What is a Good 800Mhz Mobile antenna??

[bud229]

Looking for some input out there what is a good 800Mhz Scanner mobile antenna?
I live in Michigan and I have a scanner in my truck and I have a cell phone magnet mount antenna
it's only about 4 inches long it is old it picks up a good when I stop but when I am driving it cuts out
a lout when they are talking.
They all talk on 800Mhz digital here.
I have tried a a taller cell phone antenna but did not seem to make to much difference.
Any one know write me back and let me know.

 

[W8RMH]

I have been using the Laird Tech TRAB7603 phantom antenna. This antenna has been remarkable. I use it on a mag mount on the roof of my Tahoe (free from hitting trees and such). I even used it on the inside rear deck of a rental car while on vacation with good results.

I have not yet been able to find a dead spot. I get 5 bars on systems I couldn't even receive before. I have used it all over the state, mainly to monitor our new 700/800 MHz P25 system, as well as my county and old state Motorola Type II systems, plus local P25, VHF, and UHF systems when in their areas. I am also seeing them popping-up on new police cruisers.

Here is the narrative from the ad, and it couldn't be farther from the truth -

The Phantom antenna provides low visibility with a wide bandwidth and low angle radiation pattern that can produce results superior to many high gain antennas. Made from high grade plastic. 2.7" high. Requires a ground plane

 

[W2GLD]

I'll second the Phantom antenna for 700/800; there's nothing better on the market. The key to its success though is actually using a 3/4 NMO hole mount; if you're using a magnet mount, don't even bother as you'll be wasting your time. These antennas require a proper ground plane.

Another good choice is the Tri-band Larsen with a good NMO mount.

 

[bud229]

800Mhz Mobile antenna

Ok thank you I am going to look them up.

 

[DisasterGuy]

I will add another comment in favor of the Laird 700/800 phantom. It is the spec antenna I use for all public safety installs. Note that while it does a fantastic job on those bands as designed, if you scan anything in VHF it will be completely deaf.

 

[jfr]

DPD 5/8 over 5/8.
DPD Productions - Scanner, Aviation, NOAA, Low-Band, 700 MHz Public Safety, Base & Mobile Radio Antennas for Commercial & Hobbyist Applications

-JR

 

[mmckenna]

http://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/laird-tech-qw8253-3281.html

I use one of these on my truck for accessing the trunked system at run at work. It outperforms the quarter wave antenna I used to use. It's a bit cheaper than the phantom antennas and by design, should outperform it. The higher gain allows me to connect to the system from places I couldn't with the 1/4 wave.

I run these: http://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/larsen-nmo800-902.html on a number of our mobile installs where we want a higher gain antenna with a spring.

Quarter Wave antennas that I use on our bus fleet:
http://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/larsen-nmoqw800-5936.html

 

[W0JJK]

PCTEL Maxrad PCTCN8063 806-866 3dB Titanium Gray Open Coil | TESSCO

I find this antenna works great and not very noticeable. It works good for VHF and UHF.

 

[LIScanner101]

My favorite - even works great on VHF and UHF:

DPD Productions - Scanner, Aviation, NOAA, Low-Band, 700 MHz Public Safety, Base & Mobile Radio Antennas for Commercial & Hobbyist Applications

 

[bobmich52]

I'll second the Phantom antenna for 700/800; there's nothing better on the market. The key to its success though is actually using a 3/4 NMO hole mount; if you're using a magnet mount, don't even bother as you'll be wasting your time. These antennas require a proper ground plane.

Another good choice is the Tri-band Larsen with a good NMO mount.

my vote is for the Larsen 150/450/800 nmo.

works great on all bands, even low band with my HP 1 here in ct

it is mounted of the front 1/4 panel of my 2012 Tucson, very low profile

 

[MikeyC]

I'm a big fan of the Maxrad MAX7603S

MAX7603S Product Detail

I have a couple mounted on my car and they work wonderfully.

 

[bud229]

800Mhz antenna's

Hey thanks for all the info every one.
I will have to decide what one I am going to get.
I have tried cell phone antennas for the 800Mhz digital scanner but it seems like the gain just is not there it still cuts out.
I know on a lout of the police cars around here that I see they have the antennas that look like the
Laird Tech TRAB7603 so they must be working good.

 

[teufler]

I'm using a larsen nmo 800, ms3e800. Its a gain antenna, 3db, there are several that have a pig tail curl in the stinger that work good also. Do a search, larsen 800mhz gain antenna and you find several styles. Mine has a shock spring above the coil, then a coil in the stinger. Its about 1 foot tall. Had it originally for a mobile radio that trunked through arkansas, tennessee, louisiana and mississippi. Worked good, now use it as the mobile scanner antenna for 700-950 mhz.

 

[k8tmk]

I built a 10-element yagi antenna that was in an issue of Popular Communications magazine a few year ago.

Yes, it is directional, but it was cheap to build and works great!

They also had plans for a couple of other yagis with less elements, but the 10-element model is only about 3-feet long, and the elements are only about 6-inches long. I have it end-mounted on the side of my tower.

Randy

 

[WISCOMM]

We are getting really good feedback on the E/M Wave EM-M11003, bit taller at 14.5" tall.

http://www.emwaveinc.com/PDF/022120...800-900/Data Sheets/EM-M11003_763-869 MHz.pdf

All of Las Vegas Metro Police is using this antenna.

We also like the ETRAB8063 - Phantom Elite antenna.

 

[LIScanner101]

We are getting really good feedback on the E/M Wave EM-M11003, bit taller at 14.5" tall.

http://www.emwaveinc.com/PDF/022120...800-900/Data Sheets/EM-M11003_763-869 MHz.pdf

All of Las Vegas Metro Police is using this antenna.

We also like the ETRAB8063 - Phantom Elite antenna.

I really like the look and specs on that E/M Wave. Where can you buy those?

 

[verhoffj1]

I have been using the Laird Tech TRAB7603 phantom antenna. This antenna has been remarkable. I use it on a mag mount on the roof of my Tahoe (free from hitting trees and such). I even used it on the inside rear deck of a rental car while on vacation with good results.

I have not yet been able to find a dead spot. I get 5 bars on systems I couldn't even receive before. I have used it all over the state, mainly to monitor our new 700/800 MHz P25 system, as well as my county and old state Motorola Type II systems, plus local P25, VHF, and UHF systems when in their areas. I am also seeing them popping-up on new police cruisers.

Here is the narrative from the ad, and it couldn't be farther from the truth -

The Phantom antenna provides low visibility with a wide bandwidth and low angle radiation pattern that can produce results superior to many high gain antennas. Made from high grade plastic. 2.7" high. Requires a ground plane

so what you're saying is you didn't have any issues with having a magnet mount on an antenna that requires a ground plane?

 

[N3JI]

Kind of an old thread...

The roof of the Tahoe = the ground plane. Still, not a big fan of the salt & pepper shaker antennas myself.

 

[verhoffj1]

[Q/UOTE=N3JI;2379397]Kind of an old thread...

The roof of the Tahoe = the ground plane. Still, not a big fan of the salt & pepper shaker antennas myself.[/QUOTE]

could you recommend a good 700/800 megahertz mobile antenna?

 

[N3JI]

could you recommend a good 700/800 megahertz mobile antenna?

I personally use a mag-mount 3dB for temp use, and I have a 3dB on-glass mounted on my truck. They are cut for 800, but still receive well on 700. Got mine from Tessco, and are made by PCTel.