Review indoor use plan

[bhadresh]

Hello,

I stay in an apartment, where I cannot install external antenna. I am planning to buy Kenwood V-71A with Larsen NMO 2/70B antenna (use indoor).

Will this combination work for me to connect to repeaters within 15 miles?

Also, what do I need to make the antenna standing indoor and connect with the radio?

Regards,
KE8CTP

 

[N2AL]

I would think so, so long as you had a clear line of sight. Example being large hills and mountains, and that the repeater was not a very low profile repeater.

 

[chief21]

Most mobile antennas are intended to be used on a vehicle and will require a ground plane to function effectively. I would suggest either an alternate antenna (half-wave antennas do not require a ground plane) or a ground plane kit for use with your indoor antenna.

To support the antenna indoors, you could use a small tripod with a mast, or you could use a pipe stanchion, secured in a bucket of sand or rocks, with a length of pipe as the mast. (You could also substitute PVC parts for the pipe parts.) Use your imagination!

Since your antenna is indoors and probably close to your rig, whatever coax comes with the NMO mount would work fine.

John

 

[jim202]

As has been said, most of the normal mobile antennas require a good sized ground plane under them. Use of a mag mount on top of a metal file cabinet or a large baking pan is about as close as your going to get for trying to mount this antenna over a ground plane surface. Without the ground plane, these antennas will provide very poor performance.

 

[lu81fitter]

I am not a ham and have very limited experience involving transmitting radios, but would your transmitting radio in an apartment A) interfere with your neighbors TV, radio, internet, etc. , B) Have harmful effects on your belongings (TV, computer, other radios), or maybe even yourself? The V-71A I'm finding is 50 watts. To me, that is a lot for being inside an apartment. I'm sure someone with more knowledge than me will chime in. Just my thoughts. My apologies if I'm out of line.