Living in a hole

[Avix]

I just found my old Radio-shack Pro-97 ( Pro-97 - The RadioReference Wiki ) and I am getting back into it since I retired. I'm looking at maybe getting into Ham radio as well. My big problem is: We live in a hole with various size ridges very close around us. North, South and West. The one to the West is by far the highest. Possibly 1500 feet or more. The ones to the South and West are much lower. Perhaps 100 feet. East is downhill and open. I do have a longwire stretched across the ceiling of our mobile home for the scanner, and that gets me decent reception for local Police/EMS/Fire in our smallish city. My scanner does have the amateur bands set up on a search channel. So far, I've heard nothing on any of those. I do have an about 30 foot flag pole on the east side for Old Glory and the POW/MIA flags. I am considering extending that up a bit and putting an antenna on the top and running a coax down and through the wall to my living room. If I can't come up with an antenna solution that won't break the bank, I won't bother investing in Amateur radio. Is there anything wrong with my basic concept, or does anyone have a better solution?
Scotty.

 

[mmckenna]

If I can't come up with an antenna solution that won't break the bank, I won't bother investing in Amateur radio. Is there anything wrong with my basic concept, or does anyone have a better solution?
Scotty.

Cost effective is sort of an individual thing, how much you want to spend will dictate how much you can do.

Getting the antenna up higher ~might~ help. But it might not, being down in a valley like that. Moving the antenna higher will require more coaxial cable and the longer the length is, the more loss there is. So you may need more expensive cable to make that work.

Not sure what your home is made of, but if the siding/skin/roof is metal, then getting an antenna outside might help a whole bunch, and you may not need a lot of height.

With 100' of hills around part of your location, getting the antenna up high enough to see over those might be an expensive undertaking.

I'd say take your scanner outside and at the same level as your roof and see if things improve. If it does, try just putting an antenna up that high.

As for amateur radio, there's a lot of facets to the hobby, and being in a valley isn't a drawback to all of them. A lot of hams in locations like yours still thoroughly enjoy the hobby.

 

[PDXh0b0]

Two diy antennas that won't put you out of pocket

The J-pole
I built it for 2m/70cm , then on a whim I tuned it for 155mhz, works amazing, it is dedicated to my pro-2044

My first diy antenna, ended up being dedicated to airband scanning

Homebrewed Off-Center Fed Dipole - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

 

[Avix]

Being retired and on fixed incomes and COLA increases not even coming close to keeping up with inflation. We won't even talk about medial bills. As budget as possible is the aim. I wouldn't even consider some of the big 40 or 50 foot towers. I have a small car antenna for this with about 15 feet of cable. When the weather drys out, I'll get the ladder out and try things that way. I also assume that a better antenna just stuck on top of the roof (Aluminum, I think) would help a lot?

PDXh0b0. You tripped a big one for me. I am a white collar red neck. I took duct tape to my wedding and used it for appropriate use. I have given it as part of wedding presents. I was a shareholder in Red Greens "Duct tape forever". DIY is in my blood. The problem is: I know nothing about antennas and lengths and freqs and tuning and so forth. Nothing about the hardware. The long wire is about my limit.

Scotty

 

[mmckenna]

I have a small car antenna

I also assume that a better antenna just stuck on top of the roof (Aluminum, I think) would help a lot?

Antennas designed for mobile use are often intended to be installed over a ground plane (the vehicle roof/trunk lid), so yes, mounting it on the roof of your trailer would be a good idea.

 

[MiCon]

If your mobile home has metal exterior siding and roof, getting any antenna outside, even if it's just outside of a window, will be a big improvement over your indoor antenna. You're living in a metal can which is shielding the signals from your antenna. Putting a magmount or any antenna outside should improve you reception noticeably. Putting it on the roof will help even more.

I had this experience when I visited my father, who lived in a MH. Inside, I received only the local, very strong signals. Putting my Pro-97 on the indoor windowsill helped, but not much. I bought a small $30 RS UHF antenna and mounted it on an unused TV mast (he had switched to cable service) and the signal improvement was amazing, across the board on all bands. You really have to get the antenna out of that metal can.

Good suggestion from mmckenna. Take the scanner outside and see what the reception is like.

 

[Avix]

Driving around with the short antenna I bought years ago for either the scanner or a cell phone external antenna (That far back) signal was much better. I could even get Wx. Would a longer "mag mount" style antenna be worth the effort, do you think? I intend to buy another antenna for each car after I figure out what type would be best. A short one like I have now, or a longer mag mount type. If I'm going to buy 2, I might as well buy three. We own outright, so mounting on the roof is not a problem. I've looked at some of the more "powerful" antennas, such as

The Original Sigma Scan King SE1500 Base Station Scanner Antenna Aerial | eBay

Model Scan King SE1500. MPN Scan King SE1500. The Sigma SE-. CB Base Station. Sigma SE-1500 Scan King Antenna A compact Fibreglass Antenna with Wideband coverage.The Sigma SE-1500 Scan King can be mounted outside or in a loft.Ideal for receiving Marine, Civil Aircraft, Amateur Radio, P.M.R. plus...

tinyurl.com

Sky-band Antenna | Scanner Master

Sky-band Antenna

www.scannermaster.com

SPIDER - ProComm Base Station Scanner Antenna

SPIDER - ProComm Base Station Scanner Antenna

www.wearecb.com

Running coax isn't a problem. I have been working with coax for 40 years and have a friend who is in the business who can get me cable and parts wholesale. Along the roof. Down the side and in the living room beside my chair.

Scotty.

 

[mmckenna]

Driving around with the short antenna I bought years ago for either the scanner or a cell phone external antenna (That far back) signal was much better. I could even get Wx. Would a longer "mag mount" style antenna be worth the effort, do you think? I intend to buy another antenna for each car after I figure out what type would be best. A short one like I have now, or a longer mag mount type. If I'm going to buy 2, I might as well buy three. We own outright, so mounting on the roof is not a problem. I've looked at some of the more "powerful" antennas, such as

Use what works. If what you had did everything you need, then there's your answer.

If you want more, go with a dedicated scanner antenna that will cover the bands you want. Be wary of "covers everything" type antennas, they don't do everything well.

The Original Sigma Scan King SE1500 Base Station Scanner Antenna Aerial | eBay

Model Scan King SE1500. MPN Scan King SE1500. The Sigma SE-. CB Base Station. Sigma SE-1500 Scan King Antenna A compact Fibreglass Antenna with Wideband coverage.The Sigma SE-1500 Scan King can be mounted outside or in a loft.Ideal for receiving Marine, Civil Aircraft, Amateur Radio, P.M.R. plus...

tinyurl.com

I would be wary of that antenna. Claiming 500KHz to 1500MHz is pure marking B.S.

Sky-band Antenna | Scanner Master

Sky-band Antenna

www.scannermaster.com

Discone antennas are generally good for wide band coverage, but have zero gain. They can be a good option if the signals are strong enough outside. Like I mentioned above, take your scanner outside and see if you can hear everything you want to hear (sounds like you can), if so, then a discone may be a good option. Just use decent coaxial cable to get as much of that signal into your radio.

If this antenna is in your budget, then it's a good option.

If you have some more disposable cash, go with the Dimond discone, they are proven durable antennas. I've had one up for about 15 years now.

SPIDER - ProComm Base Station Scanner Antenna

SPIDER - ProComm Base Station Scanner Antenna

www.wearecb.com

Gimmick antenna.

 

[Avix]

Thank you very much, Mmckenna. That's going to save me money right there. I will look at the sky-band from Scanmaster. We were just over in a town 12 miles west of us in Washington state and heard our Latah, Idaho counties sheriff's office quite a distance to the east of home on the car antenna on top of my Subaru Forester. We were rather high up at the time. Does the height of the antenna, IE, A 3 footish mag mount, make any difference?
Now I just have to learn what "gain" is. Off to teacher google!
Scotty.

 

[mmckenna]

Does the height of the antenna, IE, A 3 footish mag mount, make any difference?

For the most part, the frequencies used in these radio systems are line of sight. Line of sight absolutely depends on the height of the antenna.

That being said, the difference between the antenna sitting directly on the roof of your car and it being 3 feet above the roof is going to be minuscule, if even noticeable.

Longer/higher gain mobile antennas can work better in some applications. In other applications they can have drawbacks. I'd recommend starting with something basic before going for the "super high gain channel master super duper antenna". Sometimes a basic 1/4 wave works better.

 

[Avix]

Got it. I'll just stick with what I have and buy another one for the SUV. The next step is to find a car power cable for it. Every search I tried so far is either a wall wart or something with no specs. I managed to fry the rechargeable case by forgetting to remove the rechargeable batteries when I put it away. And they burned out somehow. Melted the yellow recharge case. Now I have an idea of what to buy. (The wife is getting interested in listening in too. Woo Hoo!)
Scotty.