TerraWave M3030035O10006O-B - Antenna

[iMONITOR]

I'm going to try an antenna that's a departure of what's normally used for scanner radios. I picked up a new
TerraWave's 698-896/1700-2700 MHz omni antenna is designed for outdoor wireless networks operating in the LTE, cellular or 2.4 GHz frequency range.

This antenna is ideal for any outdoor voice and data wireless system. The bandwidth is about as perfect as it gets for the 700-800MHz band.

Now that I have a SDS200 scanner the fact that it's and omni directional is a plus, not a concern. When using a directional yagi to help earlier design scanners to cope better with simulcast system it's a double edge sword because it reduces the ability to pick up other systems all around you. The new SDS doesn't require that limitation. Although I might not have the gain of the yagi, that shouldn't be a problem where I'm located. I should have it this week and I'm anxious to try it. Has anyone tried one of these cellular network type antennas? Steet price on these are around $75.00/ea but there is a guy on Ebay selling them for around $17.00/ea!

For of you living where antennas aren't allowed, I doubt anyone would have any idea what this is. Tell them it's a porch light, weather instrument, or an locater light to alert PD/FD/EMS of your emergency!

TerraWave M3030035O10006O-B - antenna (on ebay)

TerraWave 3/3.5 dBi Outdoor Omni Antenna M3030035O10006O-B - 800088427 888063099656 | eBay

Internal Product ID: 800088427. Manufacturer: TERRAWAVE. This TerraWave Antenna is in great physical condition. This antenna is ideal for any outdoor voice and data wireless system. Includes an N-style Jack connector and a mast mount.

www.ebay.com

CDW

https://www.cdw.com/product/terrawave-m3030035o10006o-b-antenna/2717346#PO

 

[prcguy]

I've had one for a couple of years but have not used it beyond comparing to a tiny Discone about the same size. Its on par with the Discone and I did cut it open to see the interesting construction. I recently bought a second one for $13.77 shipped but it went from IL to CA then back to IL and now lost in PA somewhere.

I thought I took a picture of the naked TerraWave antenna but can't find it. Here is a picture of the Discone about the same size that works similar.

I'm going to try an antenna that's a departure of what's normally used for scanner radios. I picked up a new
TerraWave's 698-896/1700-2700 MHz omni antenna is designed for outdoor wireless networks operating in the LTE, cellular or 2.4 GHz frequency range.

This antenna is ideal for any outdoor voice and data wireless system. The bandwidth is about as perfect as it gets for the 700-800MHz band.

Now that I have a SDS200 scanner the fact that it's and omni directional is a plus, not a concern. When using a directional yagi to help earlier design scanners to cope better with simulcast system it's a double edge sword because it reduces the ability to pick up other systems all around you. The new SDS doesn't require that limitation. Although I might not have the gain of the yagi, that shouldn't be a problem where I'm located. I should have it this week and I'm anxious to try it. Has anyone tried one of these cellular network type antennas? Steet price on these are around $75.00/ea but there is a guy on Ebay selling them for around $17.00/ea!

For of you living where antennas aren't allowed, I doubt anyone would have any idea what this is. Tell them it's a porch light, weather instrument, or an locater light to alert PD/FD/EMS of your emergency!

TerraWave M3030035O10006O-B - antenna (on ebay)

TerraWave 3/3.5 dBi Outdoor Omni Antenna M3030035O10006O-B - 800088427 888063099656 | eBay

Internal Product ID: 800088427. Manufacturer: TERRAWAVE. This TerraWave Antenna is in great physical condition. This antenna is ideal for any outdoor voice and data wireless system. Includes an N-style Jack connector and a mast mount.

www.ebay.com

CDW

https://www.cdw.com/product/terrawave-m3030035o10006o-b-antenna/2717346#PO

View attachment 84679

 

[iMONITOR]

I've had one for a couple of years but have not used it beyond comparing to a tiny Discone about the same size. Its on par with the Discone and I did cut it open to see the interesting construction. I recently bought a second one for $13.77 shipped but it went from IL to CA then back to IL and now lost in PA somewhere.

I thought I took a picture of the naked TerraWave antenna but can't find it. Here is a picture of the Discone about the same size that works similar.

View attachment 84681

Did you make that or was that a commercial grade antenna? Did it have a radome cover when new? How did the two work and compare?

 

[mmckenna]

I've had one for a couple of years but have not used it beyond comparing to a tiny Discone about the same size. Its on par with the Discone and I did cut it open to see the interesting construction. I recently bought a second one for $13.77 shipped but it went from IL to CA then back to IL and now lost in PA somewhere.

I thought I took a picture of the naked TerraWave antenna but can't find it. Here is a picture of the Discone about the same size that works similar.

I've got a couple of those sitting under my desk. I liberated them when I went around and shut off all the old Nextel BDA systems we had at work. I'm not sure what to do with them, played with them a few times, but that was it.

Decibel Products
DB786DC5N-XM 806-2200MHz.

 

[prcguy]

The little Discone is a DB Products and they come with different part #s and frequency ranges but I think the antenna is the same in all cases. One of mine was rated high 700MHz to 2.7GHz or something close. I picked up several at the Dayton hamstervention for $5 each and a couple off Fleabay for good prices. I've given many of them away over the years and only have a few left.

I've got a couple of those sitting under my desk. I liberated them when I went around and shut off all the old Nextel BDA systems we had at work. I'm not sure what to do with them, played with them a few times, but that was it.

Decibel Products
DB786DC5N-XM 806-2200MHz.

 

[iMONITOR]

I thought I took a picture of the naked TerraWave antenna but can't find it. Here is a picture of the Discone about the same size that works similar.

Mike when you get time if you could find the picture of the TerraWave's internals I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks,
Bill

 

[prcguy]

I couldn't find any pictures so I ripped apart all the glue I used putting it together and took it back apart. Its a fat tapered monopole made of sheet metal with a little insulator made of fiberglass to help hold it up. I remember it didn't go below 800 very well because the ground plane is a bit too small and the match gets pretty bad. I might leave this one apart to play with making a larger ground plane.

Oh the things I do to please you people.........

 

[iMONITOR]

Thank you very much! I had no idea what to expect but now that I see it I feel I understand the design. If you wanted to make something similar could you extend the bandwidth by making it taller and wider in sections? Is there a name to a design like this?

 

[prcguy]

This specific antenna uses a "crossed planer monopole" but there are all kinds of shapes that can be used to make a wide band or ultra wide band antenna. Here is a little info on that.

Chapter: UWB Antennas for Wireless Applications

Open access peer-reviewed chapter

www.intechopen.com

https://www.ripublication.com/irph/ijece/ijecev5n4_07.pdf

Thank you very much! I had no idea what to expect but now that I see it I feel I understand the design. If you wanted to make something similar could you extend the bandwidth by making it and taller and wider in sections? Is there a name to a design like this?

 

[iMONITOR]

Wow, overwhelming endless design possibilities! Makes me want to buy a metallic 3D printer!

 

[prcguy]

Here is another type I've been meaning to try with a size comparison to the TerraWave, its rated 700MHz to 26GHz. It has gain at higher freqs but starts getting directional off the sides. You could easily scale this larger for 100MHz to past 3GHz and so on made of thin aluminum sheet metal. I was thinking about making a larger one but two dimensional like the TerraWave to fill in off axis when the gain kicks in.

Wow, overwhelming endless design possibilities! Makes me want to buy a metallic 3D printer!

 

[iMONITOR]

You could almost make that out of a couple of dog-tags!

 

[a417]

Wow, overwhelming endless design possibilities! Makes me want to buy a metallic 3D printer!

Tin snips.

 

[mmckenna]

Wow, overwhelming endless design possibilities! Makes me want to buy a metallic 3D printer!

Indeed.
Reminds me of a story my grandfather told me years ago. He worked for a part of Lockheed that built odd stuff. A division of the Skunk Works, but not the high security stuff. They were playing around with some ultra quiet aircraft to study various things, including developing an aircraft that they ended up using in Viet Nam, Lockheed Q-star was the test bed, and that eventually led to the Lockheed YO-3A.
Anywho, one of the issues they found that a bunch of antennas on the fuselage resulted in a lot of unwanted wind noise. My grandfather did electrical systems, but he worked with the radio guy. They were using the conductive alarm tape to make strip antennas that were inside the non-metallic fuselage and canopy. They'd make little dipoles out of the stuff and stick in on the inside. No noise.

Looking back, a metallic 3d printer probably would have been perfect for them.

 

[iMONITOR]

My TerraWave antenna arrived yesterday. I have it mounted in my home office on a 9ft light stand free and clear of any metallic objects. I don't have any formal/technical means to measure or evaluate it.

IMHO it's working great! I'm getting rock solid full signal bars on my SD200. No fluttering or drop outs of the signal with crystal clear uninterrupted audio. This is on Macomb Counties P25 simulcast system that (last time I checked) has 12 tower sites. Normally scanners prior to the SDS200 this may not be the best choice. Being omni-directional antenna it might cause problems by receiving all the tower sites involved on a simulcast system which normally is something you don't want to do.

The SDS series of scanners do not have problems with simulcast systems. So an the TerraWave omni-directional antenna can be an advantage if you want to monitor any/all systems within your area on the 700-800+MHz band. It does this quite well for such a compact antenna! When using a yagi in the past this was not possible. Now I'm able to receive systems that were weak or completely nulled out off the back of the yagi. I was concerned it was going to pick up too much interference from numerous cellular phone towers in my area but the SDS200 seems to cope with them just fine!

I'm going to further testing with more distance systems to see how it performs. So far it's the best $17.00 I've ever spent! The wife even prefers the look as well.

 

[iMONITOR]

This was unexpected. I've been scanning the National database for anything analog or digital. I've been catching a few military and aircraft frequencies, both VHF & UHF with the TerraWave antenna!

I think this is just a fluke possibly because I'm only 10 miles from Selfridge Air National Guard Base and it's catching from nearby overhead aircraft occasionally. I wouldn't think it would be picking up any of these frequencies as it's designed for 698 ~ 2700MHz.

Performance on MPSCS (Michigan's public safety communications system) continues to impress! This antenna has been a sleeper in our hobby circles! prcguy have you spend much time evaluating yours?

 

[prcguy]

I received my second TerraWave omni thing today after it made a tour of the country a couple of times courtesy of Fed-X. It had a screw rattling inside so I had to tear it apart and now I have two that need gluing back together.

I was playing with an antenna analyzer and find the VSWR below about 840MHz goes up rapidly and its a good 3:1 in the mid 700MHZ range. It seems the internal ground plane is too small to go much below 840MHz. If you put your hand up under the base of the antenna grabbing the connector the match settles down and at 700MHz its not bad. I also find attaching it to the sometimes supplied pole mounting bracket also improves the match down in the 700MHz range.

Bottom line is if your going to use this antenna with 700MHz stuff use the factory pole mount or add some ground plane.

 

[iMONITOR]

I received my second TerraWave omni thing today after it made a tour of the country a couple of times courtesy of Fed-X. It had a screw rattling inside so I had to tear it apart and now I have two that need gluing back together.

I was playing with an antenna analyzer and find the VSWR below about 840MHz goes up rapidly and its a good 3:1 in the mid 700MHZ range. It seems the internal ground plane is too small to go much below 840MHz. If you put your hand up under the base of the antenna grabbing the connector the match settles down and at 700MHz its not bad. I also find attaching it to the sometimes supplied pole mounting bracket also improves the match down in the 700MHz range.

Bottom line is if your going to use this antenna with 700MHz stuff use the factory pole mount or add some ground plane.

This antenna has been working great! I have it mounted using the supplied metal mount on a metal mast. The bottom mounting plate is at the same height as the top of the mast so the antenna is a little off to one side of the mast but the antenna clears the mast. What would be the ill effect if I slide the mount down the mast about a foot so it's totally mounted on the side of the mast with none of the antenna itself above the top of the mast? I'm pretty certain that might make directional but what else might happen?