SDS-200 Internal Antenna Recommendations

[martinwest]

Noob question; recently purchased a SDS-200, looking at receiving signals a little further out than that the included antenna can receive (I am in a very rural area in SW Kansas).

Don't really want to put a mast up, thinking about an antenna inside either attic or 2nd story.

Would any Discone (i.e. Tram 1410) work or could I get the same benefits with a maxx-tenna from Ebay? Mostly monitoring analog in the 450-475 range and some 800 digital.

 

[Hit_Factor]

Antenna inside attic vs. outside roof is a similar thread.

 

[martinwest]

Antenna inside attic vs. outside roof is a similar thread.

Thanks, I was reading through that thread earlier, couldn't find the answer I was looking for on the discone vs "stick" antenna and even if it'd be worth it (does it really provide a decent gain over the stock telescopic?).

 

[ka3jjz]

The little 'sticks' that come with scanners are, at best, a compromise on most frequencies. You *might* see a little improvement on UHF and 800 Mhz frequencies, but being indoors, it's probably a wash as to whether you'd notice it or not.

Most discones work best from the VHF hi range up to around 800 Mhz or so. Depending on the construction of the attic - lots of metal foil insulation is going to be something of a problem - you may see a considerable improvement in how far out you can hear. Remember the antenna's height above ground is always a factor to consider. However outside is almost always going to beat out an indoor antenna, as you can get it away from obstructions.

Don't ignore the coax. RG58U gets very lossy when you start going higher in frequency and have to run a long distance between the scanner and antenna. There are better choices such as RG6 or 9913. Mike

 

[jonwienke]

This may be of interest:

Indoor Discone Antenna Setup

For those who for whatever reason can't set up an outdoor antenna, this setup works quite a bit better than a ducky/whip. Antenna: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QVPGKHU/ Stand: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E0PPG0/ The stand tubing is the exact right size to fit the antenna...

forums.radioreference.com

Whip/ground plane antennas outperform discones by a few dB, but only within a narrow frequency range. The Tram 1410 works well from about 100MHz to 900MHz, with no gaps in coverage. You'll see an overall improvement over the on-set antenna.

 

[martinwest]

Thanks for the replies! Went with the Tram 1410 & stand referenced in the other post and 15' of S-LMR240 cable.

 

[jonwienke]

Let us know how it works out for you.

 

[martinwest]

So I changed things up a little, ordered the maxx-tenna from eBay since that with the 20' of RG6 wire and connectors was pretty close to just ordering the antenna cable and connectors.

Just like with the SDS200 included telescopic antenna, the Maxx-tenna hanging in the notch of the house and just 20' of wire I was still unable to receive even the WX stations (even dedicated weather radio's don't really work here in the middle of nowhere). The station (WXN81) is at 29 miles distance.

Than arrived my Sirio SD2000N discone (instead of the Tram 1410 I looked at before). This antenna is sitting in the attic, connected now to the antenna cable that came with the eBay purchase, and the WX station is coming in now reporting at RSSI -83db.

​	​
First attempt with the Maxx-Tenna​	Sirio SD2000N​

 

[TailGator911]

I have one of those tube antennas as an emergency indoor antenna in case I lose my antennas outside. It picks up local PD and my county but definitely not a dx antenna. I highly endorse the Diamond 220R mini-discone for tight spaces and high performance. I took a few antennas with me on a recent RV excursion and experimented with them. Always came back to the mini discone. I fashioned a 6-ft telescopic hand held mast with a bicycle handle on it and used it walking around with great results. Affixed it to the roof of the RV with a semi-truck mirror mount mast to the luggage rack/bar and then to a 4-way Stridsberg. That little Diamond made for a nice trip You might pay a little more, but is is well worth the investment!

 

[jonwienke]

Mystery meat
in PVC pipe
Is likely mostly
Marketing hype​