Motorola antennas question

[Motorola_dummy]

Hello all, I am new to the whole mobile radio thing and I have just ordered a motorola xtl 2500 uhf. I notice there are not many options out there for the frequency i want to operate on. But i am looking for either taller antenna or a low profile antenna that will get me the best performance. Im trying to find a way around having to tune an antenna as well as i am not experienced in that.

The frequency my radio operates on is 450-520 mhz. Thanks!

 

[AI7PM]

A quality quarter wave antenna will give you wide banded coverage across those freqs. (Larsen, Comtelco, Laird) What freqs are you actually going to use?

 

[PACNWDude]

For UHF XTL1500/2500 radios I have used the Laird QW450 unity 1/4 wave antenna with good results. This antenna will most likely be operating with degraded performance toward the 520 MHz end of the spectrum you want though, as it is called the "QW450" as that is the middle of its operating characteristics. (Perhaps there is a slightly different model that is closer to the middle of your 450-520 MHz band, check Tessco). But, it is fairly low profile and does not get caught in car washes too often, I still tell the end users to hand wash their cars or remove the antennas if they go into a car wash though.
For temporary use, not requiring a hole to be drilled into the roof, it can be paired with the Laird GB8UM NMO style magnet mount.

 

[mmckenna]

Hello all, I am new to the whole mobile radio thing and I have just ordered a motorola xtl 2500 uhf. I notice there are not many options out there for the frequency i want to operate on. But i am looking for either taller antenna or a low profile antenna that will get me the best performance. Im trying to find a way around having to tune an antenna as well as i am not experienced in that.

The frequency my radio operates on is 450-520 mhz. Thanks!

Taller antenna or lower profile? Which one are you looking for?

To recommend the right antenna, we'd need to know what frequency you are going to be using it on.

As others pointed out, the 1/4 wave antenna is about as simple/foolproof as it gets. A UHF quarter wave will easily give you 450-520MHz without needing to tune it.

But, you may want to give us some more details. Not knowing how to tune or choose an antenna combined with having a radio like an XTL5000 is going to involve some serious learning curves. People here will happily assist.