Mounting Diamond D220S indoors for SDS200

[jlaselva]

I've been using the stock extendable rod antenna that shipped with my SDS200 for the past year, but I'm listening to the scanner more lately and now that I've identified a decent number of frequencies I can receive, I want to receive them a little more clearly. I'd also like something wideband that I can feed into my RTL-SDR and USRP. I have no plans to transmit.

In the longer term, maybe 6-18 months, I'd like to get up on the roof and mount a bigger discone antenna. However, that's a lot of work and adds a lot of complications and, for now, I'm sticking with something I can use indoors. The stock antenna is working pretty well indoors on the second story, away from any windows, and even under my metal roof. I'm assuming any other antenna would be even better.

I've been looking at the Diamond D220S. I'd primarily like to receive UHF, VHF, 800 MHz, air bands, some FM, and NOAA weather radio on the scanner. My plan would be to stick it next to my SDS200, on the floor next to my desk. For anyone who's got one, could you help me out?

1. Is there a good way to mount this thing indoors? It looks like the connector is at the bottom, so I can't just stand it upright on the floor. I figure, maybe get some adjustable hose clamps and attach it to a Pyle tripod stand?

2. Is a BNC male-to-UHF female adapter the right one for this application?

3. Do I need any special cable? I see Scanner Master offers LMR-400 for their discones but this thing would be going inside and would need maybe 5' of cable. Even better, is there anywhere to get a cable with the right terminations already on it?

4. Is this a dumb plan, and should I just stick with the stock antenna or maybe go for a (much) cheaper triband like the Remtronix 843B?

Thanks for any insights.

 

[dave3825]

That discone is advertised as a mobile discone.

This discone is designed to sit on a desk or other flat surface.

Moonraker 11-533 Moonraker SkyScan VHF/UHF Receive Antennas | DX Engineering

Free Shipping - Moonraker SkyScan VHF/UHF Receive Antennas with qualifying orders of $99. Shop VHF/UHF Mobile Monitor Antennas at DX Engineering.

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This one is advertised as desktop.

Amazon.com: Taurus Desktop 25-2000 Mhz Scanner Antenna : Electronics

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[N1FKO]

1. Is there a good way to mount this thing indoors?

My D220 is mounted to the top of my PSR800 with a BNC adapter. They sit on a shelf above my desk where I can see the screen. Performs nicely in both the 470MHz and 700/800 bands, considerably better than the stock antenna and at higher frequencies better than my full size discone described in this thread.

 

[dave3825]

My D220 is mounted to the top of my PSR800 with a BNC adapter.

Have a pic by chance?

 

[N1FKO]

Have a pic by chance?

I do not, but the whole assembly is 34 inches high so it does require a bit of location planning.

 

[jlaselva]

My D220 is mounted to the top of my PSR800 with a BNC adapter. They sit on a shelf above my desk where I can see the screen. Performs nicely in both the 470MHz and 700/800 bands, considerably better than the stock antenna and at higher frequencies better than my full size discone described in this thread.

Thanks @N1FKO , your post was how I came upon the Pyle tripod idea in the first place.

That discone is advertised as a mobile discone.

This discone is designed to sit on a desk or other flat surface.

Moonraker 11-533 Moonraker SkyScan VHF/UHF Receive Antennas | DX Engineering

Free Shipping - Moonraker SkyScan VHF/UHF Receive Antennas with qualifying orders of $99. Shop VHF/UHF Mobile Monitor Antennas at DX Engineering.

www.dxengineering.com

Dang, thanks! Don't know how I missed this model, but this is pretty much exactly what I'm looking for. It's just too bad a $56 MSRP antenna comes with a $65 Trump tax to get it from the UK.

 

[Ubbe]

That discone is advertised as a mobile discone.

It's advertised as being made in the style of a discone. Those multiple vertical elements makes sure it has no way of functioning as a discone. The "cone" only acts as a ground plane for those vertical elements that are tuned to different frequency bands.

You can make an antenna, I believe a Fong antenna or similar name, where you have 3-4 electrical wires cut to 1/4 wavelengths of the different frequency bands you want to receive and connect together at the base to a coax cables center lead. Then add equal lengths of wires in the opposite direction connected to the coax screen making it a multiband half wave dipole antenna. Ideally it would be a balun transformer between antenna wires and the coax, like they did to an AntennaCraft ST2. You can make it look cleaner by putting that into a plastic tube. For $5 you probably would get the same reception as that Moonraker antenna.

Wire lengths in metric meters are 300 divided by F in MHz and 25% of that would be a 1/4 wave. To convert to inches then divide by 0,0254.

/Ubbe

 

[bearcatrp]

When I got my SDS200 years back, I bought the 220S and mounted it on an old floor lamp. Just the pole. Put it close to a window. Worked fairly well until I was able to put up a outdoor antenna. If you have a desk lamp, mount it to that until you put up a outdoor antenna.

 

[Deafconn]

Did you ever do this? I recently purchased a D220s and I'm having trouble getting it to work on the sds200.

 

[jlaselva]

I ended up paying the tariff and got the Moonraker SkyScan discone. It arrived via DHL pretty banged up, but it works. I just wanted something plug and play, nothing I had to build or re-engineer.

 

[Deafconn]

Why did you pick that over the d220?

 

[jlaselva]

I just wanted something plug and play, nothing I had to build or re-engineer. It doesn’t need to be mounted; you just plop it down on a table and plug it in. Easy.