ka3jjz
Wiki Admin Emeritus
I have no idea where you found that the ScanTenna doesn't work well on milair- I've seen comments saying the exact opposite. Making sure you feed the antenna - any antenna - with a good grade of coax is vital, particularly when you are up near 400 mhz. The higher the frequency the more the coax construction becomes critical. Loss is never fun. I've seen enough comments that the ScanTenna's performance does fall off at 800 to think that might be a fact. I have a ScanTenna clone in my attic, attached to an amp that goes into my 2004 - works very well.
Several folks I know use Discones - specifically the Diamond, and one or two have the Icom model. DPD productions also makes 2 milair antennas, if memory serves - one for just the 225-400 range, the other for that and the 138-144 mhz range. Our Scanner Antennas Wiki has many such links. If you've got a good hand for working with piping, many seem to have found the Off Center fed dipole works well here, too - this is a homebrew knockoff of something Grove has been selling for some time. (just click on the blue text - that's a link)
As for the BCT15 - interestingly there was a review of the 15 in a past MT by Larry Van Horn who liked the 15's performance on milair. Keep in mind that it won't do digital trunking - if that's important in your area, then give that one a pass (unless you're going to dedicate a scanner to milair - many do that, too).
73s Mike
Several folks I know use Discones - specifically the Diamond, and one or two have the Icom model. DPD productions also makes 2 milair antennas, if memory serves - one for just the 225-400 range, the other for that and the 138-144 mhz range. Our Scanner Antennas Wiki has many such links. If you've got a good hand for working with piping, many seem to have found the Off Center fed dipole works well here, too - this is a homebrew knockoff of something Grove has been selling for some time. (just click on the blue text - that's a link)
As for the BCT15 - interestingly there was a review of the 15 in a past MT by Larry Van Horn who liked the 15's performance on milair. Keep in mind that it won't do digital trunking - if that's important in your area, then give that one a pass (unless you're going to dedicate a scanner to milair - many do that, too).
73s Mike
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Anyhow I read it on a forum somewhere that was talking MilAir antenna stuff. Up to this point everything that I had read was also positive. I read so much the last few days my head is spinning. I was already to buy the Scantenna, then read that thread, then here I go again....wondering!!!! I'm glad to hear that the BCT15 does well on MilAir. Which ever scanner I end up with will be strictly dedicated to MilAir/Air band only. I have a Pro96 and a 2096 for the trunking stuff around here. Already have an antenna for those so the antenna will actually be dedicated to the air stuff too. 
