Uniden BC72XLT Supplied Antenna Gain (VHF Airband)

[MarkHinton]

I contacted Uniden a few days ago and got a response yesterday, the only problem is that the antenna will apparently give you "around 3db" of gain. The question is what that is measured in, and how much better a 1/2λ dipole would be. Full question & response quoted below.

What is the gain of the supplied rubber ducky antenna in the 108-137 MHz airband?

Thank you for using our system.
It is around 3db.
Sincerely,
(it was actually blank here)

Email Address: xxxxxx@live.com
Product: Scanners
Product: BC72XLT
Product: ALL ITEMS
Created On: 10/4/2011 6:10:33 PM
Status: Closed
Update Date: 10/5/2011 11:10:33 AM

 

[prcguy]

It should be more like -10dB gain. The guy that answered your email has no clue.
prcguy

 

[nanZor]

Ack! I can attest to the fact that the oem antenna is not good for airband monitoring on a 72/95xlt, which I have. Prcguy is right about -10db attenuation - perhaps even more compared to a half-wave dipole.

At the very least, the typical commonly found amateur 2-meter band antenna is a bit better, although I like to use airband-specific antennas.

If you want a small vhf airband only duckie with bnc connector, the ICOM FA-B02AR (b-zero-2AR) does a good job for the same size if that is important to you. You can typically order it from pilot shops, and elsewhere on the net. It isn't as good as a half-wave dipole, nor is it better than a quarter-wave whip, but it beats the oem duck by a long shot.

Some very nice vhf-airband antennas (and more) can be found here as well:
http://www.dpdproductions.com/page_vhf_air.html

3db of gain from the oem duck? Not in this universe.

 

[MarkHinton]

Thanks for the replies, I'm going to have to look into getting that Icom, hopefully I'll have the cash for it soon.