I dare to ask which antenna

[i like old stuff]

I know, its probably the gazillionth time this has been done.

BUT!

I do have a valid reason for asking.

I still have the BCT15X although have not used it for some time and am just coming back to rekindle my interest in the scanner now I've got it installed in my shack. Ive been off doing other things, SOTA, QRP HF, VHF/UHF contesting and so on and am currently studying for my full licence.

Back to the point, I have a couple of pneumatic 10m masts and would like to add to my 2M and 70 CM Yagis and modular dipoles with a scanning antenna that doesn't look like a spaceship.

I know I could just stick an old 11M antenna up on the mast or even a redundant TV antenna but just wondered what you seasoned scanning folks would do?

Or would you save the money and effort and just use the 5 element Yagi that I have for 2M contesting?

Curious to hear your opinions.

Cheers
Al

2E0VZZ

[G4RMT]

I suppose the real question is what do you want to listen to? You have a number of antennas - how do they work on your scanner? If they don't cut it on the frequencies you wish to scan, then maybe a proper antenna for that band is needed? Mind you - if you want to get decent performance on every frequency, then realistically - you're looking at a zero gain Wideband antenna like a discone - not sure if that looks like am spaceship to you, but no more than some of your other antennas look like a Dalek weapon.

[m0lsx]

What do you want to listen too? Because a beam is of no use to you unless you are listening for something in a very particular direction & obviously the more elements it has the more particular you need to be about direction.
A 2 or 3 band white stick would give you say 6, 2 & 70 FM plus omni directional scanning & an element of use on SSB for 6 & 2 meters too. I find my white stick is not too bad on 6 meters SSB as it's sky wave, but unless there is a decent lift on, it's obviously very poor on 2 meters SSB. Due to the way polarization matters on ground wave, but not as much on sky wave.
A TV antenna can work, but they normally work badly & a 11 meter antenna, generally works well on the top end of HF & the bottom of VHF. But not so well as you work you way up the spectrum.

[i like old stuff]

Cheers chaps, very useful.

I really enjoy listening to PMR transmissions because they are often either hilarious or, being in the country, they can be informative as the hunts and shoots all seem to use them.

Connected to my FT897 I have a Diamond X50 fed by the very high quality 10mm Westflex. On 70 this antenna has an SWR of 1.5 so would be the ideal option I suppose for the PMR listening AND transmitting come to think of it. It is also a permanent installation on a pole at 10M.

I have just programmed the 8 analogue PMR channels into the 897, I wonder why i didnt think of this before! DOH! Thinking as I write....., I actually wont be able to TX as the minimum power of the 897 on 70 is 2 W double DOH!!



Ill still get a scanning set-up, it would be vertically polarised

Good to be back

[m0lsx]

I have just programmed the 8 analogue PMR channels into the 897, I wonder why i didnt think of this before! DOH! Thinking as I write....., I actually wont be able to TX as the minimum power of the 897 on 70 is 2 W double DOH!!

Of course we cannot legally transmit out of band using our amateur Tcvr's. But if your 897 is anything like my 857, then transmitting into a dummy load on pmr licence free frequencies is easily possible.
My 857 has been wide banded, has your 897?
My 857, which should be basically the same radio internals as your 897, puts out 5 watts on AM & 20 watts of FM or SSB, so I am not sure why you are seeing 2 watts. Although they do put out fewer watts out of band & of course all of our radios filters are designed for us being within band. So take care even loading it into a dummy load. As even dummy loads can radiate some RF.

[i like old stuff]

I have just programmed the 8 analogue PMR channels into the 897, I wonder why i didnt think of this before! DOH! Thinking as I write....., I actually wont be able to TX as the minimum power of the 897 on 70 is 2 W double DOH!!

Of course we cannot legally transmit out of band using our amateur Tcvr's. But if your 897 is anything like my 857, then transmitting into a dummy load on pmr licence free frequencies is easily possible.
My 857 has been wide banded, has your 897?
My 857, which should be basically the same radio internals as your 897, puts out 5 watts on AM & 20 watts of FM or SSB, so I am not sure why you are seeing 2 watts. Although they do put out fewer watts out of band & of course all of our radios filters are designed for us being within band. So take care even loading it into a dummy load. As even dummy loads can radiate some RF.

My 897 has been wide-banded yes.
897's are 100W radios on HF, 50 on VHF and 20 on UHF but of course, you can turn them down to
5 HF 5 VHF 2 UHF for proper QRP which I do all the time.

Thus, I see 2 watts because thats what I turned it down to in menu 75 RF POWER SET
It will Tx between 20 w and 2 w on the UHF so I "could" but wouldn't of course TX 20 W on a PMR channel.

Al