prcguy
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Over the years I've collected lots of antennas for projects including some nice Shakespeare marine versions used on Govt vessels. I've had the parts laying around for years to make a VHF/UHF/700/800 setup using discreet marine antennas for each band and a commercial triplexer but never got around to putting it all together. Then a friend got some multiband radios and needed something similar so I gave him a shopping list of what I had not expecting him to actually find all the parts. Well he did and I just finished putting together all his parts into a really nice multiband base antenna that would be great for any scanner enthusiast or someone with a multiband radio like Motorola APX8500, Harris XG-100M, etc.
The individual antennas used are the Shakespeare HS-2774-R covering 136-174MHz with 4dBi gain, a Shakespeare US-3849 covering 380-490MHz with 4dBi gain and a Shakespeare 4800 series designed for 800MHz but covers down into the 700 range just fine. All are rated for shipboard use and should never have a problem from weather or corrosion. All antennas are mounted on a 6ft cross arm giving 1/2 wavelength spacing between antennas at VHF and much more at UHF and 800. Right below the cross arm is an outdoor NEMA rated box containing a high power Motorola triplexer and interface cables providing a single feedline to the radio. All antennas and hardware have been primed and painted grey to soften the impact to neighbors. Mast and cross arm hardware are aluminum castings from NuRail.
This setup should provide a very noticeable improvement over using a Discone or similar commercial multiband antenna. Since these antennas were first introduced Shakespeare has made a single antenna covering all the same bands (model US-1387) but its much less gain on VHF and UHF. You could do better with commercial broad band repeater antennas but a couple of 21ft tall VHF/UHF and maybe a 15ft tall 800 antenna is not going to work on a lightweight cross arm or fit on most residential roofs.
Anyway, here are pics of the antenna system and triplexer box set together for the first time and it all has to come apart to transport to its final destination. The 10ft mast holding the cross arm is the top piece of a home made 20ft pushup mast that will affix to the new owners chimney with a heavy duty chimney mount.


I have a duplicate set of all parts and someday will put together the same setup on my roof to replace an existing Discone with supplemental 700/800 antenna with diplexer.
The individual antennas used are the Shakespeare HS-2774-R covering 136-174MHz with 4dBi gain, a Shakespeare US-3849 covering 380-490MHz with 4dBi gain and a Shakespeare 4800 series designed for 800MHz but covers down into the 700 range just fine. All are rated for shipboard use and should never have a problem from weather or corrosion. All antennas are mounted on a 6ft cross arm giving 1/2 wavelength spacing between antennas at VHF and much more at UHF and 800. Right below the cross arm is an outdoor NEMA rated box containing a high power Motorola triplexer and interface cables providing a single feedline to the radio. All antennas and hardware have been primed and painted grey to soften the impact to neighbors. Mast and cross arm hardware are aluminum castings from NuRail.
This setup should provide a very noticeable improvement over using a Discone or similar commercial multiband antenna. Since these antennas were first introduced Shakespeare has made a single antenna covering all the same bands (model US-1387) but its much less gain on VHF and UHF. You could do better with commercial broad band repeater antennas but a couple of 21ft tall VHF/UHF and maybe a 15ft tall 800 antenna is not going to work on a lightweight cross arm or fit on most residential roofs.
Anyway, here are pics of the antenna system and triplexer box set together for the first time and it all has to come apart to transport to its final destination. The 10ft mast holding the cross arm is the top piece of a home made 20ft pushup mast that will affix to the new owners chimney with a heavy duty chimney mount.


I have a duplicate set of all parts and someday will put together the same setup on my roof to replace an existing Discone with supplemental 700/800 antenna with diplexer.
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