Where to spend budget?

[DaddyO]

Hello all!   New user here. 

Recently purchased the dual pack of GM30 plus units.   Since I live in “the suburbs” with lots of folliage, and houses and whatnot, about 10 miles from my city center (Dallas for those who care) I figure getting an antenna up on my rooftop is my next order of business.

Hardline with some unobtanium antenna is the “best”, but for those of us who want to pick a price point and go…

Where is the division between cabling cost vs antenna cost?  50/50?

Does an $80 antenna with RG8 make more fars than a $20 antenna with LMR400? Or vice versa?  

Do I bother with N connectors for something like this, or, since I’m just going to SMA, do I just get something thin and not bother?

My particular application calls for about 50 feet of cable to get to the top of my chimney, and I’m hoping to budget around $100 on this simple setup. 

[dosw]

1 hour ago, DaddyO said:

Hello all!   New user here. 

Recently purchased the dual pack of GM30 plus units.   Since I live in “the suburbs” with lots of folliage, and houses and whatnot, about 10 miles from my city center (Dallas for those who care) I figure getting an antenna up on my rooftop is my next order of business.

Hardline with some unobtanium antenna is the “best”, but for those of us who want to pick a price point and go…

Where is the division between cabling cost vs antenna cost?  50/50?

Does an $80 antenna with RG8 make more fars than a $20 antenna with LMR400? Or vice versa?  

Do I bother with N connectors for something like this, or, since I’m just going to SMA, do I just get something thin and not bother?

My particular application calls for about 50 feet of cable to get to the top of my chimney, and I’m hoping to budget around $100 on this simple setup. 

Does LMR400 plus a $70 antenna and a resonable mount break the budget? I guess staying below 100 is a pretty tight constraint.

 

Be aware that you will probably want an antenna designed for "base station" use. A mobile antenna likes a vehicle body beneath it, whereas base station antennas usually have radials included with them.

 

Anyway, here's the very useful cable loss calculator: https://kv5r.com/ham-radio/coax-loss-calculator/ 

With this calculator you can experiment with different antenna gains and cable types to see what meets your needs.

 

At 50 feet, you're going to want decent cable.

[WRYZ926]

57 minutes ago, dosw said:

Anyway, here's the very useful cable loss calculator: https://kv5r.com/ham-radio/coax-loss-calculator/ 

With this calculator you can experiment with different antenna gains and cable types to see what meets your needs.

This is a very useful calculator. You can try different types of coax along with different antennas.

One thing to remember is that antenna manufacturers list gain in dBi while that calculator uses dBd. Subtract 2.15 from the dBi to get dBd.

RG8 will have 67% loss per 100 feet and LMR400 has 48% loss per 100 feet.

I know LMR 400 and equivalent coax is more expensive but it is worth the extra cost over RG8 for UHF/GMRS use.

[WRDJ205]

I agree with @dosw keeping it under $100 is going to be a challenge.   I did a test recently using a j-pole antenna that i purchased online for ~$39 using both RG8X (~$40) vs. LMR 400 (~$130).  It was very surprising to me the difference in power loss between the two cables.  If you could put you budget closer to $150 it gives you a few more options.   Alternatively, the mag base options from Midland work pretty well for a budget of just under $100 if you could use a ground plane.  

[dosw]

27 minutes ago, WRDJ205 said:

I agree with @dosw keeping it under $100 is going to be a challenge.   I did a test recently using a j-pole antenna that i purchased online for ~$39 using both RG8X (~$40) vs. LMR 400 (~$130).  It was very surprising to me the difference in power loss between the two cables.  If you could put you budget closer to $150 it gives you a few more options.   Alternatively, the mag base options from Midland work pretty well for a budget of just under $100 if you could use a ground plane.  

This is true.

Out my window I have an MXTA26 antenna on a Midland magnetic mount, on a sheet of steel sitting on top of a window air conditioner. Fortunately it's not in a place where anyone would see it, because it does look janky. But it works fairly well, and the whole thing is antenna (70), mag mount (40), adapter (10), sheet of metal (had in the garage): $120. I really doubt you could do a base-station antenna installation with LMR400 for less. And with this, I have no problem hitting a repeater 64 miles away with a handheld hooked up to the antenna.

[SteveShannon]

5 hours ago, DaddyO said:

Does an $80 antenna with RG8 make more fars than a $20 antenna with LMR400? Or vice versa?  

Do I bother with N connectors for something like this, or, since I’m just going to SMA, do I just get something thin and not bother?

Cable can detract from the best antenna. It’s guaranteed you’ll have too much attenuation with 50’ of rg8. LMR400 won’t hurt you so much. It’s possible to get a cheap antenna with decent gain. I would get the LMR 400 and shop for a decent inexpensive antenna with gain figures you want. 
N connectors shouldn’t cost much more and they are more water resistant than UHF connectors, but if you do a good job of waterproofing you can get by with UHF connectors. The losses through uhf or sma vs N connectors aren’t enough to worry about. 

[piggin]

Feedline and antenna then radio. If you need a high antenna then mast/tower height enters the equation. 

 Lowest loss feedline and a high antenna = great results. A great radio is icing on the cake. 

[piggin]

I am high where I am. 20 feet of Bolton 600 and a Laird 4607 works for  me. Sweet  setup.

Mouser has the best prices on the TE connectivity  antennas. The Bolton LMR600 equivalent is inexpensive and durable. Install and enjoy. 

[LeoG]

Wait and save up some more money.  $100 isn't going to get you a quality setup.  It'll be more satisfying if you start off with a nice setup instead of replacing it a few time and buying the same thing more than once.

I would start with an antenna with a 7.2dBi gain and some LMR400.  Find out what it costs and save up for it.  You'll also need a chimney mount or roof mount which is going to add to the price tag.  Along with minor things like cable clips, water proofing, tools for installation etc.

 

If you are insistent on getting something up now then go with some sort of a mobile antenna.  Even something small mounted up high is going to be better than something inside the house on a lower floor.