T-Band

[strockg]

Our county is going to T-Band (470-512mz). Would I be wise in using a dual band (VHF & UHF) scanner antenna for the roof of my Jeep or should I use a 1/4 wave whip antenna trimmed to the frequencies I will be listening to?

 

[Rt169Radio]

Well if your not going to listen to anything else,I would go with a dedicated antenna for those freqs.

 

[ecps92]

They are ??? Which County System ??

The FCC has put a hold on NEW Systems and Expansions to existing systems.

Our county is going to T-Band (470-512mz). Would I be wise in using a dual band (VHF & UHF) scanner antenna for the roof of my Jeep or should I use a 1/4 wave whip antenna trimmed to the frequencies I will be listening to?

 

[Thunderknight]

They are ??? Which County System ??

The FCC has put a hold on NEW Systems and Expansions to existing systems.

If they already licensed it before the freeze, they could still put it on the air.

 

[ecps92]

Correct , although I read it as Going [Future] vs licensed and finally turning on the switch.

Lets see what system the OP passes along and hopefully he also updates his profile for his location

If they already licensed it before the freeze, they could still put it on the air.

 

[strockg]

It is Lancaster County, PA. They are scheduled to go on the air in 2014. I think they obtained their license some time ago.

 

[N5TWB]

Our county is going to T-Band (470-512mz). Would I be wise in using a dual band (VHF & UHF) scanner antenna for the roof of my Jeep or should I use a 1/4 wave whip antenna trimmed to the frequencies I will be listening to?

I'm not aware of a true scanner antenna that is only designed for VHF and UHF but there are multiple antennas designed for transmitting in those bands. Getting it cut to T-band might be problematic but probably not critical for receiving purposes. The quarterwave whip would be a way to be more precise about the frequency, at least in theory. If you want to get an electronic measurement to confirm your cut length, that will probably require a two-way shop because the MFJ analyzers stop at 470MHz.

 

[FFPM571]

I have found that for a scanner a plain 1/4 vhf works the best. Cutting a whip to an exact freq is overkill on a scanner. If you do the calcuations a 17 in whip is almost a 3/4 wave on UHF. That way you can still listen to what ever vhf and uhf is in the area. With a antenna cut for UHF you limited to that band.

 

[strockg]

Thank you everyone for your input! I will get to work on my profile.