Mobile antenna -- Suggestions

[Canvoodoo]

I'm looking for suggestions for a mobile scanner antenna. Some background:

I've just completed a major radio installation in my car (amateur and scanner), with the scanner part being a Bearcat BCT15 (which I eventually intend to upgrade to a BCD996XT). The antenna mounting is a UHF mount (left over from an old amateur radio project), so the antenna needs to mount to that.

In terms of what I anticipate monitoring -- Certainly aviation, marine and railroad VHF. 800 MHz trunking is less of a big deal, as most systems in my area are now encrypted. However, I would like to preserve the capability for monitoring the systems in the area that remain unencrypted.

Your thoughts would be welcome. I'm going to be at the Dayton Hamvention next week, so I should be able to pick up whatever I end up deciding on there.

Martin

 

[krokus]

I would consider replacing the UHF with an NMO, for better connections and water resistance.

Sent via Tapatalk

 

[popnokick]

You're going to find that mobile UHF mount you have is a severe limiting factor in your antenna choices. Good advice to change it to NMO.

 

[Canvoodoo]

Okay, if I replace the UHF connection with NMO, what are the possibilities?

 

[PACNWDude]

+1 on the NMO mount, then you can use a lot of different antennas. And swap them out as needed.

I use a UHF Antennex Phantom UHF, Laird VHF "whisker" style antennas, and sometimes even put an older CD radio antenna with a loading coil and a spring at the bottom on my NMO mounts.

For general scanning, I use a NMO antenna I got from Amazon, that claimed 25-1300 MHz. It doesn't do 25-50 MHz well though, nor 1200-1300 MHz, but it works well for VHF/UHF and 700-956, so gets what I need.

 

[popnokick]

The Laird ABSCANC fulfills what you you've described. Here's someone who installed one recently and this thread includes pics and reception reports -

http://forums.radioreference.com/pi...updated-2014-subaru-xv-crosstrek-install.html

And a source for the antenna-

http://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/laird-technologies-abscanc-1048.html

 

[K2KOH]

I saw this one on the Universal site, though not too familiar....
AOR MA500 Mobile Scanner Antenna

 

[bgav]

+1 NMO mount and a Larsen Tri-Band.

 

[blackbelter]

Larsen tri bander is by far the best antenna that I have used thus far.99 percentage of my listening bands are in 800 however.

 

[krokus]

Here is one option, which is similar to an antenna I have used, and it worked decently for me.

http://www.powerwerx.com/two-way-radios/mobile-radios/dual-band-gain-nmo-mount-antenna.html

The antenna I have is the Comet CA-2x4SR, which the above antenna might be a rebranded version.

http://www.cometantenna.com/amateur-radio/mobile-antennas/ma-dual-band/

Sent via Tapatalk