Hello to all. Here is what I'd like to do:
I have a GE MDX VHF (150) radio and a GE MDX 800 EDACS radio. Both are mobile radios. I have one NMO antenna mount on my truck and dont want to add another for fear of being labeled a wicked touch hole.
Can I get a multi-band antenna, add a duplexer and just run with it? I don't plan on transmitting on the EDACS radio much.
Will this setup work? What do I need to make it work, and does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks for the help, I know it's not all about Motorola for many of you guys!
Duplexer Question
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Prospect62
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thebigphish
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- What radios do you own?: AM/FM
Comtelco has a some unity gain Tri-band antennas that will fit the bill, one of our locals here did that (although much to my chagrin). You can do it, but i'm not a fan of combining / duplexing stuff like that. I'll always say that you can hide a second for better performance, than tri-banding stuff, especially if you're not using the middle of the range on the antenna (UHF)
Comtelco A11331A-z might fit the bill
Comtelco A11331A-z might fit the bill
Shouldn't be a problem. I actually have a setup that's kind of backwards from yours, in that I have a duplexer setup on my dual band radio going out to dedicated uniband antennas for each of the VHF/UHF side. Never had a problem with that setup.
Larsen makes a nice tri-band antenna, the NMO150/450/800. It's got 2 dBi of gain, and it's rated for up to 100w. I've got one on my scanner, and it works just peachy.
Finding a duplexer that does VHF/800 might be a bit of a challenge. The only thing I can find close to that is a unit Austin makes that is a commercial range VHF/UHF/800 triplexer, and it looks like it goes for around $150. The less expensive $80ish duplexer/triplexers you can find at places like HRO generally are setup for the amateur bands, and thus don't cover 800MHz.
If you're going to be mostly listening on 800, and fairly close to the towers, why not consider a black 1/4 wave 800 spike? Almost impossible to see, especially against a dark background, unless you're looking down at the top of the vehicle. I went from chrome antennas to black antennas a while back (except for the lowband whip), and unless you're close to my truck it doesn't look like they're there at all.
Larsen makes a nice tri-band antenna, the NMO150/450/800. It's got 2 dBi of gain, and it's rated for up to 100w. I've got one on my scanner, and it works just peachy.
Finding a duplexer that does VHF/800 might be a bit of a challenge. The only thing I can find close to that is a unit Austin makes that is a commercial range VHF/UHF/800 triplexer, and it looks like it goes for around $150. The less expensive $80ish duplexer/triplexers you can find at places like HRO generally are setup for the amateur bands, and thus don't cover 800MHz.
If you're going to be mostly listening on 800, and fairly close to the towers, why not consider a black 1/4 wave 800 spike? Almost impossible to see, especially against a dark background, unless you're looking down at the top of the vehicle. I went from chrome antennas to black antennas a while back (except for the lowband whip), and unless you're close to my truck it doesn't look like they're there at all.
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ASTROMODAT
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Prospect62
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Plex
Thank you for the input fellas. I will try Radial/Larsen and if that doesn't work out I suppose I'll try a seperate, less noticable antenna for the 800.
Larsen NMO150/450/800
I am now in the market for a tri-band antenna. How well do these work out performance wise?
