Mobile Antenna

[mmckenna]

I'm thinking about the magmount idea. Seems too easy. I just don't know what my range could be from inside the house. I'm hoping to do the same for a scanner antenna and then split it to 2 scanners.

It can work well, however it depends on the construction of your home.
Metal siding, foil backed insulation/vapor barrier, plaster with metal lath, hvac ducts, wiring, copper pipes, low "e" glass, all attenuate RF and can impact reception. Also, it puts your antenna close to a lot of the noise sources.
If you are transmitting with this setup, it can cause issues with high RF levels impacting appliances, alarm systems, fire alarms, etc.

Give it a try and see how it works, but use low power until you figure out how much power you can use without causing issues.

 

[N4KVE]

I live in condo land, so I can’t put up an outside antenna. So in a corner behind a piece of furniture I have a dual band mobile antenna on a magnetic mount stuck to a cookie sheet. It easily gets into any repeater within 20 miles, & here that’s quite a few.

 

[scannerowner]

How high up are you?

 

[N4KVE]

How high up are you?

Second floor. I also have 2 beam antennas aimed at specific repeaters hidden behind 2 couches totally out of sight. I have to be careful my cat isn’t sleeping on the couch when I’m transmitting on the 900 beam.

 

[scannerowner]

Lol!! Yeah I'm not sure how well things are going to work yet with a big hill blocking the west side of the house.

 

[N4KVE]

Lol!! Yeah I'm not sure how well things are going to work yet with a big hill blocking the west side of the house.

Well in my case, there’s no hills in South Florida except for the garbage dumps.

 

[K6GBW]

If you have an attic or crawl space you can place a small dual band antenna up there and run the coax down the wall. I've done this in two different condos for friends and it works really well. Personally, I lived in a townhouse for several years and made a balcony antenna that was suspended upside down right near the balcony pillar. No one ever saw it and from the second floor is worked fantastic.

2m/440 antennas are pretty easy with a little imagination.

 

[radact]

Gotcha. Just trying to figure out an antenna for a house in an HOA without it being much of a problem.

VHF/UHF only.

Try this. A lot of times 2m antennas will tune to 440. But if not, they have a 440 version. A bit pricey but will get you on the air.

https://dpdproductions.com/collections/ham-radio-base-mobile-antennas/products/2-meter-blade-indoor-antenna

They also have 220 & GMRS versions.

A friend, who lived in an HOA, would use quarter wave stingers for each band mag mounted on metal pie plates and put them where he had
the best signal and that's how he talked. Maybe cheaper then buying one of the blade antennas for each needed band.

Good luck

 

[scannerowner]

Awesome. This house has 10ft ceilings, and I have atleast one 70cm repeater within 10 miles from me. So I'd think it'd be ok. I assume it'll work for scanners too, but doesn't seem tuned for that.

 

[mmckenna]

Try this. A lot of times 2m antennas will tune to 440. But if not, they have a 440 version. A bit pricey but will get you on the air.

A 1/4 wave VHF antenna will act as 3/4 wave on 70cm. That antenna you linked to is a 1/2 wave VHF antenna.

A simple/inexpensive 1/4 wave would do what you want. Or, as suggested, get the dedicated 70cm antenna if that's where your interests are.