Recommendations for mag mount 800 MHz

[dgoodson]

I have been disconnected for a while.. Now getting back in with a Uniden 325P2.

What would folks recommend for a decent quality mag mount antenna (mobile use) for mostly 700-800 MHz coverage.

Loking to improve the rubber duckie performance, but not spend a fortune.

TIA

 

[mmckenna]

Getting something, anything, outside the vehicle body usually helps tremendously.

A dedicated 700/800MHz antenna is a good choice, but since you'll likely want to listen to other stuff, might as well invest in an antenna that will let you get more out of your radio than just a single band antenna.

NMO mounts -are- the industry standard. Using an NMO magnetic mount base will open up the most amount of possibilities to you.
There are several brands out there, my favorite was always Larsen. Good product and the company has been around for a long time.

Here are some examples, you decide yourself where to purchase it:
https://www.tessco.com/products/displayProductInfo.do?sku=516684
https://www.amazon.com/Larsen-Magne...127&sr=8-2&keywords=larsen+nmo+magnetic+mount

As for the antenna, the Larsen NMO-150-450-800
Larsen Antennas
Good all around antenna that will cover the VHF High, UHF and 700-800MHz bands well.

A dedicated 800MHz antenna will work well. It'll work OK on 700MHz, also, since you are not transmitting:
https://www.amazon.com/Larsen-800-8...8-4-fkmr0&keywords=larsen+nmo+scanner+antenna
Won't work quite as well on VHF and UHF.

Don't expect either of these antennas to be good performers on VHF Low Band, CB, etc.

 

[bh]

https://www.tessco.com/products/displayProductInfo.do?sku=516684

This mount is $100 which seems very high. Is there something about this specific model that makes it worth the cost? Perhaps because it uses Proflex Plus 240 cable instead of RG58?

 

[mmckenna]

This mount is $100 which seems very high. Is there something about this specific model that makes it worth the cost? Perhaps because it uses Proflex Plus 240 cable instead of RG58?

It's not $100, that's just their "list" price. If you have an account with Tessco and log in, the price is $52.37. That is still way to expensive for what it is.

That's why I put in the line about: "Here are some examples, you decide yourself where to purchase it"

Used to be AntennaFarm was a good place to get this stuff, but they're gone. You'll need to do the shopping around using the suggestions I made to find the best price.

And, the 240 cable is good low loss stuff, but it's kind of stiff for most hobby use. RG-58 would be fine for what you are doing.