Indoor Scanner Antenna

[clintsworld]

Hello All,

I just purchased a BC92XLT scanner and I was wondering if ANYONE has any plans for an INDOOR antenna for this puppy?! I live in an area where we CANNOT install antennas on the outside of the buildings and this is killing my scanner reception. I would think a dipole or some type of wrapped wire on pvc pipe would work but how big or how long?

I would REALLY appreciate any advice or plans you might have.

Thanks Much!!

Clint

 

[Terry1810]

Hello All,

I just purchased a BC92XLT scanner and I was wondering if ANYONE has any plans for an INDOOR antenna for this puppy?! I live in an area where we CANNOT install antennas on the outside of the buildings and this is killing my scanner reception. I would think a dipole or some type of wrapped wire on pvc pipe would work but how big or how long?

I would REALLY appreciate any advice or plans you might have.

Thanks Much!!

Clint

Try this... http://www.grove-ent.com/grovevu.html (GROVE FLEX-TENNA™VU ) Grove did an article in Monitoring Times about this antenna. It looks like what you may need.

 

[clintsworld]

Try this... http://www.grove-ent.com/grovevu.html (GROVE FLEX-TENNA™VU ) Grove did an article in Monitoring Times about this antenna. It looks like what you may need.

Yeah, I saw that but I really would like to make my own rather than shelling out anymore cash. I have plenty of wire, coax, pvc pipe, assorted screws, nuts, bolts and connectors laying around here so with all that I should be able to throw SOMETHING together?! I just need some plans to follow.

Clint

 

[ka3jjz]

We have a nice Scanner Antennas Wiki page that might give you some ideas. We have a couple - not too many, and sure could use more - homebrew projects that might be right up your alley. More specifically the NA4IT ground plane might do real well (I'm assuming you are interested in VHF high/UHF)?

I keep on thinking that antenna that was mentioned in a previous thread was nothing more than an offset fed vertical dipole - I THINK the end that connected to the center conductor was about 3 foot long, the side that went to the braid was quite short - around 12 inches long. If someone would jump in here to correct that, I'm sure it would be appreciated. For my money, it's overpriced; you could create something like this in about 10 minutes flat, probably less.

If push comes to shove, that 20-176 ground plane antenna that RS has been very popular, and it's cheap too. For an indoor app, it just might fill the bill. You could also try using a mag mount antenna under a large (the bigger the better) conductive surface.

In all cases, get it up as high and as close to an outside wall (that doesn't have a lot of electrical wiring) as you can. That's probably about the best you can do, particularly with a small low end portable. 73s and GL...Mike

 

[RocketMan1]

We have a nice Scanner Antennas Wiki page that might give you some ideas. We have a couple - not too many, and sure could use more - homebrew projects that might be right up your alley. More specifically the NA4IT ground plane might do real well (I'm assuming you are interested in VHF high/UHF)?

I keep on thinking that antenna that was mentioned in a previous thread was nothing more than an offset fed vertical dipole - I THINK the end that connected to the center conductor was about 3 foot long, the side that went to the braid was quite short - around 12 inches long. If someone would jump in here to correct that, I'm sure it would be appreciated. For my money, it's overpriced; you could create something like this in about 10 minutes flat, probably less.

If push comes to shove, that 20-176 ground plane antenna that RS has been very popular, and it's cheap too. For an indoor app, it just might fill the bill. You could also try using a mag mount antenna under a large (the bigger the better) conductive surface.

In all cases, get it up as high and as close to an outside wall (that doesn't have a lot of electrical wiring) as you can. That's probably about the best you can do, particularly with a small low end portable. 73s and GL...Mike

Just out of curiosity, what type of reception should you expect from that homebrew ground plane in each respected frequency range?

 

[ka3jjz]

Given that this is originally designed to be a 144/450 Mhz ground plane, I would expect it to be reasonably broadbanded - perhaps covering much of the VHF hi band and the lower part of UHF (maybe up to about 470 mhz or so). It's entirely possible it might hear up to the UHF-T band; I would doubt it would be effective at 800, however. But heck, if you have the parts, it doesn't look like it would take a whole lot of time to build. For a small handheld like the 92xlt, the low gain and reasonable bandwidth would probably be a winner. 73s Mike

 

[rpowley]

Given that this is originally designed to be a 144/450 Mhz ground plane, I would expect it to be reasonably broadbanded - perhaps covering much of the VHF hi band and the lower part of UHF (maybe up to about 470 mhz or so). It's entirely possible it might hear up to the UHF-T band; I would doubt it would be effective at 800, however. But heck, if you have the parts, it doesn't look like it would take a whole lot of time to build. For a small handheld like the 92xlt, the low gain and reasonable bandwidth would probably be a winner. 73s Mike

The 20-176 is fairly broadbanded - I am still amazed at how well it does pick up 8XXMhz systems, especially in a Metro area.

 

[clintsworld]

Couldn't I make something like the RS ground plane myslf using an SO239 connector and some welding rod? Would that work?

Clint

 

[kny2xb]

I've had the same situation, no outdoor antenna allowed (You should have seen the owners' faces when I asked to string a long wire for my shortwave receiver!). This alternative cost me only a few bucks, and it works better than a built-in whip or a rubber duck.

I lived in Western NY state at the time. We were renting the upstairs of a duplex.

I considered the Grove inside antenna at the time, but money was very tight. So I looked in my "stuff box" and decided to improvise.

I took the 2-whip telescopic antenna (rabbit-ears) that sat on the top of our tv (the antenna was unused because we had cable tv) and the 300 ohm to 75 ohm converter (the little box with two screws for twin-lead and a 75 ohm male connector, NOT the little tube with the female connector), a 75 ohm double female f-connector, a 6-foot length of coax, and a f-female to bnc-male adaptor Both of these from Radio Shack).

I opened the whips to 33" each since the Grove inside antenna was 66" in length. The antenna used about 2' of twin-lead, attached the 300/75 adapter to the ends, added the f double-female, the other side got 6' of 75 ohm of coax, finished it with the f-to-bnc adaptor. The 6' coax let me place the antenna behind the dresser in the corner of the bedroom; but within reach of my nightstand where my scanner was.

My scanner is a PRO-2004 with 300 channels and 25-550 / 760-1300 MHz coverage.
Stock whip antenna results: local PD, FD and airport came in fine, nothing on 225-400 milair.
TV antenna results: local PD fine, local FD @ 154.13 bordered on overload, started getting ground control from the airport, and best of all I started getting F-16's from Syracuse training out over Lake Ontario. When the skip was running, I even picked up the CHP on 42 MHz.

I still use this antenna. I've since moved to West Florida. Most of the activity is 800 MHz trunked, but both the airports are 20 miles or away and I pick them up with little or no problem. I've aquired the milair freqs for Florida and they're programmed in. I'm hoping to catch some action from the AFB's from the Panhandle and refueling tracks.

When I feel like sitting on the patio with my handheld, I just unplug it and take it out to the porch with me. Even if you have to buy everything, between Radio Shack and Wal-Mart you shouldn't have to spend more than $15-20.

Greg
Palm Harbor, FL
PRO-2004
PRO-43
PRO-2050
PRO-97
DX-400

 

[ka3jjz]

Couldn't I make something like the RS ground plane myslf using an SO239 connector and some welding rod? Would that work?

Clint

If some kind soul were to give you the lengths of each of the elements, I can't see why not. As the poster above proves, sometimes putting things together yourself is the right way to go....73s Mike

 

[clintsworld]

Would the lengtk be all that critical since I will not be transmitting but rather just receiving? I would think the longer the better.......Am I wrong with this theory? I USED to have a copy of the AARL Antenna handbook but it was lost in one of my many moves in life.

Clint

 

[SIMON11]

There is plenty of stuff here. From a dipole just using wire.

http://ac6v.com/antprojects.htm

 

[N4UYV_Al]

Hmmm, can ya mount an American flag on a 45 degree 'flagpole' outside your window?...hehe