Low Profile "Can" Antennas

[capt512]

Good Afternoon and Happy New Year Everyone,

Right now I have a BC780XLT in one of my vehicles, mated with a Maxrad BMAX1000 scanner antenna. I then have the antenna connected via an L-Bracket mount to the car. Unfortunetly I am having problems with vandalisim (having come out from many different places to find the antenna bent in half). The main reason for getting the BMAX1000 was a recommendation from a local radio shop, and the fact that it seems to excel at scanning vhf, uhf, and 800mhz.

My question is, are there any decent Low Profile "Can" antennas out there, for scanning uhf/vhf/800? What I mean by can antennas, is like what is here http://www.maxrad.com/product_overview_detail.cgi?id_num=10621&styleid=8 and here http://www.antenex.com/index051206.htm .

Already have a CB antenna mounted on the car, and if need be might be willing to put 2 "can" antennas on.

Please let me know your opinions!

Thanks

 

[N4JNW]

If folks are bending your whip antennas now, they might break one of those completely off.

If you want to scan, and avoid vandals, get an INSIDE scanner antenna for your car.

 

[capt512]

Don't know if they are bending my whip or not, but they have been breaking my scan1000, which needless to say gets expensive and inconvenient over a while. What do you recommend for an inside scanner antenna? Just placing my BMAX1000 inside the car, or something different?

Thanks

 

[icom1020]

If your car has a rear window deck, you might see if you can mount it inside and poke a small hole to allow only the rod to show through. Saw these on detective cars with 1/4 wave spikes, so it might be more difficult with a loaded coil or a longer antenna. They're probably grabbing the antenna if it's mounted on a elbow bracket because it's down low. I have never had any problems with nmo roof mounts.

 

[W4KRR]

My question is, are there any decent Low Profile "Can" antennas out there, for scanning uhf/vhf/800? What I mean by can antennas, is like what is here http://www.maxrad.com/product_overview_detail.cgi?id_num=10621&styleid=8 and here http://www.antenex.com/index051206.htm .
Please let me know your opinions!
Thanks

The problem with the can style antennas is that they are singe band, and have kind of a narrow bandwidth at that. You can buy single band models, VHF, UHF, 800 MHz, but I don't believe they make any that are multi-band.

 

[capt512]

I do have a rear deck, but since it is a loaded antenna, and is fairly long (would probably reach from the deck to the roof), I had a feeling it would look bad; hence the reason I was wondering about the "can" antennas...

 

[Uplink]

Good Afternoon and Happy New Year Everyone,

Right now I have a BC780XLT in one of my vehicles, mated with a Maxrad BMAX1000 scanner antenna. I then have the antenna connected via an L-Bracket mount to the car. Unfortunetly I am having problems with vandalisim (having come out from many different places to find the antenna bent in half). The main reason for getting the BMAX1000 was a recommendation from a local radio shop, and the fact that it seems to excel at scanning vhf, uhf, and 800mhz.

My question is, are there any decent Low Profile "Can" antennas out there, for scanning uhf/vhf/800? What I mean by can antennas, is like what is here http://www.maxrad.com/product_overview_detail.cgi?id_num=10621&styleid=8 and here http://www.antenex.com/index051206.htm .

Already have a CB antenna mounted on the car, and if need be might be willing to put 2 "can" antennas on.

Please let me know your opinions!

Thanks

I wish someone would make one, it sure would make overhead clearance in parking structures and garages alot easier for us folks with trucks, would be nice if someone made an outdoor version of the wide-band rubber-ducks that comes with the hand-held scanners, or an outdoor version of a Pryme RD-9.

 

[capt512]

So I'm guessing that there's not really any way you could just use 1 can antenna, or 2 with a coupler, to get decent scanning feed?

 

[policeMonitor]

how good are them can antennas compared to the whips?

 

[N4JNW]

My dad has a can antenna on his bucket truck. Looks really neat, but I dunno how it performs.

 

[capt512]

I don't imagine they are quite as good reception wise, but for scanning only they might be ok. But I don't know...

 

[ind224]

maxrads

I have a Phantom on my PU an run a Pro96 through it. Works great and since the element is out of the wind and can't get wet it should outlast the truck. No set screws to fight after a winter. We run a bit of everything here in Indiana Mot II, EDACS and 25. It still allows WX and A/C to pass so VHF may be working off a harmonic. I don't usually use it for VHF. I have never used them for transmit but that is what they were designed for.

The ones I got are black and I scored five of them on ebay for 20 bux. NMO mount and away you go. These were specd for 806-900 and about 1700 to 1900. I imagine the size factor/design gets much more critical as you go away from 800mhz but try to remain small and effective.

 

[capt512]

I could not find the phantom itself on maxrad's site, but found http://www.maxrad.com/models_detail.cgi?id_num=3854&styleid=8 which seems to have the same specifications, is this the same item? Also, you said you were picking up some vhf off a harmonic, but are you able to pick up any vhf police freqs? Thanks again!!

I just looked and found the phantom line of antennas on antenex's site, is your phantom an antenex instead of maxrad? I could not find a phantom on antenex that was that range though...?