Jetstream JTD2 Discone

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dxradio2003

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Jan 31, 2004
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162
Hi,

I have used many scanners and receivers over the years and almost as many antennas. My latest one is the Jetstream JTD2 discone. I was surprised that it seems to work better than it's replacement, the Antennacraft dipole that many of us are familiar with.

The low-band reception is very good, only being surpassed by a dedicated low-band ground plane I used to use. VHF-hi, UHF, and UHF/T work great at pulling in the signals. The 800 Mhz band works very well, often times registering another signal strength bar on my BC996T scanner.

While certainly non-scientific, my ears tell me this antenna works better than most broadband antennas I have used and better than the one it replaced.

I do use RG-6 satellite cable and have the antenna mounted on a 1 inch diameter pvc pipe. This seems to help overall reception. Still, it is not as high up as I would like, however, it is mounted the eave of a two-story house.

I realize while no broadband scanner antenna is perfect, this one does the job for me. The true test will be how it handles winter weather.

---dxradio
 

dxradio2003

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Joined
Jan 31, 2004
Messages
162
Jtd2

Hi,

As I use this antenna over a longer period, it picks up UHF extremely well. I am hearing weak stations I could never hear with my previous antenna (Antennacraft dipole). The same is true of VHF-hi band stations.

I am still testing the 800 Mhz band, however, preliminary results are also showing stronger signals.

Don't get me wrong, I still love my Antennacraft antenna and recommend it also. The JTD2 just seems to pull in the signals a bit better. If you have had any experiences with this or other antennas, please let me/us know. I am always interested to hear what your results are.

Thanks,

---dxradio
 

sjlamb

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Joined
May 27, 2007
Messages
882
Location
Sarasota County, FL
I have tested this antenna too and agree with some of the OP's observations. Specifically, I found that this discone does a pretty nice job on VHF-Hi and UHF 420-520 mHz but is completely inadequate on 800 mHz TRS. In fact, I was surprised (and disappointed) to see the RS800 rubber duck at ground level consistly outperform a roof mounted Jetstream JTD2 Discone feeding 75 ft. of LMR-400 Untraflex on 15 mile distant 800 trunked systems.

Decent and economical choice for Air, Marine and UHF to 520 mHz comms but, for anthing but the most local 800 systems take at look at DPD Productions (dpdproductions.com)
 

Phrostbyte

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Jun 18, 2007
Messages
45
Location
Owensboro, Kentucky
I agree - excellent antenna. I use it next to a Scantenna and while the Scantenna is nice, the Jetstream picks up things the other just can't due to distance.
 
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