Recommendations

[btritch]

What kind of antenna would we recommend to operate on the 150 - 170 MHZ band in a mobile environment, It would have to be mag mount though..I don't have a trunk for a trunk lip mount and my bed liner keeps me from mounting to the bed, What is the best mobile antenna that comes in mag mount that I can get the maximum range out of.. The one that I can be the furthest away from and still hear my town here..Most of the directions all but one are flat ground, Then i have hills to the west.. So I would have to have something that would be pretty decent over the hills..What I am looking for is the best mobile mag mount antenna that i can get to mount on the truck that would get me a long ways from the local repeaters here..It would only have to mainly be on the 150-170 mhz band range as to all but about two people from my area use this range.. I have one 800MHZ and two 400MHZ.. Everyone else is in that range.. Can anyone recommend anything?

 

[DPD1]

A 5/8 wave tuned for 160 would probably do it for you if that area is your main focus. Unless the other bands are very faint, you would probably still hear those as well.

Dave
www.DPDProductions.com
Antennas & Accessories for the RF Professional & Radio Hobbyist

 

[af5rn]

Not trying to talk you out of a mag mount (okay, maybe I am), but you don't need a trunk for a lip mount. You can mount a bracket in the hood groove, pretty much the same way. And, of course, nobody can see the roof of a truck anyhow, so there's very little excuse for not just drilling a hole up there if you are looking for ultimate performance (which you seem to be seeking). Just a thought, if you don't want coax running through your door or window, bringing wind noise and rain drippage with it.

Other than that, Dave is of course correct. A 5/8 wave, base loaded antenna like the Maxrad MHB5800 (pretty much the standard for public safety) is about the best choice.

Available for $25 bucks here: http://www.rlham.com/cgibin/shop/modellookup.dbw?MODEL=MHB5800

Of course, the best antenna is also about five feet tall, so that's another good reason to put it on the hood lip if you ever park in a garage.

Maxrad also makes a dual-band that looks pretty much like that one, except it has a centre load halfway up the whip, and is a little shorter. Darn fine antenna, doesn't cost much more, and gets great UHF reception too, if that is a need for you. No multi-band antenna can even touch it.

 

[iMONITOR]

Available for $25 bucks here: http://www.rlham.com/cgibin/shop/modellookup.dbw?MODEL=MHB5800

The link doesn't seem to be working,

 

[iMONITOR]

For those of you that have made up your mind on a NMO Mag Mount, you can't beat this one:

Magnetic Mount Antenna NMO Motorola Base 3.25" BNC
http://cgi.ebay.com/Magnetic-Mount-...ZWD1VQQ_trksidZp1638.m118.l1247QQcmdZViewItem

It's made in the USA too!

 

[af5rn]

The link doesn't seem to be working,

I dunno WTF. This site screws with URL links a lot for some reason. Lemme try again.

http://www.rlham.com/cgi-bin/shop/modellookup.dbw?MODEL=MHB5800

Anyhow, unless you can find it on eBay, it's sometimes hard to find Maxrads anywhere except for wholesale suppliers like TESSCO and Hutton, that are hard to deal with. That's why I posted that link. R and L is good to deal with.

 

[blueangel-eric]

I dunno WTF. This site screws with URL links a lot for some reason. Lemme try again.

http://www.rlham.com/cgi-bin/shop/modellookup.dbw?MODEL=MHB5800

Anyhow, unless you can find it on eBay, it's sometimes hard to find Maxrads anywhere except for wholesale suppliers like TESSCO and Hutton, that are hard to deal with. That's why I posted that link. R and L is good to deal with.

This site also carries Maxrad. scanner antennas: http://www.thea...92_205&zenid=5356802ed3aaa8178aaf5bfdc1024049
commercial dual band: http://www.theantennafarm.com/catal...51_219&zenid=5356802ed3aaa8178aaf5bfdc1024049

 

[iMONITOR]

I dunno WTF. This site screws with URL links a lot for some reason.

It certainly does!

 

[af5rn]

Thanks for the link, Eric.

I got that Maxrad dual-band pro antenna off of FleaBay for about 12 bucks not long ago and it gets just absolutely PHENOMENAL reception on both VHF and UHF. Not too bad on 800, but it certainly wouldn't be in my top 5 choices for 800. On the other hand, if VHF and UHF were my only concerns, this would absolutely be my number one choice, no doubt about it.

http://www.theantennafarm.com/catal...id=864&zenid=5356802ed3aaa8178aaf5bfdc1024049

 

[blueangel-eric]

Thanks for the link, Eric.

I got that Maxrad dual-band pro antenna off of FleaBay for about 12 bucks not long ago and it gets just absolutely PHENOMENAL reception on both VHF and UHF. Not too bad on 800, but it certainly wouldn't be in my top 5 choices for 800. On the other hand, if VHF and UHF were my only concerns, this would absolutely be my number one choice, no doubt about it.

http://www.theantennafarm.com/catal...id=864&zenid=5356802ed3aaa8178aaf5bfdc1024049

I was just wondering about that one myself. Here there's mostly those two bands but KHP is 800mhz digital trunk but i can't scan it anyways. but out of town there's big city trunks but i'm sure that dual band would suffice good enough wouldn't it. I don't go to the big cites too often and when i do the RR is my main concern. only thing is the price but i would like to try the scanner version but there's no gain on it.

Eric Burris

 

[af5rn]

Best I can tell from my experience with that antenna, it get's about a bar and a half less signal on 800 than a multiband scanner antenna that does cover 800. Not really significant if you are in the immediate service area of that system. But if you are out on the periphery, where there are 2 bars or less, forget it.

 

[imcleish]

what kind of truck? most now have access to a fender bolt under the hood or the fender lip, and you can mount there. IMHO its better than a magnet and the scratches in your paint from its movements.