Hmm is this possible?

[Imdbombboarder]

I want to setup a feed for Eugene Oregon (KEUG) I live on a hill, but im about 7nm from the airport. With a jpole, can I reach and get the ground communcations? I want to use a sporty radio im going to buy

[Brad]

You shouldn't have any problem from there. I'm about 4 miles from PDX on the other side of a hill and I get decent ground comms still.

Brad

[KevinK]

Im "Imdbombboarder" anyhow, how big of Antenna will I need for something like an Sp-200 (Sporties Tranciever). Or, if I could find a cheap base, I could always use that, since ive heard they get better signal

[Brad]

Lots of good options here:
http://www.grove-ent.com/scannerantennas.html

I use this one at home, cheap and works great:
http://www.grove-ent.com/ANT5.html

And just installed this one at the office near PDX to run dual feeds that are being tuned right now:
http://www.grove-ent.com/ANT7.html

[MSN ATC]

I'm 12.7 miles from the tower at KMSN on a slight hill and use a cheap Radio Shack antenna on my roof. I get good reception on the ground and in the air. Just make sure you use good heavy feed cable for your antenna. That's where most of your signal loss comes in.

[KevinK]

Well, ok these are alot of good options. Now, does anyone have a good scanner to recommend? I want a handheld, but I guess since this is live ill have to also purchase a base. I dunno, I would like to see both options.

With the Antenna, I dont want it to be humungous and all over the place. This is going on my house lol, and there cant be any huge 10 foot pole or more sticking up in the air. A j pole looks pretty descrete, but not sure how big im going to have to get it

[dave]

Well, ok these are alot of good options. Now, does anyone have a good scanner to recommend? I want a handheld, but I guess since this is live ill have to also purchase a base. I dunno, I would like to see both options.

With the Antenna, I dont want it to be humungous and all over the place. This is going on my house lol, and there cant be any huge 10 foot pole or more sticking up in the air. A j pole looks pretty descrete, but not sure how big im going to have to get it

Google around for twin-lead j-pole.  You can make a very effective antenna out of 300-ohm twin-lead cable.  It is a flat cable composed of a flat plastic jacket and two parallel wires - the jacket is usually brown.  You can make it pretty inconspicuous.

Dave

[Imdbombboarder]

Hey guys! Remember me? I talked it over with my dad, and im going to put a jpole attached to my elevated deck, string a coaxial(Its gunna have to be about 30-40 feet long :$ Connect it to my scanner, in my workbench area. Then have to string an audio cable to the computer(hopefully they come long enough). Only issue, is being on a 16 year olds budget, I want the sportys nav/com radio. However, its 280, exactly how much I have, but im going to want to take it with me sometimes, so the feed will have to go down, and I know that will dissipoint many lol, so not sure what to do

[Imdbombboarder]

Wait wait wait, if I want to have like 3 frequencies broadcasted, do I have to have 3 different scanners?

[dave]

Not to discourage you, but the handheld scanners are nothing but trouble.  Save up and get a real mobile or base scanner that can be dedicated to a feed.  That works much better.  What airport would this be for?

Dave

[Imdbombboarder]

Well, KEUG. Heres the thing though, is not many, if any people will probably listen to this little class Delta airspace airport. So maybe it would just be better to get a handheld for myself to take with me when I go around the airport, I dunno

[KevinK]

Actually, I may be like 8-9 miles from the airport. However, again like previously stated I am on a hilll, and it is pretty much line of site. I have been looking at some Uniden Bearcats, but since im wanting to pickup Tracon, Tower, and Ground, sounds like im going to need to use 3 scanners. So trying to see what my options are at this point. How can I tie in 3 scanners to 1 antenna... Is that possible? Or do I need 3 antennas?

[Brad]

You can use multiple scanners with one antenna, but one problem I'll warn you of that I ran into is that using multiple scanners with one antenna on one feeder computer caused a ground loop and required a ground loop isolator in-line on the audio cable of all but one of the scanners to the computer. There can be had at Radio Shack  for $17 if you need them.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062214&cp=&origkw=isolator&kw=isolator&parentPage=search

your results may vary...

[KevinK]

Ah ok gotcha. Is this Brad Metzler btw? See your hosting a pdx feed, haha so you must be with zse Ive been talking with a friend named Owen(and fellow vatsim cotroller) said he can pick everyone up fine, and hes below me about 2 miles, at the bottom of the hill, with a 3' antenna on a radioshack pro-83 scanner or something. So who knows! Maybe ill give this a try!

[Brad]

The same!

[KevinK]

Well sweet, soo guys, having trouble finding the right J-pole antenna. Remember, can't be huge, and look like im tryin to communicate with aliens, just has to be straight I dont know anything about Ohm's etc etc, so I want to make sure I get the right kind of antenna

[hyderpotter]

I been thinking of getting one, but do not know if it will work my Scanner.