Scanner Antenna Location - 2 options

Skyd

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While I wait for winter to be over, I may as well plan out my antenna locations and coax runs for my listening station.

I have 2 places I could put a scanner antenna. The antenna itself I need to be somewhat wide band but I don't need lo-band or 700/800/900mhz. 140-500mhz would do. So if I can spring for it, the OmniX is probably the way I'm going to go.

So that being said, the real question is location. Let me give you my two options and explain them best as I can.

Option #1
On the front of my house where the antenna will be slightly above my ridge line. The coax length here would be minimal, 15 feet maybe from the antenna to the scanners. Sounds great so far. The down side - it's about 20-25 feet from the power lines that run down my street. I'd be far enough away for safety so the only real concern there is interference. Bonus: There's already some RG-6 quad shield run from a now unused satellite installation.

Option #2
The Back of my house. This is much farther from any power lines, 50-60 feet. But - the coax run would be closer to 75-100' and I'm going to have a couple of ham antennas back there as well. HF and 2 meter. The scanner antenna will probably need to mount lower than the horizontal plane of the ham antennas and so will be below the ridge line of my roof.

Both locations present their own challenges with proper grounding, both are addressable and not really a consideration for purposes of this discussion.

So I've done a little research and reading but can't really find much other than from the safety side of things. Don't place the antenna where it can fall and come within 10' of power lines. I'm good with this either option I chose, so I'm more concerned with performance and possibly ease of installation if performance is negligible.

Thoughts?
 

Whiskey3JMC

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Will you be mounting on a mast & if so, how long/high is it (or will it be)? You'll also want to ensure it doesn't fall in the vicinity of vehicles or neighbors' properties
 

Skyd

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Will you be mounting on a mast & if so, how long/high is it (or will it be)? You'll also want to ensure it doesn't fall in the vicinity of vehicles or neighbors' properties

The mast will be dependent on which location I chose. If out front, it'll be on a short mast just tall enough to attach it securely and get it above the eaves - so only a few feet. If out back it might be longer but there's nothing out there but lawn and my shed.

If the antenna were to fall at the front of house location - it would land on my porch roof and likely fall off onto the front lawn. Can't hit my neighbors and only would hit a vehicle if it were parked on my front lawn.

So it's mostly just a reception/interference question. Out front would be ideal if it's not going to be an RFI nightmare.
 

mmckenna

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I'd not be too concerned about noise from electric utility lines on these frequencies.

Spacing of antennas is important, and if you plan on putting transmitting antennas at the back of the house, then having your scanner antenna farther away is a better plan.
If you have the transmitting and scanner antennas too close, it'll overload the scanner receiver.
 

Skyd

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Northern Grafton County, New Hampshire
I'd not be too concerned about noise from electric utility lines on these frequencies.

Spacing of antennas is important, and if you plan on putting transmitting antennas at the back of the house, then having your scanner antenna farther away is a better plan.
If you have the transmitting and scanner antennas too close, it'll overload the scanner receiver.

That was my line of thinking, it was the potential for noise from power lines I was concerned about. I don't think any of the poles near my house have the transformer on them either. I like this answer :cool:

Shack design is progressing well, I need to start buying stuff here and there so I don't go broke all at once when I get to installing it.
 

mmckenna

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That was my line of thinking, it was the potential for noise from power lines I was concerned about. I don't think any of the poles near my house have the transformer on them either. I like this answer :cool:

Leaky cable TV lines can be an issue, but if you run across that, a call to the cable company can fix it (sometimes).

Shack design is progressing well, I need to start buying stuff here and there so I don't go broke all at once when I get to installing it.

Keep in mind that the coax used for your ham radios will need to be larger and more expensive, so having them farther away from where the radios will be will result in more cost.
 

Skyd

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Leaky cable TV lines can be an issue, but if you run across that, a call to the cable company can fix it (sometimes).



Keep in mind that the coax used for your ham radios will need to be larger and more expensive, so having them farther away from where the radios will be will result in more cost.

Ya, I'm going to need RG8X for my HF antenna and RG-8U or LMR400 for the 2 meter. These can't go on the front of the house though, they'll be too large. The good news is they won't be as far away as I would have placed the scanner antenna, I think I should be around 50' or less run for those. I'm hoping to put them on the same mast with some vertical seperation but that's another topic all together.
 
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