Railroad Antenna

[Wolfie1047]

I would appreciate any thoughts on this before I buy it. My problem is I have low clearance getting into garage and sometimes forget the antenna is on the roof after 18 hours of work.

Laird Phantom Antenna, 150-168 MHz, Unity Gain

 

[popnokick]

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I use a aTram 1199 and it works well on railroad... And easily fits in my low clearance garage. I have it on front windshield. But don't install it over tinted glass.

 

[vascanner]

it has a very narrow frequency range. when it is tuned properly it is a good antenna. with a good groundplane you will get similar performance to a 1/4 wave whip. Most railroad vehicles have a 1/4 wave whip mounted on the roof.

 

[popnokick]

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Agree with vascanner, the 1/4 wave whip will likely match or beat the Laird low-profile antenna. And probably clear your garage...but no harm if not since the whip will flex. Railroad channels are in a very narrow freq range so that's a non-issue. But if you're going to make a hole in the roof and only listen to railroad, the 1/4 wave meets what you're looking for.

 

[Bill1957]

Railroad antenna

Go with the 1/4 wave antenna.Most vehicles in RR service use 1/4 wave antennas. Go with magnet mount-don't drill holes in the roof.I have been using mag mounts on my 2003 F-150 ever since it was new both for ham and scanner antennas.They work great!
Bill

 

[mmckenna]

Don't expect this antenna to perform anywhere near a true 1/4 wave. People I know that have tried these low profile antennas on VHF have been very disappointed, even on receive. You can't take a VHF antenna and shrink it to 3.5 inches and expect it to perform well, the physics just don't work that way.

On transmit, they don't handle much power and are extremely narrow bandwidth. The bandwidth could be tuned just fine for railroad, but the reduce performance due to it's size is going to be disappointing.

Save yourself the money and just get the 1/4 wave whip, you will be much happier. If you are really concerned about the size, get yourself a mag mount with a BNC on it. Purchase a portable radio antenna with a BNC connector, it'll very likely outperform this antenna.

 

[FFPM571]

Magnet mounts are for people who are afraid to drill holes

 

[ind224]

The RS 20 032 is a great antenna and lets you hear more than one band. I put a Wilson 1000 mag on one after the original proved inadequate at 100+.

 

[prcguy]

I have one tuned to the 2m amateur band and its noticeably worse than a simple 19" quarter wave whip. Its also very narrow band as others have mentioned and probably 1MHz at best. I would avoid it and use a 1/4 wave whip which can usually bend over in the same space as the Phantom.
prcguy

 

[Bill1957]

Mag mounts

Magnet mounts are for people who are afraid to drill holes

Hell yeah!!!

 

[mmckenna]

Magnet mounts are for people who are afraid to drill holes

Magnets belong on refrigerators, not antennas.

 

[Wolfie1047]

I picked up two 1/4 antenna whips and a mag mount on e bay. I will not drill any holes for two reasons: 1- What vehicle I drive can change day to day so being able to swap stuff in a hurry is a must. 2-I have a 2012 ford escape. I am a ford technician. To get the headliner down almost all of the interior trim has to be removed, and after countless times of doing this to replace a sunroof track for a minor squeak under warranty, im not about to do it for free or pay someone to do it.

Anyway, they came today and I will experiment with them and give a review. I do appreciate all the insight you have given me. Thanks again

 

[mmckenna]

I picked up two 1/4 antenna whips and a mag mount on e bay. I will not drill any holes for two reasons: 1- What vehicle I drive can change day to day so being able to swap stuff in a hurry is a must. 2-I have a 2012 ford escape. I am a ford technician. To get the headliner down almost all of the interior trim has to be removed, and after countless times of doing this to replace a sunroof track for a minor squeak under warranty, im not about to do it for free or pay someone to do it.

Anyway, they came today and I will experiment with them and give a review. I do appreciate all the insight you have given me. Thanks again

I've put one on a 2009 Ford Escape. You don't need to pull the whole headliner out, just drop the rear end. Not a whole lot of fun, though, as you obviously know.

Magnet mounts work, I'm just personally against them for my own installs. If it works for you, that's all that matters.