(Part 3) Reddit mentions: The best radio antennas

Generally 2 antennas will be needed, would probably recommend a simple wire antenna for receiving on HF/SW but if you got money and want something small and compact I have heard great things about the DX Engineering - Pixel Technologies RF PRO-1B (The Northern Alberta Radio Club has one out at their club site).

For higher frequencies (above 30Mhz) a discone antenna would do very well. They don't have any gain, but they are very wideband. I have the Diamond D3000N that I'm quite impressed with, it does 25-3000MHz receive and even allows transmit anywhere between 50 and 1300MHz.

However if you want to be able to receive weak signals like ATC is from the northside, I would probably either buy or more likely build a yagi antenna. A yagi is a directional antenna, which means it has gain in a certain direction, the gain essentially amplifies the signal. Yagis are however rather narrow band, only a couple dozen mhz or so.

I will also link below the poles I was talking about from PA. You can probably rig something to support them, but I use this tripod as a base support and some 325 paracord for guying. It works well, the mast supports a discone as well as a couple of wire antennas.

Links for PA. Aluminium Poles ($12.99) / Fiberglass Poles ($3.99)

• Potato
  
• Fancy Potato
  
• DMR Potato. $110, but close enough.
  
• Nice Mobile Antenna + mount
  
• Cheapie, but still good mobile antenna
  
• RTL-SDR
  
• Upconverter for your new RTL-SDR
  
• A snazzy enclosure for your new upconverter for your new RTL-SDR
  
• A bunch of RG8X coax
  
• Or about half as much RG-213
  
• A chest harness if you do event volunteer work or just like to play whacker.
  
• A nice desk stand to organize all your HT's
  
• Dry or wet dummy loads
  
• Raspberry Pi starter kit
  
• A Ham Radio Deluxe license
  
• A bitchin' yagi antenna
  
• Hamsticks and dipoles and verticals, oh my!
  
• High Sierra JAWS mount. Ridiculously useful.
  
• Antenna tuner or a nicer one for a tad over.
  
• Antenna analyzer
  
• Cheap straight key or a nice paddle for a bit over budget.
  
• Coax switch
  
• Powerpole all the things!
  
• Rigrunner for all the stuff you just powerpoled.
  
• Scanner
  
• Headset
  
• Analog or a digital SWR/watt meter
  
• A Pelican case to start working on your go box.
  
• A sweet atomic wall clock for the shack.
  
  That's all I can think of for the moment. I may add to the list as I think of more cool sub $100 ham toys.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

I wouldn't worry about the Sony antenna. I think you have two options.

1. If you want the antenna to be on the radio like a regular FM radio. You can buy pretty much any wide band telescopic antenna and the correct adapter to connect it to your radio. I would suggest something like this (http://www.amazon.com/Super-Radio-Scanner-Telescopic-Antenna/dp/B004EJWC3G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1464132501&sr=8-2&keywords=wide+band+telescopic+antenna) and the adapter to make it work which would be this (http://www.amazon.com/coaxial-adapter-female-PL-259-PL259/dp/B00CW5HZWM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464132607&sr=8-1&keywords=pl-259+to+bnc) Don't forget you can get adapters that make just about any connector type work, and many come in right-angle variations (for antennas that don't fold like the one I linked to.
   
   
2. The preferable options would be a long wire antenna. These are more cumbersome, but will work far better. You can Google around and make your own for next to nothing. You can also buy durable, commercial one. This one has received a lot of good reviews (http://www.lnrprecision.com/store/#!/EF-SWL-Shortwave/p/39885474/category=10468543) To use this antenna, you'd simple need a length of coax with PL-259 connectors on both ends like this (http://www.amazon.com/RadioShack%C2%AE-10-Ft-RG-8M-PL-259-Cable/dp/B00NB29WM6/ref=sr_1_26?ie=UTF8&qid=1464133049&sr=8-26&keywords=pl-259+long+wire+antenna). With a long wire antenna, you can run it around the top of your ceiling or floor if you're on a higher floor of a building. Also if you're on a higher floor, you can just drop it out the window and let hang.
   
   Unless you're building is really bad for RF noise, you'll be able to hear stations for all over the world with a simple telescopic antenna.

The biggest issue I see is the power output of the mobile rig being too high for the NA-771. The antenna on a rubber duck is akin to a resistor so overloading it will get it hot, especially if you send 50W through an antenna rated for 10W because you hit the wrong button and bump it to full power. Look at something like a mag mount antenna and then buy a cheap steel pizza pan to attach it to. I use a Tram Mag mount with a $4 pizza pan when I use a mobile rig at home and it works pretty well and I spent less than $30 and it certainly more range than my Baofeng HT. You can also get an adapter to use your HT with the mobile antenna which will let you receive pretty well and extend the range of your HT if your mobile goes down for some reason.

Not sure if you are wanting help with homebrew antennas, or help setting up commercial antennas...but if it's homebrew:

Start simple. You'll need a cordless drill and a hacksaw.

Look at your closest Home Depot or Lowes, and check it out for antenna building materials. Gauge 12 or 10 solid electrical wire? Perfect for temporary UHF dipoles or quarter wave groundplane antennas. Flat bar aluminum 1/4"x1/8"? Good for permanent VHF/UHF antennas.

Plastic HDPE cutting boards? It's not a cutting board, it's substrate for mounting antennas, just cut-to-size with a hacksaw.

You will need SMA-BNC adapters for your Baofeng, some ferrite cores (material 61 for VHF, 43 for HF) for chokes and current baluns.

Get an assortment of small machine screws at varying lengths for mounting the radiators and radials.

For 2m and UHF, get a cheap tripod from Amazon as a starting mount for experimenting.

https://www.amazon.ca/AmazonBasics-60-Inch-Lightweight-Tripod-Bag/dp/B005KP473Q/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=tripod&qid=1564085987&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Get small U-bolts for mounting the antenna to a pole or to the tripod. If you don't want to go too high, some PVC water pipe (sturdy 600PSI, not 200) will work as a semi-permanent pole.

You'll need an SWR meter:

https://www.amazon.ca/Signstek-Professional-Standing-Wave-Meter-Testing/dp/B00GNVJ8IU/ref=pd_sbs_504_11?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00GNVJ8IU&pd_rd_r=7cc9688c-285e-4f7e-8dc1-65e94cc1f1e7&pd_rd_w=tIvyt&pd_rd_wg=KaphE&pf_rd_p=5dcda75b-8643-4da3-9bb1-5c0233790500&pf_rd_r=B74WZVNRQY8XFYZ505AE&psc=1&refRID=B74WZVNRQY8XFYZ505AE

And if you want to do HF, an antenna analyzer (shockingly, these cheap chinese MR100 copies usually work ok):

https://www.amazon.ca/Digital-Shortwave-Antenna-Analyzer-Transparent/dp/B07NRXP85M/ref=sr_1_7?crid=12ERBWHIRZNIU&keywords=antenna+analyzer&qid=1564087191&s=gateway&sprefix=antenna+an%2Celectronics%2C195&sr=8-7

The most common cable is RG58. It's not ideal for UHF, but it'll do, it's flexible, and is easily crimped.

https://www.amazon.ca/Amphenol-CO-058BNCX200-012-Black-Coaxial-Cable/dp/B00O070EQO/ref=pd_sbs_23_3/144-3394476-5564231?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00O070EQO&pd_rd_r=5bbbd7a4-9094-48c1-9d14-b06629b85e12&pd_rd_w=JH7VS&pd_rd_wg=NxPFW&pf_rd_p=5dcda75b-8643-4da3-9bb1-5c0233790500&pf_rd_r=MQJGSGEZ577KF8KSYEGV&psc=1&refRID=MQJGSGEZ577KF8KSYEGV

And here are some other links that should give you ideas:

https://rsgb.org/main/get-started-in-amateur-radio/antennas/your-first-antenna-the-half-wave-dipole/

https://m0ukd.com/calculators/quarter-wave-ground-plane-antenna-calculator/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J-pole_antenna

https://palomar-engineers.com/tech-support/tech-topics/best-hf-end-fed-antenna

https://www.w8ji.com/end-fed_1_2_wave_matching_system_end%20feed.htm

http://www.hbphoto.com/Radio/Baluns_101.pdf

https://www.qsl.net/dk7zb/Baluns/current_balun.htm

Hard to know. Are you using a standalone tuner or one built into your car's stereo (if it's the latter, is it a factory radio or one you bought aftermarket?)

If it's an aftermarket radio or a standalone tuner, you could possibly try repositioning the existing antenna to see if you get a better signal. Also, my experience has been the Sirius flat disc antennas work better on the roof of a car and the XM bump antennas work better on the trunk.

Could also be your radio. Sirius didn't work well for me in California — the signal would often drop out — but XM was pretty consistent with the Sirius antenna.

That’s definitely an old thing and the new one will be a uniform box. You’ll have to figure out how to mount it, best is probably to cut it.

Alternatively, you could block that hole off and mount the radio elsewhere with something like this: Dual Electronics MH200 Transparent Marine Waterproof Radio Housing Unit Single DIN https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008SQXQCC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_1vW-AbXTAF17C

Whatever you think is best. You have a couple options.

I'd get a cobra 29 Ltd and a 4' firestik 2 with a good bracket and coax. That's what I run in my pickup. I get 4 to 5 miles with it. I have it on a 96 f150 with a hood mount.

Depending on where you mount it, you may want a longer antenna, maybe a mid load. But firestik has always served me well, and the 2 has an easy to tune tip, for a moderate price. And the 29 Ltd has a built in meter that works well enough to tune without having to go buy an external one.

Cobra 29LTD Professional CB Radio - Instant Channel 9, 4 Watt Output, Full 40 Channels, SWR Calibration https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006JPF3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_UbiPCbZA96AM6

Firestik 4ft Firestik ® II FS Series Tunable Tip CB Antenna 900 Watts Red - Firestik FS-4RD https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000SB6SDE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_OciPCbM9XH2JY

FireStik Antenna Company K8R9 9ft. W/pl259 & Firering Conn https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000X39TFG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_sdiPCb7S2T3HN

So I wanted to build a very light weight portable antenna mast to use during public service events. Amazon covered all the parts with prime shipping on most. Here’s how I did it.

L-Bracket
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018ES4X34/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_N8khDbH19CTZP

NMO to SO239
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KY64CHW?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

9’ mast
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L4YR0BS?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Take the L bracket and hammer it flat.

Drill out the center hole so it will fit over the center post on the mast

Tighten with nut

Attach adapter plus your favourite NMO antenna and some feed line...

Voila. Portable light weight 9’ mast


Also> it’s a 2 pack. You theoretically could use it to setup NVIS HF antennas. If it gets windy, you could guy wire it to some tent stakes. This came out awesome and I can’t wait to set up at our next event!

Yeah. Just make sure you get the right type of adapter that fits your antenna and sdr receiver. Something like this is good for ADS-B on 1099MHz.

Seconding the idea that you don't have to spend much to listen. Get a quality receiver that supports SSB and an external antenna like the Tecsun PL-660 for $110, run the included wire antenna across your balcony, and you'll be off to the races listening to broadcasters and hams. For digital modes you should be able to connect the headphone jack to the microphone jack on your computer, although this isn't something I've personally tried.

Alternately, get a quality SDR like the SDRplay RSP1A for $120 and connect a longwire or loop antenna to it. SDRs have advantages over a traditional receiver, and are even more compelling if you're already planing to use your computer for decoding digital modes.

​

I'm luck to have space to run a ~100ft longwire outdoors and alternate between listening on the two models I mentioned above. They've both great but I use the RSP1A the most, largely because of how handy the spectrum waterfall display is.

OK, so I think I'll be keeping my rucking setup simple to keep Cadre happy. That being said, here's my hiking setup with a TH-D74 (or any HT) in case anyone comes along in the future. (In both cases below, I'm routing the external mic/speaker up to my shoulder.)

If you don't anticipate rain/wetness, just use an external radio pouch. I use this one mounted to the side of my GR1: 5.11 Radio Pouch

If you're looking for something more discreet (ask me about that one time walking by the White House with a small HT visibly hanging off my bag -- lasers in my face and lots of stern looks) or water resistant, I'm burying the HT deep inside the bag and using this to mount the antenna externally:

• MOLLE Antenna Relocation Mount
  
• SMA Male-to-Female Extension

WINDCAMP Gipsy 1:1 3-30Mhz Ratio 100W Balun for HF Amateur Radio Dipole Antennas https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015C7J7KE/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_oVH0xbABDAH7H

So,

1. Would this be remotely good? It looks like both a Balun and a binding post attachment.
   And
   
2. If used connected to an inverted v dipole with it would one side of the radiating element be the positive and the other the negative?

TH-D74A uses an SMA connector. In my car, I use an SMA-to-UHF dongle I pulled out of this kit: https://www.nooelec.com/store/customer/account/create/

Any ol' mobile antenna will work. I like to use ones that have NMO bases myself. Here's a magnetic NMO base with a prewired UHF connector: https://www.amazon.com/Larsen-Magnetic-Antenna-Connector-Installed/dp/B007JSELBK

The TH-D74A is a triband radio, with 144/220/440. All triband antennas will be a serious compromise on at least one band, so if you have strongly preferred bands, maybe choose a good antenna for those bands. That said, here's one choice that does in fact exist: https://www.amazon.com/ANLI-DC-124H-TriBand-2M-222-440Mhz-Antenna/dp/B0042G1SRM

In order of performance/relabilty

1. Wilson, The go-to antenna of truck drivers for years. I have a Wilson 2000 trucker that's been in service for well over 20 years. I also have a Lil Will for the pickup that's over 10 years old.
   
2. Next in line after that is Firestick
   
3. and of course if you an figure out a ay to mount it, the ever trusty 102 inch whip.

I got one of these MFJ clamp mounts and mounted it on the passenger side of my hood. It works great, but is threaded for SO-239 so you'll have to shop for an antenna that is pl-259 Something like this

This is a 3TB server I built last month in an old HTPC box. It is a general purpose home server and a different hardware approach than you will need. It was built for low power operation. It also includes a hardware RAID card that is the cheapest real RAID I have found. The downside is that it is based on SATA port multiplier technology. The data sheet on the controller is at the bottom as a PDF. So far this unit is humming along nicely.

E450 Motherboard/CPU/GPU - $198

Memory 2 X 4GB - $40

Crucial M4 64GB SSD - $95

RAID Controller - $60

2 X 2.5 Hot Swap Drive Bay - $32

4 X 2.5 Hot Swap Drive Bay - $68

Round 10" SATA Cables (7) - $22

Wireless Antenna - $27

Sound Damping Matting - Prorated $8 for 25% - ($33)

Reconditioned HTPC box w/250W PS + new fans - ~$75

BOX SUBTOTAL: $634

Drive Array 5 X 2.5 WD 750GB 5400 RPM 8MB - $630

TOTAL COST: $1264

Here is the data sheet on the JMB393 controller

Note: There have been some price changes, mainly hard drives.

Any passive FM receiver antenna will also work as a low power FM transmitter antenna. Something like this should work well. It may need a 75 to 300 ohm transformer.

Active FM receiving antennas (those with amplifiers) will not work.

Anything with more power than this, requires FM amplifiers and special antennas and FCC licenses. Even using an external antenna on the Pi is probably illegal.
Community LP-FM Radio
Wikipedia

before you spend $300, remember you can mount them for free or for a minimal amount.

Personally, I just used heavy duty velcro and have had 0 problems. If that isn't permanent or just isn't for you there are things like this or even something like this. Check amazon out before you drop 300

> Was I expecting too much to think it would work fine?

Yes.

You might be able to drill a small hole into the case and mount this pigtail for an attachable external antenna: https://www.amazon.com/Stratux-GPYes-2-0-External-Antenna/dp/B07NDPXDDY

> I'm only getting a fix on two GPS satellites on the ground. Could the duct tape be causing interference?

According to wikipedia, "powdered aluminum pigment gives traditional duct tape its silvery grey colour".

So, it seems plausible to me that the duct tape is screwing up your GPS reception.

With the GPYes v2, you can get an external antenna that would probably solve your problem by not making the GPS signals try to get through powdered aluminum.

Also, I have no idea who runs stratux.co, but you should check out the parts list on the official Stratux website, http://stratux.me, for newer, better radios for your next build.

Yes. You need a tripod. On the legs of the tripod, you can either use concrete blocks to hold it down, or sand bags.

Depending on his radio capabilities, you may want to consider a dual band.

http://www.amazon.com/BROWNING-BR-180-Amateur-Dual-Band-Antenna/dp/B003H3DTGE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1450260344&sr=8-3&keywords=Dual+band+antenna

NooElec ADS-B Discovery 5dBi (High Gain) Antenna Bundle - 1090MHz & 978MHz Antenna Bundle for SMA and MCX-Connected Software Defined Radios (SDRs) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J9DH9U2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_WHPVzbMDW1JY2

https://www.amazon.com/BROWNING-BR-180-Amateur-Dual-Band-Antenna/dp/B003H3DTGE/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2JQ5BPMN5HW73&keywords=browning+br-180&qid=1557957770&s=gateway&sprefix=browning+br%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-2

​

drill and use a real NMO mount......never going back to mag mounts myself

It's really tough to tell based on picture resolution, but portable CB antennas use that kind of magnetic whip antennae, and portable satellite radio receivers quite often use the magnetic stub antennae.

Example of the latter:

https://www.amazon.com/XM-Satellite-Radio-Car-Antenna/dp/B000IKHN3O