Antenna types for the Wouxon kg1000

[8nannyfoe]

Very new to GMRS.....or really any type of radio.   (Messed with CBs 30 years ago)   So I have purchased a complete (mobile, base, and HT) system for my GMRS needs.  That need is, off grid comms in upstate NY that has little to no cell phone coverage in many spots near the city I live.   The radios I was using were Midland mobiles and a pair of Motorolas.  I bought a Laird fiberglass GMRS specifically tuned antenna because at the time, I saw no need for an antenna used for dual band.    

 

So I now have the new Wouxon k1000 as my base station and as many know it receives multiple bands.   From what I know, antennas are the name of the game in radio comms.   So far, in messing around with the radio, I have not heard any traffic on the other bands and I suspect its my Laird GMRS tuned antenna?

 

I know the 2m band will have plenty of traffic and that may be interesting to listen to.   I have no clue what the other frequency have to offer in terms of listening value.   So the question is do I need a separate antenna to hear each of these other bands?   Is there a multi band antenna I can use that will give me the same quality signal as my GMRS specific tuned Laird?   I was recommended the Tram dual band base antenna and opted for the Laird instead as it is tuned specific for GMRS frequency.   Its great and I have an SWR of 1.0.   BUT  I'm not sure now if that was a good purchase given my new radio purchase and the band options it brings to the table.   Should I move forward with a bunch of antennas or is the traffic so minimal that it wont be worth doing?   (I hear that the 220 band is dead in most areas in the US for example)

 

[gortex2]

You would want to swap to a dual band antenna if you plan to TX. With that said without your ham radio license you can't TX anyway. WX channels should work ok for RX on a UHF antenna. Depending on what your listening to in VHF the UHF antenna will hear some but degraded. You license shows Florida so not sure where in NY you are listening. CNY has a couple repeaters but not many in upstate NY. 

[NCRick]

I think the KG1000 is receive only outside of the GMRS band.  That being the case, you will be fine with the antenna you have as it should pick up just fine if not being absolutely optimum.  I would personally put the effort into putting your existing antenna up as high as I could get it.

[8nannyfoe]

I think the KG1000 is receive only outside of the GMRS band.  That being the case, you will be fine with the antenna you have. I would personally put the effort into putting it up as high as I could get it.

Yes its only a scanner for the other bands.  

[mbrun]

Since the KG-1000G is a GMRS radio, I would focus first and foremost on optimum GMRS performance, after all that is why you bought the radio correct?

 

One of the most universal antennas for use with a scanner is what is called a Discone antenna. They can have super wide bandwidth and can provide fairly uniform performance across the bands if you get the right one. However, these are relatively low gain and may not be an ideal candidate for your 2-way GMRS needs. But if listening elsewhere is truly a high priority, you could add one of these antennas, along with an A-B switch, and go back and forth between the Discone antenna and your properly tuned GMRS antenna.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Very new to GMRS.....or really any type of radio. (Messed with CBs 30 years ago) So I have purchased a complete (mobile, base, and HT) system for my GMRS needs. That need is, off grid comms in upstate NY that has little to no cell phone coverage in many spots near the city I live. The radios I was using were Midland mobiles and a pair of Motorolas. I bought a Laird fiberglass GMRS specifically tuned antenna because at the time, I saw no need for an antenna used for dual band.

 

So I now have the new Wouxon k1000 as my base station and as many know it receives multiple bands. From what I know, antennas are the name of the game in radio comms. So far, in messing around with the radio, I have not heard any traffic on the other bands and I suspect its my Laird GMRS tuned antenna?

 

I know the 2m band will have plenty of traffic and that may be interesting to listen to. I have no clue what the other frequency have to offer in terms of listening value. So the question is do I need a separate antenna to hear each of these other bands? Is there a multi band antenna I can use that will give me the same quality signal as my GMRS specific tuned Laird? I was recommended the Tram dual band base antenna and opted for the Laird instead as it is tuned specific for GMRS frequency. Its great and I have an SWR of 1.0. BUT I'm not sure now if that was a good purchase given my new radio purchase and the band options it brings to the table. Should I move forward with a bunch of antennas or is the traffic so minimal that it wont be worth doing? (I hear that the 220 band is dead in most areas in the US for example)

 

Michael

WRHS965

KE8PLM