Stubby antennas?

[schriber]

I've got a question about stubby antennas. After all these years, I've never found the need to use one. If you have a receiver with adjustable attenuation, other than bulk (and being more discrete), what's the advantage?

Thanks!

Mike

 

[twowayradiomouse]

Tiny Little Things

If you are using a scanner to scan different freq bands than you need an antenna cut to the middle of the freq range you are listening to. That is for the best results............

If you are just scanning 800 MhZ than a stubby "800" antenna is fine..............

Or you can carry several different antennas and just keep changing them????????????

The bottom line here is to hear clearly what you are trying to listen to.............

Mic.

 

[schriber]

I'm sorry, maybe I should have been more specifc when I said stubby...

I'm talking about real stubby antennas... the 1" or so kind. These are typicaly tuned for 2M and 440MHz. They're designed to have reduced reception to only hear close signals and do be more discrete than a longer antenna. They certainly pull in less signal that 1/4 wave 2M and 440MHz antennas.

Mike

 

[pmsar35]

Mike,

You've pretty much answered your own question. With my BCD396T or BC246T I use a Comet stubby when I'm concentrating on Close Call hits. As your signature indicates that you own a BCD396T also, you know that for Close Call to work, the signal needs to be a certain amount stronger than background signals. A stubby attenuates those other signals, so that only a relatively strong signal gets through to activate Close Call. The other benefit is the "stealth" factor. A BCD396T and a stubby can easily slip into a shirt pocket and to the untrained eye, looks rather like a PDA/cellphone combination. At Disneyland, for example, which uses a 900 MHz trunked system, the stubby picks up in the park communications just fine and you really don't need anything more than that.

 

[N_Jay]

I've got a question about stubby antennas. After all these years, I've never found the need to use one. If you have a receiver with adjustable attenuation, other than bulk (and being more discrete), what's the advantage?

Thanks!

Mike

That is EXACTLY what they are for. (being smaller)

The poor reception is just a side effect that some try to sell as an advantage.

 

[TooLate]

Really need to find at least one good low profile (GPS pod-like) monitor antenna. I accept the decrease in performance but feel like I need to get signal from the outside of the car.

Who has the widest range of frequencies for these low profile antennas (or antennae) as I have a couple of bands I'd like to monitor as I commute my 130mi/day and don't want to create any more wind resistance than possible for fuel conservation reasons. So, one or two of these behind the rear glass should be discrete AND "drag efficient"...yes?

Love this forum!
tl

 

[Bill2k]

I commute my 130mi/day and don't want to create any more wind resistance than possible for fuel conservation reasons.

Wind resistance!!!..... Whats installed on your car now? Kites? Just kidding bud. :wink:

 

[LarrySC]

Another idea. Lots of people live close to the repeater systems they monitor or operate on. This is the first reason to use a stubby. HOWEVER, if you have a UHF scanner without PL Tone and overloaded with 462 mHz digital pager noise, then use a VHF stubby duck. The wrong antenna is a good ATT. I my area most comms are on a local Mtn Top and you must use some strange tricks to make things work.

 

[Al42]

Really need to find at least one good low profile (GPS pod-like) monitor antenna. I accept the decrease in performance but feel like I need to get signal from the outside of the car.

Who has the widest range of frequencies for these low profile antennas

Stubbies (the way you define the term) are single band antennas. Actually they're very narrow-banded antennas - they only cover part of one band.

If you want low wind resistance from an antenna that actually works try the Larsen 150/450/850.