Sounds like a nice antenna, But the advertisment states antenna is" non returnable" . I have a hard time spending money on something that cannot be returned if defective or perhaps doesnt fit the application when arriving from mail order. Customer service has gone away for good it seems. SD
Is anyone happy with the Austin Spectra Amateur Four Band Mobile?
- Thread starter jon_k
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N1BHH
Member
The reason why the antenna is non-returnable is pretty simple. If it goes out in perfect order and the purchaser doesn't read the instructions for installation completely, and the antenna comes back to them with some of the base broken or mangled, it can't be re-sold and the manufacturer can't re-machine or repair the antenna. Don't blame the retailer for this, he's the one who gets the blame all the time, when in actuality, the customer is to blame. This antenna is not for the beginner, the base has to be attached to the mount precisely, you just don't twist it on. I have been putting antennas on mounts all my life and have had problems with even the simplest mounts, and I'm mechanically inclined.
jon_k
Member
N1BHH said:
This much is true. I thank af5rn for his forewarning about this. There's an L contact that touches the NMO mount. If you just twist this thing on, you crush the L mount and apparently short it, and it is unrepairable, so I've been told. (Unsure about unrepairable. Solder and a piece of copper sounds like a bright prospect for repair. Haven't broke my antenna to try this out, but I'd think it would work.)
I really wish I could screw that down tight, I hate threaded things not being tight -- but this design cannot allow it. I wish the design was different.
Otherwise this antenna seems really nice. Later this week when my FCC callsign comes through and a friend loans me a 2 meter, I'll give it a shot to see how it transmits.
N1BHH
Member
jon_k said:
A 2 meter what? The antenna works great on 2, 220 and 440. I used mine as a backup antenna when one was not readily available.
af5rn
Member
Get yourself a square of ultra fine metal sandpaper and a can of flat black Rust-Oleum spray paint, and the Austin transforms from an ugly monstrosity to a pretty sweet looking antenna. It seriously improves the profile of the antenna, making it much less obvious and less of a clash with your car.
jon_k
Member
N1BHH said:
I meant a 2 meter HT -- to try TX with the Spectra! My callsign should be posted later this week, and my friend will loan me an HT until I get my own. I'm quite eager to test 2 meters on the Spectra.
Here's a picture of the install. This bracket worked out well. Originally it didn't have room for the lip of the toolbox, so I added the plastic spacers as you can kind of see pictured here. I could have placed this more centered on the box for better groundplane, but I may plan to add additional antennas on this box in the future. I can also add more mounts, and keep this cornermount for a less-used antenna in the future.
Antenna is slightly bent in it's new natural position, after performing speed tests at 95mph.
(P.S. af4rn: What part did you sand on the antenna? Could that be harmful in some way? Would it strip away any coats that are corrosion resistant?)
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im looking at getting that same antenna and may possibly mount it on my truck's toolbox like you did. i have a question about the ground as well though.. is the toolbox enough ground even if it isnt touching the metal of the truck? my toolbox is diamond plated and mag mounts arent able to be stuck to it, i know he isn't using a mag mount, but because of that fact, does that cause any grounding problems?
af5rn
Member
Sorry I missed this earlier! I gave a light sanding to the entire thing, as there is some slight weird coating of some sort on the plastic load coil housings. It is not uniform, so I sanded it to allow for a uniform paint layer. Wasn't sure about the metal, but I sanded them too just to make sure it took to the metal, especially the brass. Rust-Oleum is corrosion resistant, which is why I specifically chose it. Of course, it turned out to be a moot point since I only use it in the attic now, lol. I can't think of any circumstances under which I would want to return it to any vehicle. I can do better with separate single and dual-band antennae.
As for your grounding, yes, the tool box is fine (assuming it is metal), even if it isn't attached to the truck itself. The ground PLANE is the thing you are really worried about, not electrical grounding.
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- May 5, 2007
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I have one and I hate it. It picks up VHF just fine but but it would pick up Low-band (46Mhz) worth ****. Even cutting the antenna to 5 1/2 like the Ms. Austin said didn't work. I mean it picks it up but nothing like my Antenna Specialist MONR-33. The MONR-33 in by far the best mobile antenna on out there. My my signal strength meter I signals with the Spectra would be 1 maybe 2 bars, but with my MONR-33 Full Scale. The Spectra is not worth the money not to mention it is one ugly antenna.
ka3jjz
Wiki Admin Emeritus
Yes, low band is not its strong point - there is a cutting chart where you can cut the top conductor down for somewhat better performance, but a 2 foot (or so) antenna is simply not going to be efficient at 40 mhz. There's only so much cheating of physics that you can do :.>>
It's good enough for me, though - I can hear Md State Police mobiles fairly easily...73 Mike
It's good enough for me, though - I can hear Md State Police mobiles fairly easily...73 Mike
An NMO mount is a threaded mount. How do you attach the antenna to the mount without "twisting" it? Are you saying that the antenna base needs to be screwed onto the NMO by gripping near the base of the antenna rather than higher up?
jon_k
Member
By "Twist this thing on" I meant twist that sucker down like you meant business and put it on the mount nice and tight. There is a DELICATE part to be aware of. It seems this needs better explanation, so I will share.
There is a ring that threads on to the NMO mount. Then this ring has a smaller threaded hole. The Spectra antenna screws down into this ring where the antenna contact touches the NMO mount contact. The contact on the antenna is L shaped, and rests against the NMO mount. It is made out of thin copper.
The way you put this on is screw the ring over the NMO mount, then screw the antenna threads into the NMO ring. You then STOP as soon as you start hearing signals with the radio. (E.G. Contact has been made.)
The antenna is never screwed in tightly to the "ring", but it is in tight enough to avoid moisture from getting in. If you continue to screw the antenna in to the thread completely, you will have crushed the metal L contact that the antenna touches the NMO mount with. This results in shorting it out making it useless.
In theory you could repair this by obtaining another piece of metal and soldering it in place as a new L contact. Though it's better to avoid the trouble.
NOTE: See the attached diagram. [In full undistorted size here] The second diagram shows the antenna with the base removed. See how it works?
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jon_k
Member
As af5rn said above, if the toolbox is made out of metal it is fine. It is not an ELECTRICAL ground you are needing. No connection to the vehicle is needed. If your toolbox floated in mid air somehow and the antenna mounted on it -- this would be sufficient for your needs.
The toolbox must be metal so it can be a ground plane. A ground plane is simply a flat metal object that either reflects or directs radio waves antenna. You could set an antenna in the middle of your yard with no connection to anything but the antenna and you would have a ground plane.
I am assuming your toolbox is made out of aluminum, and by drilling holes and putting a mount on it you will be removing any non-conductive coating (as the screws for the mount will be touching non-coated pure aluminum.) This will generate a perfect ground plane to help direct signals to the antenna. The idea is, the larger the flat piece of metal you have (and the more centered the antenna is on the piece of metal) the better ground plane you have. NOTE: Ground planes aren't even really necessary, but they do help get the signal to you and they help A LOT when it comes to transmitting. (I also realize the toolbox has those diamond shaped bumps. Still, the toolbox is considered flat enough to be a good ground plane.)
More information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_plane
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af5rn
Member
Yeah, and a very large percentage of those who purchase the antenna do that, and never even know they ruined their antenna, so they spend their lifetime telling people the antenna sucks, when really, they're just impatient idiots who didn't read the directions before they rushed in and screwed it up because they thought they knew it all.
You can NOT assemble this antenna and then install it. You have to install it and THEN assemble it. Otherwise, you will screw it up.
There are plenty of antennae out there that will do a little better than the Spectra on specific bands. However, there simply is NO all-band scanner antenna on the market that I have found that will outperform the Spectra across the board. It is always at least a bar above the Maxrad/Comtelco BMAXSCAN1000 on all bands, but even more on low band.
Be that as it may, the negatives generally outweigh the positives in a mobile installation. It's too tall, fragile, and floppy, which keeps you from mounting it where it would work best, which is on your roof or trunk lid. It's too temperamental about ground and ground plane, limiting its effective mounting options elsewhere. And most people don't need full-spectrum coverage these days anyhow. Hell, I don't need low band at all anymore, so the Comtelco works quite fine for me, using good placement and mounting, and is a lot better looking, stable, and reasonably priced.
The Austin is a good performing scanner antenna. Better than most. But not good enough to justify the high price.
You can NOT assemble this antenna and then install it. You have to install it and THEN assemble it. Otherwise, you will screw it up.
There are plenty of antennae out there that will do a little better than the Spectra on specific bands. However, there simply is NO all-band scanner antenna on the market that I have found that will outperform the Spectra across the board. It is always at least a bar above the Maxrad/Comtelco BMAXSCAN1000 on all bands, but even more on low band.
Be that as it may, the negatives generally outweigh the positives in a mobile installation. It's too tall, fragile, and floppy, which keeps you from mounting it where it would work best, which is on your roof or trunk lid. It's too temperamental about ground and ground plane, limiting its effective mounting options elsewhere. And most people don't need full-spectrum coverage these days anyhow. Hell, I don't need low band at all anymore, so the Comtelco works quite fine for me, using good placement and mounting, and is a lot better looking, stable, and reasonably priced.
The Austin is a good performing scanner antenna. Better than most. But not good enough to justify the high price.
One analogy is that a quarter-wave antenna is actually half of a dipole. The other half has to be be somewhere, otherwise the antenna won't perform very well. In the case of a quarter-wave antenna mounted on a vehicle, the vehicle's metal body becomes the other half of the dipole which we typically refer to as the ground plane. Assuming that the Austin is a 1/4 wave on some or all bands, it will require a ground plane.
A half-wave antenna, on the other hand, does not require a ground plane. It is a dipole, though it is end-fed, which requires a transformer (coil) at the feed point to match the impedance of the feed line to the antenna. Half-wave antennas are popular on fiber glass boats for the marine VHF frequencies because the antenna does not require a ground plane.
I think this will depend a lot on the conductivity of the soil. There are a lot of designs out there for 1/4 wave vertical antennas for HF that require that you put down radials in the soil to create the necessary ground plane.
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ok thanks guys. that makes alot of sense. i think i had also got in the mindset of ground plane being electrical ground... just used to automobile electrical work. yea my toolbox is aluminum i believe. i may be the only one...but i think this antenna looks kinda cool with its spring coil and all.
af5rn
Member
I thought so too, until I got it in my hands, lol. The pictures look cool, but it looks like crap on a vehicle, even once you paint it black. Especially with it being so floppy. If it stood erect, it would look better. I dunno why they stuck the heaviest load coil highest on the whip. Gotta wonder if there is a functional reason for that, or if it was just really poor design.
jon_k
Member
I don't know. People say it's ugly, but it doesn't bother me so much. An antenna is an antenna and anyone who is sporting 2-3 of them on a vehicle obviously isn't into antennas for the sexy looks. If you want sexy buy a corvette and ditch your antenna gear.
Deal Breaker
Well, I am back to square one regarding the purchase of a decent mobile scanner antenna. I don't do well with tedious tweaking not matter what outcome follows. Generally speaking, if it can be messed up, I am quite talented at such. So, I will opt to buy another one besides this model. I miss my A/S Mon 51 with the 800 mhz load.
Well, I am back to square one regarding the purchase of a decent mobile scanner antenna. I don't do well with tedious tweaking not matter what outcome follows. Generally speaking, if it can be messed up, I am quite talented at such. So, I will opt to buy another one besides this model. I miss my A/S Mon 51 with the 800 mhz load.
Magnetic Mount
I am sorry, but this antenna seems like something I could easily break. I cannot tell you how many times I've knocked off the magnetic mount on my CB antenna. If I were to hit something with the Austin Spectra, it would likely break. So, I will leave these high-end antennas to the pros.
I am sorry, but this antenna seems like something I could easily break. I cannot tell you how many times I've knocked off the magnetic mount on my CB antenna. If I were to hit something with the Austin Spectra, it would likely break. So, I will leave these high-end antennas to the pros.
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