Maxrad UHF Mobile Antenna and other questions

[DanLP456]

450-512, Low Profile, Maxrad Mobile Antenna | Scanner Master

450-512, Low Profile, Maxrad Mobile Antenna

www.scannermaster.com

If I slap this little guy on the roof of my truck and connect it to my HomePatrol 1, can I forget about hearing any VHF or low band or will it just come in weaker?

And while we’re here: Austin Spectra Austin Antenna Spectra 30/150/450/800 MHz Multiband Mobile/Base Scanner Antenna w/NMO Base Model 202600
Would it make a difference in reception if I mount this antenna horizontally? I’m thinking of mounting it horizontally in the bed of my truck to be more low-profile.

And if you have another moment, what is the shortest multi-band antenna you know of? The Austin Spectra seems to be the best combination of not too long but receives a wide spectrum including low band which I need to receive CHP.

Thank you! -Dan

 

[mmckenna]

450-512, Low Profile, Maxrad Mobile Antenna | Scanner Master

450-512, Low Profile, Maxrad Mobile Antenna

www.scannermaster.com

If I slap this little guy on the roof of my truck and connect it to my HomePatrol 1, can I forget about hearing any VHF or low band or will it just come in weaker?

VHF coverage will suffer considerably. However, if the VHF systems you want to hear are close by, it may work "well enough".
But don't expect miracles.

And while we’re here: Austin Spectra Austin Antenna Spectra 30/150/450/800 MHz Multiband Mobile/Base Scanner Antenna w/NMO Base Model 202600
Would it make a difference in reception if I mount this antenna horizontally? I’m thinking of mounting it horizontally in the bed of my truck to be more low-profile.

Since most of the stuff you'll want to listen to is vertically polarized, mounting it horizontally will -greatly- impact performance.
Will it work? Yes, if the signals are strong enough, but it will suffer considerable degradation compared to mounting it vertically.

And if you have another moment, what is the shortest multi-band antenna you know of? The Austin Spectra seems to be the best combination of not too long but receives a wide spectrum including low band which I need to receive CHP.

Thank you! -Dan

Depends what bands you are interested in. If VHF low band for CHP is your goal, you need to realize that you can only shrink antenna so far before performance starts to suffer, and suffer greatly. Low band is picky. If you want reliable coverage for CHP, you need a good antenna. It gets difficult if you want good low band performance as well as VHF High/UHF/700/800MHz.

 

[sonm10]

You might use something like this to connect multiple antennas together for better vhf-lo/vhf-hi/uhf band coverage

You are being redirected...

 

[DanLP456]

You might use something like this to connect multiple antennas together for better vhf-lo/vhf-hi/uhf band coverage

You are being redirected...

Oh wow I had no idea something like this existed! Looks like I would have to buy a bnc or sma adapter to connect the antennas?

 

[mmckenna]

Oh wow I had no idea something like this existed! Looks like I would have to buy a bnc or sma adapter to connect the antennas?

Probably. I believe the Home Patrol has an SMA female on it. You'd need a SMA Male to UHF male adapter. In reality, you'd not want a straight adapter, you'd want a jumper. Put the diplexer in the trunk, under the seat, somewhere it's out of the way. Run a jumper from the diplexer common port to your scanner.

The diplexers are nice since you can run band specific antennas, and that will greatly improve performance, especially on low band.

 

[DanLP456]

Probably. I believe the Home Patrol has an SMA female on it. You'd need a SMA Male to UHF male adapter. In reality, you'd not want a straight adapter, you'd want a jumper. Put the diplexer in the trunk, under the seat, somewhere it's out of the way. Run a jumper from the diplexer common port to your scanner.

The diplexers are nice since you can run band specific antennas, and that will greatly improve performance, especially on low band.

Cool thank you!