Antennas: Get creative!

Posted on May 10, 2017 by Rich Carlson

Scannists are always looking for better antennas. The right anttenna can make the difference between hearing your target or not. It is often said that the antenna is more important than the radio it is connected too. One can spend more money on the antenna system that the radio, it is that important. Even more important that the antenna itself can be the coax that connects it to the radio.

That all being said, sometimes there is a way to improve your antenna situation without breaking the bank. In this spirit let’s look at a couple rules that can be broken creatively to get a decent antenna solution at a reasonable price.

Let’s start at the top. With antennas elevation rules all. The higher it goes the better, well most of the time anyway. Does it have to be mounted on the roof however? It might work quite well in the attic. Attic installations can also save on other matters. You usually don’t need fancy mounting gear for attic antennas, just hang it from a rafter or set it on the floor. Antennas in the attic are well protected from the weather and you can do installations in the rain without getting wet.

If you live in an HOA then you might not be allowed rooftop antennas anyway so the attic might be the only way to go. It is not without its problems however. If you have a metal roof or other metallic structures above they would be a problem. Watch for metal backed insulation sheeting, HVAC hoses and other obstructions.

If you live in rental housing or a condo you might not even have the ability to use attic antennas at all. If this is the case then you are stuck with inside antennas. There are a couple things you still could do. Can you mount an antenna on a balcony or patio? How about putting a mobile magnet mount antenna on a refrigerator or air conditioner? Hang a rooftop type antenna from the ceiling or mount on the balcony? There are a lot of different things you can do when limited by space, rules or conditions.

When mounting an antenna on the roof or in the attic be sure to use quality feedline (coax). For scanners either 50 or 75 ohm coax works fine. Avoid the use of adapters as much as possible and try to use the shortest amount of coax as possible. Having 30 feet of coax coiled up in a corner will reduce the effectiveness of the antenna dramatically.

As always, if there are more questions you can ask your friendly (well sometimes grouchy) scanner expert here at ScannerMaster!

Scanner Tip of the Week: Plural Radios, Single Antenna

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Rich Carlson

So you really got bit by the scanner bug and have several scanners to really keep tabs on the action. You really want to have a better antenna for them all but don’t want an antenna farm growing on your roof or your attic. What to do?

There are several good ways to share one antenna with 2 or more radios. There are also several bad ways. The bad ways might work good enough to hear some local stuff but that is about it.

The best way to share an antenna with multiple radios is by use of a Multicoupler. A Multicoupler has a connector for the antenna and 2, 4 8 or more ports for radios.Multicouplers allow signals from the antenna to pass thru it to multiple radios and prevents interference between them. “Active Multicouplers” have low power pre-amps in them to overcome the connector loss present whenever you put something between the radio and its antenna. “Passive Multicouplers” do not have the amplifier and will degrade the signal a bit.

Stridsberg makes several models of Multicouplers tailor made for scanners. Stridsberg is the most respected name in scanner multicouplers and ScannerMaster is proud to carry them. Up to 8 scanners can be connected to a single scanner antenna without loss. Check these out at https://www.scannermaster.com/Multicouplers_for_Police_Scanner_Radios_s/43.htm

If your needs are less stringent then you could use a splitter. Splitters are different in that they merely provide a way to share an antenna with two or more radios. These do not have the circuitry to reduce or overcome signal loss. Splitters can usually be used in the reverse way, to allow 2 antennas to feed a single radio, something that multicouplers usually cannot do.

One could just use coax “T” or “Y” adaptors but these provide no protection against interference or signal loss and are not recommended.

Regardless of the methods use there is no substitute for quality cables. Using high-quality coax, both for the downlink from the antenna and for the jumpers to the radios will reduce the loss and increase the signal strength. Don’t forget to use quality connectors if you make the patch cables yourself. Avoid the use of adapters as much as you can, everyone adds a little more loss to the line.

New Product – Indoor 762-894 MHz 5dB Gain Omni Antenna W/Desk Stand

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Jonathan Higgins

Finally there is an omni-directional indoor antenna option for 700-800 MHz with some serious gain. The Indoor 762-894 MHz 5dB Gain Omni Antenna W/Desk Stand comes complete with desk stand and 6 feet of coax cable with a BNC connection for your scanner. This sharp looking but very compact antenna packs a punch bringing in digital and analog 700 and 800 MHz systems. Its also does an excellent job of also receiving 400-500 MHz channels as well.