Home brewed multicoupler

[KD6HRI]

Does anyone know if there are any schematics or kits out there to make your own multicoupler to feed multiple scanners off one antenna. I would like to get a Stridesberg, but at $185 off their site is alot to invest. It may come down to "biting the bullet" and buying one, but I wanted to check with you all and see if there are more cost effective options out there.

 

[737mech]

8 port splitter

Are you wanting to get all of your radios connected? Maybe just 8? Here's what you should try Electroline EDA-2800 there's always one on ebay. Many people with many scanners use them and they work. If you decide to go Stridsberg later you will at least already know how good your antenna is and the money spent for the EDA will be nothing by comparison to the investment of MCA multicoupler. Just suggesting go cheap first. Then later when you have extra money buy the MCA from Stridsberg.

 

[majoco]

Here's a good article from John Bryant. You may have to find out about the core material for VHF but another option is to use the binocular core from a TV antenna 300 to 75ohm balun.

DXing.info › Equipment

 

[lmrtek]

this again is the huge advantage of using 75 ohm Infrastructure

all you need is a 10 dollar TV preamp and a splitter

or you can just buy a Channel Master CM-3418 8 port distribution amp and be done with it

you can also buy a .5db noise figure amp for under 100 bucks and use
a TV splitter

either way the stridsburg is WAY over priced for only a 2.2db noise figure amp

it has a similar noise figure to the Channel Master so it appears to simply be a 50 ohm version of a TV unit

 

[buddrousa]

I went from the TV splitter and amp had to deal with noise bought my first Stridsburg did away with the cheap amp and TV splitter and the noise went away and more signals started popping up and buy stridsburgs when they pop up

 

[KMG54]

Here's a good article from John Bryant. You may have to find out about the core material for VHF but another option is to use the binocular core from a TV antenna 300 to 75ohm balun.

DXing.info ? Equipment

Hell just flip the antenna vertical and use the whole setup!

 

[majoco]

What are you talking about?

 

[cmdrwill]

What are you talking about?

TV signals are horizontally polarized. Two-way radio signals ore Vertically polarized, that is why you would 'flip' the antenna.

 

[allend]

I am using one of these Electroline EDA-2800 but only in the 4 port and it works great. I am using a Diamond Discone antenna.

Ran 50 feet of feed line from the antenna to the Electroline. Then ran a 100 feet from the amp to another 3 port splitter and running 3 radios with no issues. It's not the most best setup but it works great

I am using RG-6 and compression fittings.

 

[lmrtek]

I installed a channel master 8 port tv line amp for the county 911 center

ran quadshield rg6 to all 8 receivers

The scanners now actually hear signals better than the their Motorola radios

 

[rbm]

This is similar to what I've been using on six different antennas for a lot of years.



That photo is of the setup I use when I go to the homes of friends so they can see how much difference it will make at their location.
The amp is a Holland LA-520, 50-2050 MHz. 20 dB gain. (around $12-$16 on ebay)
Spec Sheet is here: https://www.perfect-10.tv/webstore/spec-sheets/LA-520.pdf

Using a DC block as shown, you can mount the amp. directly at the antenna.

My permanent installations at home use (mostly) RF Bay, Inc. LNA-1000 pre-amps instead of the Holland shown in the photo.
They're much better, and much more expensive.
One of my antennas is feeding 32 scanners simultaneously including my two feeds on Broadcastify.

Rich