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Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
My new MagMount scanner antenna
After a couple of hours on the road with it I can't say the reception is a whole lot better than the Larsen glass mount I had. But it looks cool.
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...x/DSCN0074.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...x/DSCN0075.jpg
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
:thumb2:
all you need now is a remote, and pretend you're controlling an RC car
BTW, did anyone else notice we can +rep people now?
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
Quote:
Originally Posted by
cell21633
:thumb2:
all you need now is a remote, and pretend you're controlling an RC car
BTW, did anyone else notice we can +rep people now?
Nice magmount erick
Cell-- +rep??
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
Totally looks like a CB antenna, which is a bad thing in Houston. You're gonna get broke into very soon. I'd stuff that thing in the trunk each and everytime you park. If the performance is no better than the glass-mount, then you were probably better off with the glass-mount. What kind is it? Brand and model number? That design just doesn't look very efficient at all for UHF and 800mhz (what practically everything in South Texas is) communications.
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
Erick, what kind of antennae would you recommend for a hand-held? I'd like to get one CB antennae and a 800-900 mhZ one.
Just for a handheld though, no car-mounting types.
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stealth Stalker
Totally looks like a CB antenna, which is a bad thing in Houston. You're gonna get broke into very soon. I'd stuff that thing in the trunk each and everytime you park. If the performance is no better than the glass-mount, then you were probably better off with the glass-mount. What kind is it? Brand and model number? That design just doesn't look very efficient at all for UHF and 800mhz (what practically everything in South Texas is) communications.
I'ts a Radio Shack 391/2" fiberglass whip. 29.965 to 27.450Hz tuning range
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
Yeah, I figured it was a CB antenna. Your scanner performance is going to be crap with that. It's like trying to receive Ka band with an X band Fuzzbuster. And it tells every low life in Houston that there's something in your car worth stealing that isn't bolted down. Unless you just really want to look like a CBer for some reason, I would strongly suggest you get rid of it.
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stealth Stalker
Yeah, I figured it was a CB antenna. Your scanner performance is going to be crap with that. It's like trying to receive Ka band with an X band Fuzzbuster. And it tells every low life in Houston that there's something in your car worth stealing that isn't bolted down. Unless you just really want to look like a CBer for some reason, I would strongly suggest you get rid of it.
sh!+! Well, it will work for my CB I guess. It was a damn good price too.
I'll lurk around for a scanner specific antenna then.
Thanks.
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
Quote:
Originally Posted by
erickonphoenix
sh!+! Well, it will work for my CB I guess. It was a damn good price too.
I'll lurk around for a scanner specific antenna then.
Thanks.
Look for a glass mount 800mhz anteanna. They look like old school cell/carphone anteannas
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Lucky225
Look for a glass mount 800mhz anteanna. They look like old school cell/carphone anteannas
good, I got one of those already.
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
Quote:
Originally Posted by
erickonphoenix
sh!+! Well, it will work for my CB I guess. It was a damn good price too.
Yeah, it would work fine with a CB. But antennae are very definitely band specific, and need to be designed for a specific band range. The CB band range is not even in the same neighbourhood as public safety in south Texas, so your range is going to be extremely limited in those bands.
Quote:
I'll lurk around for a scanner specific antenna then.
Are you looking for high performance, or for style and stealth? I have evaluated a LOT of scanner antennae and can make some recommendations that would suit your needs best.
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
what would you recommend for stealth?
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
Quote:
Originally Posted by
erickonphoenix
I'ts a Radio Shack 391/2" fiberglass whip. 29.965 to 27.450Hz tuning range
Surely you mean 26.965 and not 29.965, but regardless this is worthless to you when it comes to scanning and quite honestly probably would not impress even on the frequencies it is meant for. Stealth Stalker knows what he is talking about.
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
Uhh...
People are actually stupid enough to steal a $40 CB radio?
WTF is the world comming to...
I think people who steal should have their hands chopped off like they do in China.....
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stealth Stalker
Yeah, it would work fine with a CB. But antennae are very definitely band specific, and need to be designed for a specific band range. The CB band range is not even in the same neighbourhood as public safety in south Texas, so your range is going to be extremely limited in those bands.
Are you looking for high performance, or for style and stealth? I have evaluated a LOT of scanner antennae and can make some recommendations that would suit your needs best.
I've got my fixed antenna reinstalled on the scanner now, but I hate it. It sticks way up over the dash and into the windshield. I hate stuff on my dashboard or interfering with my line of sight.
Do you have any specific recommendations? I was going to look over lunch today but got sidetracked by another project.
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
Quote:
Originally Posted by
cell21633
what would you recommend for stealth?
It's going to depend on what bands (frequencies) are your priority. In the Houston area, where everything is pretty much 460 and 860mhz (looks like Chicago/Cook County is in the same range), your best bet for a combination of stealth and performance is a dedicated 800mhz antenna, that looks just like the old cellphone antenna. It's only 11 to 13 inches long. You can get glass mount and avoid drilling a hole, and get surprisingly good performance. Or you can drill a hole (or use an existing hole) and mount it to metal and get superb performance. It will mag mount too, if you prefer. Those antennae are all over eBay for ten to fifty bucks.
http://i3.ebayimg.com/04/i/05/cd/aa/a6_1.JPG
One of the best scanner antennae out there, the same that Alex Roy uses, is the Maxrad BMAXSCAN1000, which I've picked up on eBay for as little as $15 bucks. There's one on eBay now for $29.95, and that's about average. It's 19 inches long and covers all bands well. You can hole mount it or mag mount it, your preference. Not quite as unassuming looking as the above antenna, but still quite compact and performs great. Arguably the best all round scanner antenna on the market.
http://www.theantennafarm.com/74191.jpg
Of course, for pure stealth concerns, it's hard to beat simply using a coupler that plugs your scanner into your stock AM/FM radio antenna. Certainly not ideal, performance wise, but good enough in an urban environment, and is definitely the stealthiest of all. They run about twelve to twenty dollars, max.
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
Stealth -- On the 2nd antenna what type of connector comes with it? Standard BNC? Be nice to have one of those for my Pro-97.
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
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Originally Posted by
Lucky225
Stealth -- On the 2nd antenna what type of connector comes with it? Standard BNC? Be nice to have one of those for my Pro-97.
The antenna itself mounts with an NMO mount to the vehicle. Whatever kind of connector you put on the end of your coax to attach to your radio is up to you. Typically, a lot of antennae do not come with the vehicle mount or the coax, so you just get what you want, whether it be a hole mount, a lip mount, a mag mount, or whatever. Unlike CB antennae, professional grade scanner antennae are not plug-n-play deals. You have to buy the antenna and the mount and the coax and the connector, choosing the connector that is suitable for your particular radio. You may have to search around eBay to find a coax and mount with a BNC already on it, because it isn't that common. The easiest way is to just get the coax and mount with whatever connector is on it, then buy a BNC adapter for it at Radio Shack for five bucks.
One more entry worth considering for a combination of stealth and performance is this:
http://www.universal-radio.com/catal...ants/1190.html
http://www.universal-radio.com/catal...nants/1190.jpg
Thirteen inches long. Tiny but STRONG little ceramic magnet at the base. Performs surprisingly well on UHF and 800. The drawbacks are broadbandedness, which decreases performance a bit from the previously mentioned antennae, and very thin coax cable, which also diminishes performance a little. The good news is, that skinny coax makes it easier to mount unnoticeably, as opposed to that big, fat coax connected to most mag mounts. The coax cable is only around nine feet long though, as this thing is made for throwing temporarily up on your roof, without regards to how it looks with the cable running in your window. So, if you mount it on your trunk, you'll end up having to get a few feet of coax extension to get it to your scanner up front. Still, it's cheap, stealthy, and good bang for the buck in an urban/suburban environment.
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
yea, I was afraid you'd say that :/
I'm just lazy =)
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stealth Stalker
One of the best scanner antennae out there, the same that Alex Roy uses, is the Maxrad BMAXSCAN1000
Alex uses the Antenex ABSCANC, which is a tri-band 150/450/800MHz. Is this possibly the same antenna re-branded as a Maxrad? They look awfully similar. The Antenex costs about $25, so getting it for $15 would be quite the steal.
144A scanner antenna
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
Ooops, you're correct. It's been awhile since I saw the pics, and I was thinking it was the Maxrad. The Antenex looks similar, but has a different base. Both are good antennae. I have not used the Antenex, and their antennae are generally not as well regarded in the industry for performance or durability. I would expect it to perform roughly as well as the Maxrad though. Larsen also makes a tri-band that looks almost identical to the Antenex that a lot of people swear by.
Some guy had several of the Maxrads on eBay back in April for fifteen bucks each. I grabbed three of them just to have spares, since the price was so good. There are always people selling old stock and liquidation stock on eBay, so it pays to look around for awhile before buying.
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
I have had some good luck with my Magmount BNC Scanner World 25-1300mhz antenna.... It is built very durable
I used to not be able to pick up one trunked system at all in my area, but now its crystal clear!
This is switching from a rubber duck antenna.
It was $40
I have noticed a significant increase in all signal clarity!
I need to paint the base of it black so it blends in better...
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Ovencleaner
I have had some good luck with my Magmount BNC Scanner World 25-1300mhz antenna.... It is built very durable
This one?
http://www.scannerworld.com/images/m...c.original.jpg
That's one I haven't tested, and I've been wondering how well it worked.
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stealth Stalker
Its shorter than that one....
It works pretty well for 800mhz and 400mhz systems I am listening to.
Not great for scanning CB is my only complaint...
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
honestly I don't think a CB antenna or scanner antenna will make someone more willing to break into a car
Heck I had one guy ask if i had a cop car at a rest stop cause i had so many antenna's
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
Quote:
Originally Posted by
crazyVOLVOrob
honestly I don't think a CB antenna or scanner antenna will make someone more willing to break into a car
You're not thinking like a crackhead, Rob! :D
Auto burglary remains very high in urban areas. Anything they can grab out of there to sell for another ten dollar rock. A CB antenna means that there is an electronic device in there that is not permanently installed, meaning easy to steal.
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Re: Sheilas new MagMount scanner antenna
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stealth Stalker
You're not thinking like a crackhead, Rob! :D
Auto burglary remains very high in urban areas. Anything they can grab out of there to sell for another ten dollar rock. A CB antenna means that there is an electronic device in there that is not permanently installed, meaning easy to steal.
most crack heads would just try to rip the antenna off the back of the car
I honestly doubt a crackhead would steal a CB there isn't a large enough black market for them....
As the price of something goes down the black market value goes down.
Most CB's that i have seen are permanently installed.
Crackheads have moved on from CB's to radar detectors and GPS's