Vehicle SHORT antenna option?

[marcin4]

Hi. I am about to take my ham license test and am going with a dual band radio setup in my vehicle. I want as clean an install as possible. I currently have the Larsen tri-band (Larsen Antennas) mounted on the trunk of my charger for scanner listening.

I would like a good dual band antenna that about the same height (14-18 inches). NMO mount.

I realize the advantages of a higher line of sight antenna, but really want to keep as low profile as I can and still get use out of it.

I would appreciate some input.

I was given an OK by the wife to spend up to $1500 for my entire setup. At least 500 of that is going towards a console made specifically for the charger that will house my bcd996xt scanner and pro520xl cb radio.

I am ordering a dual band ham radio today so I can start using it as soon as I pass my test this coming week.

 

[n9mxq]

Take a look at the Larsen 2/70. Have used one for years.. It's a bit taller than your specs, but worth a look.. I've had it roof mounted, trunk mounted, and even mounted to the A-Pillar on a Jeep TJ. And it never failed to perform.

 

[N5TWB]

The Larsen 2/70 is a good performer and I'd suggest you also look at one of the short dual-band choices from Comet and Diamond which will match your tri-band scanner antenna for height. I use this combo as a roof mount on my SUV for height clearance issues to get in the garage. BTW, I know the Larsen is a good performer because that's what I change my short dual-bander for when I need better fringe coverage into the repeater.

 

[prcguy]

The Austin 500C is an 18" tall 2m/440 dual band and works as a 1/4 wave on each band. I have the 2m/220/440 version and am quite happy with it for its short size.
prcguy

 

[n5ims]

I agree with the Larsen 2/70 choice. I have several and they all work quite well. One thing though when you start searching, there are several models available. Two are of the longer type, one with an exposed coil (like the old cell phone antennas) and the other has an enclosed coil. Instead of either of those though, you'll probably want the short version (LARSEN NMO-2/70 SH | SHORT 2M/440 MOBILE ANT) though since it's close to the length of your tri-band. The two will pair up quite well visually.

 

[rapidcharger]

This is the one I have.
It's the size of and looks like an 800mhz popo antenna except it's in black.
Not that I bought it to look like a po-po.

The perfomance is so-so but it sure looks cool. If you live in an urban area or close to your repeaters you'll probably do fine with it but if you want performance, I'm afraid it's going to take a longer antenna. I hear good things about larsens.

 

[marcin4]

after reading all last night, i decided to go with the DIAMOND NR-72BNMO. 4.6/5 on eham reviews and seems to be pretty much on par with the larsen 2/70 sh.

Where I live, I have 4 repeaters each on both 2m and 70cm that are all within 5-20 miles of anywhere I travel in the county so I "should" be ok.

 

[n9mxq]

Let us know how you like it once you've had it for a while.

 

[W2NJS]

after reading all last night, i decided to go with the DIAMOND NR-72BNMO. 4.6/5 on eham reviews and seems to be pretty much on par with the larsen 2/70 sh.

Where I live, I have 4 repeaters each on both 2m and 70cm that are all within 5-20 miles of anywhere I travel in the county so I "should" be ok.

I was reading down this thread and about to tell you about the 72BNMO but you've already made the right decision. I use two of them on the roof of my '11 Outback and they're great. One is fed by a Comet diplexer from a Motorola 7500 with an 03 control head and the other is connected to an Icom 208H.

 

[N4KVE]

In the past when I needed a short antenna, I successfully used a regular 19" whip that's normally used for VHF. It worked just fine on UHF too. SWR was good on both bands. Now I use a Larson V/U antenna, but a short antenna is not required so 40" is fine. Of course if maximum range is the top priority, then the shorty antenna won't live up to your needs.

 

[jhooten]

Shop ebay for a used console. The Chargers have been out long enough there a many of them there. I paid $160 for a complete pulled unit a couple months ago and just got a Tahoe unit for under a hundred. All either of them needed was a little cleaning and some paint touch up. Customer didn't complain one bit about saving a few hundred bucks.