Ideas for outdoor antennas for those in apartments?

[Moose71]

Just was looking to get any good ideas on running coax and Antennas for those of us living in apartments. My monitoring room has a window, but it's not ideal as it looks out onto the front porch/door area and no where to install an antenna. Was considering running my coax thru the living room and then drilling out to the back porch to install the antenna out there, which WOULD be ideal because I am on the top floor with great views and I know my ground plane would have kick-butt recieve. But it seems like a big headache. Other than my 2 Pro-97's with RS 800Mhz antennas which I use for local trunked systems, I'd like to get my Uniden BC 780xlt and RS pro-2035 connected to my "good" antenna outside. Right now I'm using the RS magmount antenna on a small 2 drawer file cabinent which is not cutting it on reception for my liking. I know there has to be some great ideas out there for scanner nuts living in apartments that have outdoor antennas.

 

[ridgescan]

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx34/ridgerocker2001/IMG_0611.jpg

Get up there pal

 

[Moose71]

Oh How i wish.. LOL

 

[GrumpyGuard]

Moose, do you have access to the attic? If so you should be able to place a discone up there. It's not a perfect spot but it is better than drilling through the wall and hitting a pipe or wires.

 

[LtDoc]

Probably the simplest way of getting a feed line inside a house is through a window. There are various ways of going about that, but almost all of them mean leaving that window open to some extent. I use a board placed in the window opening that's 'tall' enough to put a connector(s) or hole(s) in will certainly work. Weather strips around the board to keep unwanted 'stuff' out, or in. That gets into a 'security' issue, so think about it.
- 'Doc

 

[ranger821]

outside antenna

I agree. In the attic is better than in the room. If it is your apartment, i.e. townhouse you could run it up the wall inside, thru to the attic. Same thing only run the coax across the attic to the access to the back of the house/apartment. If your apartment is fairly new, They are RF prisons. Signals can't get thru the metal and concrete.

John

 

[LouCheese]

Just do what I do-put the antenna up inside and disguise it as a work of art.

 

[hcpholder]

I am a new ham and live in an apartment complex. I can't run any type of cable out of the apartment due to rules. Can I use my mag-mount 2m/70cm ham antenna in the apartment? Do I have to place it on something that the magnet will adhear to in order for it to work? Thanks.

 

[texasemt13]

Can I use my mag-mount 2m/70cm ham antenna in the apartment?

First, congrats on getting your ticket.

Second, you should be fine with your dual-band antenna inside. Of course, higher is better.

Do I have to place it on something that the magnet will adhere to in order for it to work?

Do you have to in order for it to work- no. Should you if you want it to be better, yes. A cookie sheet or a metal filing cabinet work great. Or create a ground plane with some other sheet of metal, or consider some small copper tubing or wire (like stripped nomex), to create a radial pattern below the antenna.

 

[reedeb]

I am a new ham and live in an apartment complex. I can't run any type of cable out of the apartment due to rules. Can I use my mag-mount 2m/70cm ham antenna in the apartment? Do I have to place it on something that the magnet will adhear to in order for it to work? Thanks.

Congrats on the ticket!!! . I use a cookiesheet pan [older one getting a bit rusty] and have 2 ham and 2 scanner antennas on it 3 are mag mounts and 1 [scanner] is trunk lip mounted on the side. I Ilive in Wylie TX right now [moving the first of the year to Dallas] and can transmit and recieve all the way to Fort Worth.

 

[newsphotog]

Do you have to in order for it to work- no. Should you if you want it to be better, yes. A cookie sheet or a metal filing cabinet work great. Or create a ground plane with some other sheet of metal, or consider some small copper tubing or wire (like stripped nomex), to create a radial pattern below the antenna.

I have a 40" dual-band antenna on an NMO mag mount sitting on top of an aluminum coffee can in my first-floor apartment windowsill. It works ok for what I need, but there's definitely room for improvement. This seems to be something that comes up a lot in these forums, I should take a picture.

Congrats on the ticket!!! . I use a cookiesheet pan [older one getting a bit rusty] and have 2 ham and 2 scanner antennas on it 3 are mag mounts and 1 [scanner] is trunk lip mounted on the side. I Ilive in Wylie TX right now [moving the first of the year to Dallas] and can transmit and recieve all the way to Fort Worth.

How have you not blown out the front ends of your scanners yet if all those antennas are on one cookie sheet? Please tell me it's a really big cookie sheet and that your ham antennas have more space between the scanner antennas.

 

[popnokick]

hcpholder- Here's a 2M antenna made of twinlead and coax that is completely flexible. Use indoors or out. You can hang it indoors behind a curtain near a window. I've had pretty good luck with mine; worked the Space Shuttle with it once.
http://www.wb0w.com/mfj/antennas/mfj1730.html

 

[davidgcet]

before you drill a hole to run a line out, get approval IN WRITING from the apartment manager. otherwise you could be held responsible for an expensive repair, remember they can demand it brought back to original state not just patched!

as for putting something on the balcony, a sand/concrete filled 5 gallon bucket with a 3' fence post in it works well for a portable mount. run the line out a window, then secure teh window with a screw or two to prevent it being raised. do this in an inconspicuous spot so that they don't ding you for the screw holes.

 

[KC0LOE]

I use whats called a water pipe j-pole for my scanner operation. The antenna was orgionaly used for 2 meter / 70 cm ham radio. Since 2 meters and 70 cm are a waste land now days, I just hooked it up to my scanner. It works okay for Pulling in vhf high and uhf, which is what almost every one uses around here. I plan on putting up an Antenna Craft ST2, but its pretty much winter here right now. here is a pic of mine. The other one is my tv antenna. Cable got too expensive, lol.