Orientation makes a difference?

[cavis]

I have a Pro-94 scanner and a 20-176 antenna, both just recently purchased. I temporarily installed my antenna in my office by using a wire-tie to hang it upside down from wire shelving. Right out of the gate, I noticed that the only time I could hear dispatch is if they were coming off the tower about 5 air miles from my house. I could hear 100W mobile traffic up to 29 air miles away, but coudn't hear 300W dispatch traffic on towers closer than that.

So after a few days, I tried turning the antenna over (right-side up) and instantly heard dispatch coming off a distant tower, as well as mobile traffic in that area. It is still on the wire shelving, resting on the coated metal wires on the shelf.

So, does orientation of the antenna make a difference? Or, am I just benefiting from the wires in the shelf even though they are coated in plastic/rubber?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[k9rzz]

The rubber coating makes no difference if the metal is going to interfere with the antenna or not.

I suspect that with the antenna upside down, it had better sensitivity pointing towards the ground. Imagine this pic upside down:

You've experienced a pretty good lesson in how antennas work, eh?

 

[cavis]

Imagine it upside down? Hell, I don't understand it right-side up! :-D But I do understand what you said about where the sensitivity is located. That part made sense.

As for the shelving... I guess what I was asking is if the metal in the shelving was making it a bigger antenna. Sort of like how the old timers would add tin foil to their indoor TV antennas for better reception. More metal means more antenna, right?