.I will be out hunting to see what I can come up with tomorrow.
wilf, believe it or not, a CB mic clip will work on the metal piece that sticks out of the radio as a mount. I saw it in one of the posts right here on RR.com guy was using it for his 396. velcro can always do the job too. I did the through the glass thing on my blazer and it works great from low band to 868,869 mhz. which I found real hard to believe and probably wouldn't have until I saw it myself. The other thing you can do is use a trunk lip mount or for a little over 11 buck buy one of the hershey kiss antennas from universal (I'm probably doing that myself for my van as I don't drive it that much but when I do, I want at least one of my scanners with me as I don't want to miss anything). I've heard those are great and small too.
joe
joe
DaveH
Member
Wilf,
Princess Auto has a window-clip mount 800Mhz cellular antenna (surplus)
for $10. The detachable rubber antenna is probably worth the price by itself.
It needs a TNC(F) to BNC(M) adaptor. This setup wouldn't be ideal but better
than a duck inside the car lying on the seat.
Dave
Princess Auto has a window-clip mount 800Mhz cellular antenna (surplus)
for $10. The detachable rubber antenna is probably worth the price by itself.
It needs a TNC(F) to BNC(M) adaptor. This setup wouldn't be ideal but better
than a duck inside the car lying on the seat.
Dave
Thanks that sounds great also. But I made a antenna and it seems to work great. I used and old magnet mount from a cb, then I got a rubber duck for a cell phone.Once I installed it I kept cutting a little of the antenna tell I had the best receiving signal.It seems to do the job.And it is definately better than the rubber duck on the scanner.It is a wonder when we experiment what we can accomplish.Thanks all for the replys.
DaveH
Member
Wilf11 said:
I guess we really shouldn't overlook the obvious, and cheaper ideas. You could
even take a piece of stiff wire, wrap it around the threads of the magmount
stud, make sure it sticks up vertically, cut to a good length, and there you go.
You could make a 1/4 wave (simplest) or mimic a loaded whip by winding a
coil (fashioning with an existing antenna). Stripped 12 or14-gauge house
wire should do OK. Bend over the cut end to avoid effects of a possible
eye-poker (albiet a short one..).
Dave
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