Sirrius Antenna for 800MhZ Scanner?

[buckyswider]

Hi all!

Stupid question. I just bought a new-to-me car and it has a Sirius radio complete with a wart antenna on the roof. I haven o intention of ever using satellite radio. Is there a way I can use this for my scanner?

I really don't much of a boost, if any. In my current car my PRO-2096 doesn't even have an antenna and I pick up my county trunked system just fine. But I figure if I'm stuck with this wart on the roof, why not use it for SOMETHING?

Or maybe could the wart be removed and replaced with a proper scanner antenna, leveraging the cable run already present? Is the antenna cable for satellite equivalent/good enough for scanning?

Thanks!

 

[marksmith]

Getting connected to an antenna that is outside the car should cause at least some improvement.

I don't know what frequency those things are tuned for.

Mark
536/436/WS1095/HP1/HP2/996T/996XT/996P2/396XT/325P2/PSR800/15X/others

 

[buckyswider]

I think it's 2.4GhZ, but not sure. And my thinking is the same- I should get *some* improvement! But not sure...

 

[jonwienke]

If it's tuned way off the desired band, you may not see any improvement over a duck inside the vehicle.

 

[WB2QGZ]

The Sirius antenna is an active device with a built in LNA and filtering that only really works around 2300 MHz. It requires D.C. Bias on the antenna line to power the LNA. Don't think it'll do too much for you...

 

[wtp]

just try it

it can't hurt and your question will be answered.
years ago some one gave me a damaged CB antenna.
someone had cut it at 3 or 4 inches.
it worked ok for my counties 800 mhz system.
it is a little better and not so directional as my ducky sitting on the seat.

 

[marksmith]

My experience has been that unless the antenna I am putting on the car is tuned to the right band I listen to (particularly 800), then I am best off with the antenna on the unit.

On the other hand, if I have a good 800mz external antenna on the roof, it beats the attached antenna.

If the sirius antenna is 2.4g, the radio antenna will probably do about as well.

Mark
536/436/WS1095/HP1/HP2/996T/996XT/996P2/396XT/325P2/PSR800/15X/others

 

[mmckenna]

Sirius uses 2.3GHz and the antenna is oriented for looking at satellites. Probably some version of circular polarization.

I'd agree it would be worth a test, but don't expect miracles. 2.3GHz is a long way from 800MHz.

You'll always do better with an antenna designed for the frequency you are listening to and using the same polarization.

 

[buckyswider]

Thanks all. Yeah, what have I got to lose, right?

If results are unsatisfactory, do we think the cabling will be sufficient to retrofit a proper scanner antenna? (and if so, is there any kind of "flat" scanner antenna??)

 

[mmckenna]

The cabling is going to have some odd connectors on it, so unless you are comfortable reterminating cable, or using some adapters, it's going to be easier to run new cable.

As for swapping out the antenna, those usually have keyed holes, so a standard antenna mount isn't going to work.

There are some thin 800MHz antennas that will fit an NMO mount, but like most "compact" designs, they are at a disadvantage compared to a regular antenna.

There are "shark fin" type antennas that will look similar to some stock antennas, but they are expensive and instead of being broad band, they tend to have multiple coaxial cable feeds, so not always a good choice.

Honestly, to get the most out of your scanner, do a proper antenna install, it'll really improve your reception.
An NMO mount installed in the center of the roof with a good multi-band antenna, like the Larsen NMO-150-450-800 will work quite well. Since they are only about 19 inches tall and are all black, they tend to blend in pretty well.

 

[jeepsandradios]

The antenna is a chip on a circuit board. It will do nothing for you as it requires voltage to work. you would have better luck using an Onstar antenna (cellular)

 

[marksmith]

You can also get an NMO mount and a Laird 800mz antenna that is only 2 inches high and nearly invisible in the center of the roof.

It does extremely well as a rooftop ground plane in 800mz and as far down as vhf high in some cases.

Mark
536/436/WS1095/HP1/HP2/996T/996XT/996P2/396XT/325P2/PSR800/15X/others

 

[buckyswider]

Thanks all, finally just got around to de-installing the PRO-2096 from the old vehicle. Will install it in the new one in the next week or so. I think I'll just see if I can attach it somehow and see what happens. Probably nothing!!!