Rabbit ears? Ever try them?

[AZScanner]

OK this is gonna sound really dumb.... but I found an old one of these at home last night:

Anyone ever try using one as a scanner antenna? I'm thinking I might just to see what happens. Curious if anyone else had the same idea that could share how well it worked (or didn't work). I plan to pick up an F to BNC adaptor at Rat Shack today (or failing that, the crimp on BNC connector).

Thanks,
-AZ

 

[N_Jay]

Probabaly no better or worse than any other RANDOM antenna.

Why not add some tin foil wings to the top like we did when we were kids.

 

[Pro-95]

Why not add some tin foil wings to the top like we did when we were kids.

Working at the Shack.... Kids is a poor qualifier.

You should hear some of the contraptions I've heard to "improve" reception.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[N_Jay]

Why not add some tin foil wings to the top like we did when we were kids.

Working at the Shack.... Kids is a poor qualifier.

You should hear some of the contraptions I've heard to "improve" reception.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I put my time in with the old Tandy Corp also. :evil: :evil: :evil:

 

[AZScanner]

Probabaly no better or worse than any other RANDOM antenna.

Why not add some tin foil wings to the top like we did when we were kids.

OK, well I'll be the guinea pig and give it a try. That way the next time someone comes along and wants to try it I'll know for sure. I think I'll skip the tinfoil though - I'm not that desperate.

Besides, I need it for my head. Otherwise KA2MEK will know where I am. :twisted:

Thanks,
-AZ

 

[N_Jay]

Probabaly no better or worse than any other RANDOM antenna.

Why not add some tin foil wings to the top like we did when we were kids.

OK, well I'll be the guinea pig and give it a try. That way the next time someone comes along and wants to try it I'll know for sure. I think I'll skip the tinfoil though - I'm not that desperate.

Besides, I need it for my head. Otherwise KA2MEK will know where I am. :twisted:

Thanks,
-AZ

I don't get it. :?:

Antenna design is a science.

Who do so many people here spend more time playing with things to see what "might" work, instead of studying what DOES work? :?:

Its like trying to get your car to go faster by randomly pouring different houshold cemicalis in the gas tank! :roll: :roll:

 

[00buck]

Rabbit ears can work fine for scanner recieving antennas. I have a set of amplified ones on my 785D for temporary use. Outdoor directional TV antennas also work. You can mount it vertical and aim at the next town or away from interfering signals.

 

[INDY72]

Someone asked why try other things??? OK here goes dudes- A TV type of ant is designed for VHF/UHF,.. the most popular bands in use in LMR,.. if you can get a good connector on one then hello,... you just might get better performance than a rubber ducky...... Wo knows, this might even develop a new ant that can be marketed?????

 

[AZScanner]

I don't get it. :?:

Antenna design is a science.

Who do so many people here spend more time playing with things to see what "might" work, instead of studying what DOES work? :?:

Its like trying to get your car to go faster by randomly pouring different houshold cemicalis in the gas tank! :roll: :roll:

I found my car goes much faster if I use a combination of Drano and Liquid Plumr mixed in with 2 gallons of Pine-Sol. :shock: No, not really. :lol:

OK, all kidding aside, it's mostly a product of boredom coupled with a quest to find a use for a useless item. If it does work, then why not use it? And how can I figure out if it will work? I can do one of two things. I can:

1. Carefully research the web for sites pertaining to antenna theory and design, gaining a full understanding of just why or why not using a TV antenna would work and then, if my findings support the theory, perform the necessary modification to the antenna and connect it up to the scanner.

or

2. Put a compatible plug on the damn thing and try it over a beer or two. If it works, then I'm a genius. If not then throw it back into the Big Box of Crap I'll Probably Never Need and think about what else I can do to entertain myself.

Option 2 sounds more fun to me. So there you have it N-Jay: Your moment of WHY.

Oh and :roll: right back at ya tough guy!!!

-AZ

 

[N_Jay]

I don't get it. :?:

Antenna design is a science.

Who do so many people here spend more time playing with things to see what "might" work, instead of studying what DOES work? :?:

Its like trying to get your car to go faster by randomly pouring different houshold cemicalis in the gas tank! :roll: :roll:

I found my car goes much faster if I use a combination of Drano and Liquid Plumr mixed in with 2 gallons of Pine-Sol. :shock: No, not really. :lol:

OK, all kidding aside, it's mostly a product of boredom coupled with a quest to find a use for a useless item. If it does work, then why not use it? And how can I figure out if it will work? I can do one of two things. I can:

1. Carefully research the web for sites pertaining to antenna theory and design, gaining a full understanding of just why or why not using a TV antenna would work and then, if my findings support the theory, perform the necessary modification to the antenna and connect it up to the scanner.

or

2. Put a compatible plug on the damn thing and try it over a beer or two. If it works, then I'm a genius. If not then throw it back into the Big Box of Crap I'll Probably Never Need and think about what else I can do to entertain myself.

Option 2 sounds more fun to me. So there you have it N-Jay: Your moment of WHY.

Oh and :roll: right back at ya tough guy!!!

-AZ

No prob,

I just find that the subtelties of rado make side by side comparisons like this difficult.

You are as likely to think it works better when it in fact does not, then to get any meaninfull results.

(Building more "superstitions" rather than knowlege)

 

[AZScanner]

No prob,

I just find that the subtelties of rado make side by side comparisons like this difficult.

You are as likely to think it works better when it in fact does not, then to get any meaninfull results.

(Building more "superstitions" rather than knowlege)

Ahhh, OK, that makes sense.

Well, if I can pull in the local digital system better on it than I can with the duck I'm using then I'll consider that a win. Right now it's hit or miss even with that 800 duck from RS. There's also some fringe freqs on VHF that barely come in, so noticing improvement there will be easy to do.

Well, I'll try it and let everyone know what effect it had, if any. You're probably right in that it won't really make much difference but it's something to do. Since it's going to be more superstition than science, I'll make sure to toss some salt over my shoulder first.

-AZ

 

[N_Jay]

No prob,

I just find that the subtelties of rado make side by side comparisons like this difficult.

You are as likely to think it works better when it in fact does not, then to get any meaninfull results.

(Building more "superstitions" rather than knowlege)

Ahhh, OK, that makes sense.

Well, if I can pull in the local digital system better on it than I can with the duck I'm using then I'll consider that a win. Right now it's hit or miss even with that 800 duck from RS. There's also some fringe freqs on VHF that barely come in, so noticing improvement there will be easy to do.

Well, I'll try it and let everyone know what effect it had, if any. You're probably right in that it won't really make much difference but it's something to do. Since it's going to be more superstition than science, I'll make sure to toss some salt over my shoulder first.

-AZ

I would get a motorola style elevated feed "duck" for portable use at 800, and a 3dB mobile on a pie plate with good cable for a base antenna.

But those are 800 only.
Multiband antennas are always a compromise.

Indoor TV antennas are more about getting rid of multipath than about capturing a weak signal.
If you want 800, then the ears of the rabbit should not even be in the circuit, all that should matter is the disk in the center,and all that is a simple loop antenna. Think of a loop as a folded dipole without very hard folds.

Make a loop of wire about 1 wavelength and attach it to a 300:75 balun and away you go.

As for the ears, they are just the ends of a non-folded dipole at VHF, all the rest is traps and filters that do not add anything to the signal.

 

[unitcharlie]

with apologies....

wads of aluminum foil will repell the spurios signals from unwanted u.f.o.'s... az: if you don't like the recption i can use them our local cable company has frequent unexplained outages.... and it is a real pain to receive uhf tv without a bunch of kids holding hands and touching the metal window frames....

 

[AZScanner]

Well gang, I gave them a shot. Went out to RS and bought the F to BNC adaptor (the gold one, nothing but the best....ha ha ha) and hooked it up.

The results? Pretty impressive! I can pull in the Sky Harbor EDACS system from my apartment in Mesa - couldn't do that before. Didn't try it on digital yet, but I expect it will work well there also. VHF performance was pretty good also!

Bottom line: This antenna isn't going to compete against a base antenna mounted on your roof or the mag mount on a pie plate that N_Jay suggested, but it's definitely an improvment over a stock duck or whip antenna and since I already had one sitting around doing nothing, it was definitely priced right for me. If you have one of these things around, you might want to give it a try.

Of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. :wink:
-AZ

 

[N_Jay]

Well gang, I gave them a shot. Went out to RS and bought the F to BNC adaptor (the gold one, nothing but the best....ha ha ha) and hooked it up.

The results? Pretty impressive! I can pull in the Sky Harbor EDACS system from my apartment in Mesa - couldn't do that before. Didn't try it on digital yet, but I expect it will work well there also. VHF performance was pretty good also!

Bottom line: This antenna isn't going to compete against a base antenna mounted on your roof or the mag mount on a pie plate that N_Jay suggested, but it's definitely an improvment over a stock duck or whip antenna and since I already had one sitting around doing nothing, it was definitely priced right for me. If you have one of these things around, you might want to give it a try.

Of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. :wink:
-AZ

Well almost anything is better the a duck.
In the antenna world, all else the same, bigger is better!

I would be very interested to see if it was "better" than simple dipole cut to the correct frequency.

 

[AZScanner]

I would be very interested to see if it was "better" than simple dipole cut to the correct frequency.

I doubt it would be. I'll be the first to admit that I don't know much about antenna design. However, this antenna does have some advantages:

1. I didn't have to build it.

2. It fits in a very compact space.

3. It's relatively omnidirectional.

4. It works well across all the bands I monitor.

5. It doens't make my desk look all hamsexy and stuff.

-AZ

 

[unitcharlie]

with apologies....

and it doesn't look like a scanner antenna so the neighbors don't freak-out....

 

[lschmidt]

Radio Shack's Version

Wonder how this one would work?

 

[AZScanner]

Re: Radio Shack's Version

Wonder how this one would work?

Probably same as mine since they appear to be similar designs.

Look everyone, I don't want to start a mass exodus to Bestbuy or whatever to go buy TV antennas and bastardize them into scanner antennas. N_Jay is most likely correct in that even though they're better than a duck, they're probably a poor substitute for a professionally designed scanner antenna. But since I had one lying around anyway, I gave it a shot, and it works well enough that I'll keep it in service for a while.

There.... I feel better now. If you're still inclined to get one for yourself then knock yourself out.

-AZ

 

[N_Jay]

If you want an decent scanner antenns for inside, I would get make a simple Coaxial Dipole. Thi sis dome by taking a piece of coax and stripping to a bit over a 1/4 wave length. Then you fold the shield back untill it goes over the cable. You want to have 1/4 a wavelength of unsheiled center conductor, and 1/4 a wavelength of folded back shield.

Hang the antenna vetically. If you want more than one band you can make one for each frequency. They can be "T"ed together as long as each cable is an odd number of 1/4 wavelength from the start of center of the antenna.

Use the velocity factor of the cable in figuring out the cable length.
Use the free space velocity for the antenna lengths.