Stubby antennas for racing

[10point]

I am going to the Indy 500 this weekend and I have a Pro-95. I have never used a scanner at a race before. Should I get one of these short range antennas?

http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...Type/Scanner/HAM&fbc=1&parentPage=family

 

[Mikey54]

The standard duck that came with your scanner will work just fine. Duck antenna's have a lot of loading to shorten their physical length, so normally the shorter the antenna the less efficient it is. (ie. a 1/4 wave at 145Mhz is approx 19" long. you are trying to get the same efficiency out of a couple of inches). That being said, the short antenna will probably work ok for you because you are going to be fairly close to the action. If you have $10.00 burning a hole in your pocket, go for it, but if you would rather save that money, it may almost buy you a hot dog at the race track.

 

[jb872033]

at the track here...considerably smaller than the 500 track i just take the antenna off altogehter and get the uhf frequencies i want to listen to...played with it a lot last summer...didnt find any huge difference between bare connector and long or short antenna...keepin in mind that i go to a track with stands only on the front stretch of a 5/8 mile oval...so i am not sure about your situation, but thought i might weigh in anyways...

JB