which antenna??

Location : northolt Spotter Watch Member : no

hi guys

which of thease antennas are better ??

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=29733
or
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=30297

is there much of a difference? is the more expensive worth the extra money ??

any help would be appreciated
thanks

james

Location : West Midlands Spotter Watch Member : No

Hi James,
My answer would be neither. If you are buying from Maplin and it is to go in your loft, I would go for the QT28F discone at £29.99. This is a good all round broadband antenna which is all you will need unless you intend to go for an externally mounted antenna.
This is assuming that you do not wish to have HF coverage in addition to VHF/UHF.
The desktop antenna would be a very poor choice.
My opinion Only.

Gazza

Location : northolt Spotter Watch Member : no

thanks very much gaz

any other opinions ??

Location : northolt Spotter Watch Member : no

what about

http://www.rocketradio.co.uk/double-discone---full-size-87-p.asp
or
http://www.rocketradio.co.uk/scanner-antenna-se-1300-royal-discone-radio-aerial-91-p.asp

has anyone else got any opinions on this?

any opinions welcome
james

Location : West Midlands Spotter Watch Member : No

Hi James,
The first link may be an option but the cost of the second is more than you need to pay as I believe the extra cost for having the top mounted whip on the discone is not justified.
Both are wide band antenna's that in the main provide zero gain.

I personally would still stay with a basic discone i.e. no top whip, and then tailor it to vhf/uhf by reducing the size of the elements to optimise performance.
This is what I use and having tried many other alternatives, I have not bettered it for use as a good all round VHF/UHF wide bandwith antenna.
The only real alternative, which you may like to consider is a wide band log periodic type, which a) is large, b) has good gain when pointed towards the station transmitting , c) needs a rotator and d) is expensive plus the additional cost of the rotator.
If you can opt for an external antenna, something like the Diamond D-777 would give good results but even used externally, the discone when reduced in size, is a damn good cost effective allrounder.

Again all in my personal opinion.

Rgds,

Gaza

Location : uk Spotter Watch Member : no

I have the double discone and while it is a good general antenna i am not sure it is a whole lot better than a standard discone which is well situated and using good quality coax etc

my double is only mounted on top of a long scaffold pole at the moment and whilst this gives adequate performence i am sure i could squeeze a little more out of it if it was roof mounted,i am in the SE (Kent ) and using the double with a UBC780XLT and at present listening to Boscombe App,ok it is not that strong a signal but it is perfectly readable,i can also follow all the action at RIAT with no problem so it is not a bad antenna,but as 2BSURE has said it can be made better

Location : Nr Gatwick, Surrey

Shimano, to receive transmissions from Fairford/Boscombe from Kent is good anyway on vhf/uhf. Rgds Dave

Location : uk Spotter Watch Member : no

I totaly agree,it is a good antenna but i still think i could do better with it at chimney height,the A2A from Lakenheath is patchy and i think this would be dramaticaly improved with a higher antenna

At present i have got Farnborough radar on the box,this is a very clear strength five signal,as is Lon Mil,ICF ,Northolt ,Brize etc.

i have thought of putting the discone in the loft but i suspect any gain from the extra height would be cancelled out by being inside

http://sigmaeurocomm.co.uk/OurProducts2.aspx

this is the one i have ( the double discone )it is well made but one thing i did find annoying when i bought it was that i paid extra for next day delivery,when it hadnt arrived after acouple of days i called only to be told that the next day delivery was from the day they posted it,not from the day it was bought like all other etailers