HappilyRetired
Member
I got bored in retirement and started a business. I would like to be able to monitor my scanners from the third floor. I don't have the ability to put an antenna on the roof of this commercial building. I know nothing really about building an antenna. I have done some searching and come up with some ideas and I hope that you can guide me from this point.
I like to monitor CHP using a 996 P2. It's my understanding that the scanner has some kind of tuning where it takes what it's got for an antenna and does its best to make it work.
I was looking at a quarter wave J Pole that could be made from ladder line and then tacked to the wall of my office using push pins. I have no way of knowing where to put the bottom part to match for the lowest SWR but I won't be transmitting anyway. I have the ability to look up the dimensions for a quarter wave based on 42 MHz. But I also want the antenna to work well on VHF and especially on 700/800. I am far enough away from the mountains to pick up the forest service crews on the side of the mountain fighting brush fires as well as being between two major freeways and the ability to monitor CHP. I'm also able to monitor County Fire on 700/800. It's reception across the Inland Empire tends to be scratchy at times and great at other times.
Another idea given to me was basically to take eight feet of ladder line and short it at the top and the bottom and then in the middle attach my coaxial cable with a BNC connector to plug into the scanner. Someone else suggested that since I'm only using it to monitor I could actually lower the feed point on the ladder line. I think this one was called a folded dipole.
Yet another idea given to me was mounting a Mag Mount antenna attached to a square plate as a ground plane on the ceiling of my office building and running the cable out horizontally and then finally down the wall and into the scanner. But I'm not aware of a scanner antenna that has decent 42 MHz reception. I want the simplest solution but I also see that ladder line is a good idea because it can be painted over to match the wall.
Lastly, since I'm using two scanners it was suggested that I use a simple TV coupler using F connectors to share the antenna. All I have to do is put F connectors on the antenna and then on the outputs of the coupler but terminating in a BNC connector. I understand that it's not matched but I guess neither are the $200 couplers found online.
I appreciate any and all feedback. Remember that I'm inside an office building with a view of outside of the windows. I'm not looking for a perfect solution. I think that would be if I could put a discount up on the roof or something.
I like to monitor CHP using a 996 P2. It's my understanding that the scanner has some kind of tuning where it takes what it's got for an antenna and does its best to make it work.
I was looking at a quarter wave J Pole that could be made from ladder line and then tacked to the wall of my office using push pins. I have no way of knowing where to put the bottom part to match for the lowest SWR but I won't be transmitting anyway. I have the ability to look up the dimensions for a quarter wave based on 42 MHz. But I also want the antenna to work well on VHF and especially on 700/800. I am far enough away from the mountains to pick up the forest service crews on the side of the mountain fighting brush fires as well as being between two major freeways and the ability to monitor CHP. I'm also able to monitor County Fire on 700/800. It's reception across the Inland Empire tends to be scratchy at times and great at other times.
Another idea given to me was basically to take eight feet of ladder line and short it at the top and the bottom and then in the middle attach my coaxial cable with a BNC connector to plug into the scanner. Someone else suggested that since I'm only using it to monitor I could actually lower the feed point on the ladder line. I think this one was called a folded dipole.
Yet another idea given to me was mounting a Mag Mount antenna attached to a square plate as a ground plane on the ceiling of my office building and running the cable out horizontally and then finally down the wall and into the scanner. But I'm not aware of a scanner antenna that has decent 42 MHz reception. I want the simplest solution but I also see that ladder line is a good idea because it can be painted over to match the wall.
Lastly, since I'm using two scanners it was suggested that I use a simple TV coupler using F connectors to share the antenna. All I have to do is put F connectors on the antenna and then on the outputs of the coupler but terminating in a BNC connector. I understand that it's not matched but I guess neither are the $200 couplers found online.
I appreciate any and all feedback. Remember that I'm inside an office building with a view of outside of the windows. I'm not looking for a perfect solution. I think that would be if I could put a discount up on the roof or something.
