Author Topic: New Class D feed coming soon  (Read 22943 times)

Offline ZOTAN

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New Class D feed coming soon
« on: October 28, 2005, 05:17:45 PM »
Hopefully sometime in the next month I can get a feed up for KSDM, a GA field in San Diego. We have a fair share of Biz Jets coming in from Mexico also. I dont have an external antenna yet, but am hoping to get one or one that I can put up in my attic. Im also thinking of trying to start a feed for KSAN, but I cant hear the controllers. Im hoping though that with an external antenna I will be able too.

If you guys have any suggetions for external antennas or one that can be put in an attic that would be great! Also, (I know this sounds cheap) If anyone has any antennas they arent using anymore, I would be willing to buy them off of you for a discounted price.

Thanks!

Matt



Offline Jason

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Re: New Class D feed coming soon
« Reply #1 on: October 28, 2005, 05:34:11 PM »
Quote from: ZOTAN
Hopefully sometime in the next month I can get a feed up for KSDM, a GA field in San Diego. We have a fair share of Biz Jets coming in from Mexico also. I dont have an external antenna yet, but am hoping to get one or one that I can put up in my attic. Im also thinking of trying to start a feed for KSAN, but I cant hear the controllers. Im hoping though that with an external antenna I will be able too.

If you guys have any suggetions for external antennas or one that can be put in an attic that would be great! Also, (I know this sounds cheap) If anyone has any antennas they arent using anymore, I would be willing to buy them off of you for a discounted price.

Thanks!

Matt


I have a radio shack, basic VHF antenna I can sell you/give you.  I'm not using nor ever will.  It's fairly basic.

PM/Email for more details if interested.

Jason

Offline ZOTAN

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New Class D feed coming soon
« Reply #2 on: October 29, 2005, 07:33:17 PM »
Ive been looking at the scantenna and am thinking about getting that. I wouldnt be able to mount it outside; it would be in an attic. Would it be stupid to get the scantenna If I can only get as high as my attic?

Offline Jason

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New Class D feed coming soon
« Reply #3 on: October 31, 2005, 07:24:17 AM »
Quote from: ZOTAN
Ive been looking at the scantenna and am thinking about getting that. I wouldnt be able to mount it outside; it would be in an attic. Would it be stupid to get the scantenna If I can only get as high as my attic?


Can you post a link?  I was fairly sucessful with a discone in my attic, but everyones situation is different.

Jason

Offline ZOTAN

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New Class D feed coming soon
« Reply #4 on: November 03, 2005, 10:43:05 PM »
Sorry it took so long to reply.

Scantenna: http://www.grove-ent.com/ANT7.html

Another Antenna: http://www.grove-ent.com/ANT5.html

Which would be the better of the two? I like the second just because its smaller, so If they both would work about the same Ill take the second. Also what connectors would I need to hook that up to a BNC scanner?

Offline PIT

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good/bad
« Reply #5 on: November 03, 2005, 10:47:28 PM »
i have the first antenna and it helped but not that much. but if its used in san diego where its flat im sure its perfect. (I use it on the PIT feed)

Offline ZOTAN

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Re: good/bad
« Reply #6 on: November 04, 2005, 01:08:01 AM »
Quote from: PIT
i have the first antenna and it helped but not that much. but if its used in san diego where its flat im sure its perfect. (I use it on the PIT feed)


What type of antenna were you moving up from? Im moving up from the stock one that came with the scanner so Im hoping a new antenna will help a lot.

Offline PIT

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antenna
« Reply #7 on: November 04, 2005, 07:48:46 AM »
yes one of those short ones that came with the scanner but, like i said i live in PIT. for those who have been here you know what i mean.

Offline pocho

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New Class D feed coming soon
« Reply #8 on: November 04, 2005, 09:55:48 PM »
I have the Scantenna and it was a big improvement from the stock antenna. It's a great antenna. I live here in the Imperial Valley where it's all flat and I can clearly hear planes well past Las Vegas and Phoenix (about 300 miles away) at high altitude. But the Scantenna is pretty big at 10 feet tall, so in an attic it'll have to be mounted sideways, which from what I hear affects the performance of an antenna.

I got mine at AntennaWarehouse. It comes with 50 feet of cable as well as the connectors required to connect to a BNC scanner.

-pocho  :)

Offline ZOTAN

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New Class D feed coming soon
« Reply #9 on: November 05, 2005, 04:28:10 PM »
I think im going to go with the second one then. What connectors will I need to hook it up to a BNC scanner?

Offline pocho

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New Class D feed coming soon
« Reply #10 on: November 06, 2005, 01:27:21 AM »
I don't know much about coaxial adapters/connectors  :oops: . But since that antenna doesn't come with the cable, I'd suggest the Low Loss RG6.

http://www.grove-ent.com/CBL50.html

As it says in the description, if you tell them the antenna and radio you'll be using, they'll provide the cable with the connectors needed.

-pocho  :wink:

Offline Jason

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New Class D feed coming soon
« Reply #11 on: November 06, 2005, 07:59:28 AM »
I can post specifics later, but I believe RG6/U is satalite cable and won't quite help ya with this.

RG58/U and RG8/U are both good coax cables and can be picked up from RadioShack.

Offline pocho

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New Class D feed coming soon
« Reply #12 on: November 06, 2005, 09:59:25 AM »
This site talks a little bit about coaxial cables. Take a look at the last section under Scanners VHF/UHF.

Also, here are the coax cable loss specifications.
http://www.radiobooks.com/products/techinfo/coaxloss.htm

Keep in mind that the coaxial cable is the most important thing in scanning!  8)

-pocho

Offline sean

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New Class D feed coming soon
« Reply #13 on: November 06, 2005, 08:37:50 PM »
Quote from: HPNPilot1200
I can post specifics later, but I believe RG6/U is satalite cable and won't quite help ya with this.

RG58/U and RG8/U are both good coax cables and can be picked up from RadioShack.


Although RG-8 is good, RG-6 will actually work fine for a scanner application.  I've used it in the past for non-critical applications and it works just fine.  Much better than RG-58, in fact.  RG-58 is borderline acceptable at VHF, but not for a very long run.  I'd keep in under 30 feet or so if I absolutely had to use it.

To be critical, the impedence of RG-6 is 75 ohms, whereas a radio receiver is 50 ohms.  The impedence mismatch is negligible in effect compared to the low loss of the RG-6, and the ease of use and availability versus RG-8.

If you're planning on doing any transmitting, use 50 ohm cable.  If you're only planning on receiving, use the RG-6.  

Consider these losses (@100MHz/100ft):

RG-58                          4.3dB
RG-6                            2.3dB
RG-8/U                         1.8dB

Remember that every 3dB represents 50% of the signal.  When you boil it all down for a home scanning setup, most people can get access to RG-6 quickly (RS) and can put F connectors on without a problem.  

Fewer connectors and adapters (ideally just one at each end!) and good double shielded RG-6 in between and you'll be very happy.  All this applies to VHF.  When 800MHz becomes the primary band of interest all this is out the window.

--Sean

Offline Jason

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New Class D feed coming soon
« Reply #14 on: November 06, 2005, 08:57:29 PM »
I have had terrible luck with RG58/U, but I was mentioning the available options.

This website is a great resource:

http://www.fordyce.org/scanning/scanning_info/scanant.html

Thanks for the info as well Sean!

Jason

Offline ZOTAN

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New Class D feed coming soon
« Reply #15 on: November 06, 2005, 09:50:44 PM »
Would it be smarter than to just to use something like a 3' coax cable and run 50' of audio cable to my PC?

Offline ZOTAN

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« Reply #16 on: November 06, 2005, 10:53:41 PM »
Well I was back up in my attic and figured I might as well try the ATIS frequency for SAN. To my surprise, I can faintly pick up the robotic voice. Im hoping with a new antenna mounted high up in my attic I will be able to get better reception from SAN and eventually set up a feed for San Diego Lindbergh. If the quality of Lindbergh is good enough, would you guys prefer that feed over Brown Field?

Offline ZOTAN

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New Class D feed coming soon
« Reply #17 on: November 07, 2005, 06:43:20 PM »
Bump

Offline ZOTAN

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New Class D feed coming soon
« Reply #18 on: November 08, 2005, 12:42:39 AM »
Anyone? Ill ask the questions again....

Would it be smarter to keep the scanner close to the antenna and then run a 50' audio cable to my PC, or just run the Coax all the way to the PC.

Also, would you guys prefer a SDM feed or SAN. Hopefully, (when funds permit) I will be able to run both.

Offline ZOTAN

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New Class D feed coming soon
« Reply #19 on: November 08, 2005, 12:42:57 AM »
Anyone? Ill ask the questions again....

Would it be smarter to keep the scanner close to the antenna and then run a 50' audio cable to my PC, or just run the Coax all the way to the PC.

Also, would you guys prefer a SDM feed or SAN. Hopefully, (when funds permit) I will be able to run both.

Offline dave

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New Class D feed coming soon
« Reply #20 on: November 08, 2005, 06:34:27 AM »
Quote from: ZOTAN
Anyone? Ill ask the questions again....

Would it be smarter to keep the scanner close to the antenna and then run a 50' audio cable to my PC, or just run the Coax all the way to the PC.

Also, would you guys prefer a SDM feed or SAN. Hopefully, (when funds permit) I will be able to run both.


Put the antenna in the best place possible (outside).  Run a longer audio cable.

SAN would be great if we could hear the controllers.

-dave

Offline ZOTAN

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New Class D feed coming soon
« Reply #21 on: November 08, 2005, 09:41:08 AM »
Quote from: dave


SAN would be great if we could hear the controllers.

-dave


Hopefully I will be able too. Right now, (This  isnt even as high as my antenna will be) I can faintly hear the controllers at Lindbergh. Once I get my antenna set up, Ill let you know If the quality is good enough.