Base Antenna List

[gortex2]

I wanted to throw out of post of good commercial antenna's that work great for GMRS as well as other LMR applications. Every antenna listed I have used for home and on towers and have had little if any issues with. 

Laird - Laird FG Series is a great antenna for home use and limited tower site use. Great for a home repeater when a tower is not available. Mostly omni. 

FG4500 - Unity Gain Fiberglass Antenna N Female 100W 450-470mhz - Cost around $125
FG4603 - 3db Gain Fiberglass Antenna N female 100W 460-470  - Cost around $140
FG4605 - 7db Gain Fiberglass Antenna N Female 100W 460-470 - Cost around $200
 

You can get more specifications from Laird here - FG Series Antennas

I get most of my hobby antennas from The Antenna Farm

The next step up is the dipole antenna and is normally the base antenna I'll install on a tower site. The DB aka CommScope Dipole is a rock solid performer and works well in long term use. I have used these in the ADK park on mountains caked in ice to towers in SE VA and other than physical damage never replaced one. 

DB404 - 3.8db Gain Dipole Antenna - N Male 250W 450-470mhz - Cost around $500
DB408 - 6.6db Gain Dipole Antenna - N Make 250W 450-470mhz - Cost around $1000

You can get more specifications from CommScope here - CommScope

I use various vendors for CommScope gear. Antenna Farm linked above does carry the DB404 as does MyGMRS. MyGMRS would be my first choice as it helps support the site and forum. His price is comparable to what I get it for from Tessco. 

When looking at an antenna also remember the cable to the antenna to be almost as important as the antenna. Putting a DB408 on a tower isn't going to perform as expected when you run LMR400 to it. It should be LDF. In reality if its on a tower it should be LDF anyway. 

Some real case uses of antenna''s above for me. My 38' Motorhome has a GMRS repeater. for years I ran the GR1225 and since have switch to the RT97. I run the FG4500 on my ladder and it works perfect for camgrounds/race track use. I have used the FG4605 for years on a repeater at my fathers house. He had a small mast system and it was a great match. I ran 1/2 LDF up the mast and to the antenna. The DB404 is my favorite. Thats what I have at home on a 1 1/4" Pipe on my roof. I run the DB408 at the tower with 7/8" LDF down to the combiner/duplexers. 

Just wanted to get some info out there on better antennas and options. TRAM, Comet, Ed Fong are all that. They are hobby antenna's and may not meet expectations. Some even cost the same. 

 

 

[gman1971]

If you want a cheaper folded dipole, which I recommend over anything vertical, here are a more budget friendly option for UHF.

-Harvest FDU1 310~480 MHz UHF 500W Folded Dipole. 70 bucks. - Costs around $70

-Harvest FDU2 310~480 MHz UHF 500W 2-Elements Folded Dipole Array Antenna. - Costs around $140

 

For VHF, I've had excellent results with the following dipole (not folded), and its not too expensive. You can build a 2-bay, 4-bay, 8-bay etc, array out of those.

-Sirio WD140-N VHF 140-160 MHz Base Station Dipole Antenna - Costs around $99 

specs can be found at the Sirio site: https://www.sirioantenne.it/en/products/vhf/wd-140-n-wd-155-n

This antenna is very high quality, in fact, I think it might be better built than the newer Commscope DB antennas (not the old ones)

[Flameout]

Thanks for the post. Some good info. Antennas have always been a bit of a headache for me. I recently bought a Comet 712EFC which was a great improvement over the Slim Jim I was trying to use but still having a bit of trouble receiving once certain repeater. Would a Laird 4603 or 4605 be an improvement over that Comet antenna as far as receiving? 

[WRPD494]

Are there any geographic "obstacles" between you and this one repeater? I have a couple of nice repeaters that are rather close, but because of a ridge between my base antennae and these repeaters, I can't hear or open them.  The Comet is a nice stick - probably another issue.  Try this site to check for line of site issues:

https://www.scadacore.com/tools/rf-path/rf-line-of-sight/

[Flameout]

Thanks for that site. I never even knew about that. I posted a jpg of the line of site, but I'm sure the curvature of the earth over the 17 miles has an effect on the signal.

I had posted an a different forum about my problem, but just wondered if a different antenna would make a difference. the DB 404 may be a bit too expensive, but one of the Laird antennas aren't out of the question. I can receive that repeater great using a Nagoya Mag mount antenna stuck onto a cookie sheet, and can hit the repeater with a couple of watts on an HT and base, but audio is very bad, where as I can hit the repeater great using the Comet. with great audio reports, but it doesn't receive the repeater signal anywhere near as good as that mobile antenna

[haneysa]

L-Com HG459U  $150 from L-com website. 9 dBi gain.  Regardless of which brand/style/model that you buy, remember that the 465mhz is the "center" of the GMRS band. An antenna that is specifically designed and tuned for 465mhz will provide maximum efficiency. If you go with a very wide-ranging design, make sure that it is tunable.

[gortex2]

11 hours ago, Flameout said:

Thanks for the post. Some good info. Antennas have always been a bit of a headache for me. I recently bought a Comet 712EFC which was a great improvement over the Slim Jim I was trying to use but still having a bit of trouble receiving once certain repeater. Would a Laird 4603 or 4605 be an improvement over that Comet antenna as far as receiving? 

What are you using for Cable ? Although I consider the comet/tram a hobby antenna you should be able to hear the repeater unless the repeater isn't a quality unit, or something crazy wrong with your setup. The Laird 4603 is a solid antenna. But I'd be curious to know why yours is not working. 

[gman1971]

12 hours ago, Flameout said:

Thanks for that site. I never even knew about that. I posted a jpg of the line of site, but I'm sure the curvature of the earth over the 17 miles has an effect on the signal.

I had posted an a different forum about my problem, but just wondered if a different antenna would make a difference. the DB 404 may be a bit too expensive, but one of the Laird antennas aren't out of the question. I can receive that repeater great using a Nagoya Mag mount antenna stuck onto a cookie sheet, and can hit the repeater with a couple of watts on an HT and base, but audio is very bad, where as I can hit the repeater great using the Comet. with great audio reports, but it doesn't receive the repeater signal anywhere near as good as that mobile antenna

Can anyone explain why that program draws a straight line from Wisconsin to France? I guess it must be for Flathearthers.... 

G.

[Flameout]

6 hours ago, gortex2 said:

What are you using for Cable ? Although I consider the comet/tram a hobby antenna you should be able to hear the repeater unless the repeater isn't a quality unit, or something crazy wrong with your setup. The Laird 4603 is a solid antenna. But I'd be curious to know why yours is not working. 

The cable is 50' of ABR Industries RG 8/U and the SWR is great (but then again, it is also great using a dummy load) I had the antenna up about 20' but experimenting one day, I was lowering it and all of a sudden I could pick up the repeater. I just had lots of noise, especially compared to the mag mount Nagoya about 3' off the ground. I really wouldn't mind buying another antenna if I knew it would work. Too bad there isn't a store that rents them

[tweiss3]

24 minutes ago, Flameout said:

The cable is 50' of ABR Industries RG 8/U and the SWR is great (but then again, it is also great using a dummy load) I had the antenna up about 20' but experimenting one day, I was lowering it and all of a sudden I could pick up the repeater. I just had lots of noise, especially compared to the mag mount Nagoya about 3' off the ground. I really wouldn't mind buying another antenna if I knew it would work. Too bad there isn't a store that rents them

RG8U is good only for extremely short runs (like a mobile mag mount) at UHF frequencies. You are seeing 8.6 dB loss per 100' of cable, or greater than 60% power loss in the cable. Not only does that mean at maximum you are only transmitting 18W, but it also means that received signals are weakened significantly as well.

[tweiss3]

On 2/13/2022 at 10:08 AM, gman1971 said:

If you want a cheaper folded dipole, which I recommend over anything vertical, here are a more budget friendly option for UHF.

-Harvest FDU1 310~480 MHz UHF 500W Folded Dipole. 70 bucks. - Costs around $70

-Harvest FDU2 310~480 MHz UHF 500W 2-Elements Folded Dipole Array Antenna. - Costs around $140

 

For VHF, I've had excellent results with the following dipole (not folded), and its not too expensive. You can build a 2-bay, 4-bay, 8-bay etc, array out of those.

-Sirio WD140-N VHF 140-160 MHz Base Station Dipole Antenna - Costs around $99 

specs can be found at the Sirio site: https://www.sirioantenne.it/en/products/vhf/wd-140-n-wd-155-n

This antenna is very high quality, in fact, I think it might be better built than the newer Commscope DB antennas (not the old ones)

Those Siro antennas look decent. Do they make a phasing harness? Their instruction provide spacing for making an array, but the biggest issue with an array is the phasing harness.

[tcp2525]

Phasing harnesses are easy to make. Plenty of info on the web that gives all the formulas that are needed. You just have to get good quality 75 ohm cable and know its velocity factor. DX Engineering has some decent RG-11 for this. I used it for several stacked antenna projects without issue.

[Flameout]

22 minutes ago, tweiss3 said:

RG8U is good only for extremely short runs (like a mobile mag mount) at UHF frequencies. You are seeing 8.6 dB loss per 100' of cable, or greater than 60% power loss in the cable. Not only does that mean at maximum you are only transmitting 18W, but it also means that received signals are weakened significantly as well.

I also have some Times microwave LMR-400 and some Wireman CQ1000 LL400 (I guess it's equivalent to the LMR 400) The RG8/U Im currently using looks just like the LMR 400 in that the same connectors will fit. Would it be worth trying either of them or just get whatever would be good for a 45-50 foot run?

[tweiss3]

7 minutes ago, Flameout said:

I also have some Times microwave LMR-400 and some Wireman CQ1000 LL400 (I guess it's equivalent to the LMR 400) The RG8/U Im currently using looks just like the LMR 400 in that the same connectors will fit. Would it be worth trying either of them or just get whatever would be good for a 45-50 foot run?

Yes, LMR400 will drop your loss from 60%+ to less than 30%.

[WROZ250]

16 minutes ago, Flameout said:

I also have some Times microwave LMR-400 and some Wireman CQ1000 LL400 (I guess it's equivalent to the LMR 400) The RG8/U Im currently using looks just like the LMR 400 in that the same connectors will fit. Would it be worth trying either of them or just get whatever would be good for a 45-50 foot run?

LMR-400 is about as 'economical' as I would go for a base/repeater setup, assuming one is serious about the installation and then, only if the main cable run was less than 50ft.  I would not recommend any of the RG series cables for anything but short jumpers and even then, only if a tighter radius bend was required and, there are better alternatives.  Your cable and associated connectors are as important as the antenna itself.

Speaking of connectors, all connectors need to be weatherproofed/sealed.  That said, the connectors available for one type of cable, and even the cable itself, contribute to the overall quality of the installation.

Antenna network losses and vulnerability to the elements, can stack up quickly when one takes the cheaper path.

Personally, I look at fixed installation costs as an investment, and so saving a couple of bucks here or there usually will cost you somewhere else later.

As always, just an opinion (based on years of experience)

[gortex2]

Guys lets move this to another thread ? Think its a good discussion. 

 

[gman1971]

16 hours ago, tweiss3 said:

Those Siro antennas look decent. Do they make a phasing harness? Their instruction provide spacing for making an array, but the biggest issue with an array is the phasing harness.

The 2 element comes with the phasing harness looks like. But making one is fairly simple, some 75ohm coax cable and some crimp on connectors and a T.

G.

[ABTOCMEPTb]

On 2/13/2022 at 9:53 AM, gortex2 said:

I wanted to throw out of post of good commercial antenna's that work great for GMRS as well as other LMR applications. Every antenna listed I have used for home and on towers and have had little if any issues with. 

Laird - Laird FG Series is a great antenna for home use and limited tower site use. Great for a home repeater when a tower is not available. Mostly omni. 

FG4500 - Unity Gain Fiberglass Antenna N Female 100W 450-470mhz - Cost around $125
FG4603 - 3db Gain Fiberglass Antenna N female 100W 460-470  - Cost around $140
FG4605 - 7db Gain Fiberglass Antenna N Female 100W 460-470 - Cost around $200
 

You can get more specifications from Laird here - FG Series Antennas

I get most of my hobby antennas from The Antenna Farm

The next step up is the dipole antenna and is normally the base antenna I'll install on a tower site. The DB aka CommScope Dipole is a rock solid performer and works well in long term use. I have used these in the ADK park on mountains caked in ice to towers in SE VA and other than physical damage never replaced one. 

DB404 - 3.8db Gain Dipole Antenna - N Male 250W 450-470mhz - Cost around $500
DB408 - 6.6db Gain Dipole Antenna - N Make 250W 450-470mhz - Cost around $1000

You can get more specifications from CommScope here - CommScope

I use various vendors for CommScope gear. Antenna Farm linked above does carry the DB404 as does MyGMRS. MyGMRS would be my first choice as it helps support the site and forum. His price is comparable to what I get it for from Tessco. 

When looking at an antenna also remember the cable to the antenna to be almost as important as the antenna. Putting a DB408 on a tower isn't going to perform as expected when you run LMR400 to it. It should be LDF. In reality if its on a tower it should be LDF anyway. 

Some real case uses of antenna''s above for me. My 38' Motorhome has a GMRS repeater. for years I ran the GR1225 and since have switch to the RT97. I run the FG4500 on my ladder and it works perfect for camgrounds/race track use. I have used the FG4605 for years on a repeater at my fathers house. He had a small mast system and it was a great match. I ran 1/2 LDF up the mast and to the antenna. The DB404 is my favorite. Thats what I have at home on a 1 1/4" Pipe on my roof. I run the DB408 at the tower with 7/8" LDF down to the combiner/duplexers. 

Just wanted to get some info out there on better antennas and options. TRAM, Comet, Ed Fong are all that. They are hobby antenna's and may not meet expectations. Some even cost the same. 

 

 

How quickly Antennafarm shipping their orders?

[gortex2]

Antennafarm normally ships pretty quick. Don't think anything I have ordered took longer than a week. 

[wayoverthere]

2 hours ago, gortex2 said:

Antennafarm normally ships pretty quick. Don't think anything I have ordered took longer than a week. 

That's been my experience with them as well, barring once when an item was out of stock, which they were quick to communicate (ordered over the weekend, they called on Monday).

[JohnE]

I have a couple of these and have been pretty happy w/them.

https://www.mobilemark.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?juwpfisadmin=false&action=wpfd&task=file.download&wpfd_category_id=2041&wpfd_file_id=6997&token=&preview=1

 

[ABTOCMEPTb]

On 2/15/2022 at 8:50 AM, gortex2 said:

Antennafarm normally ships pretty quick. Don't think anything I have ordered took longer than a week. 

Hey!

I got FG4500 from antennafarm. Outstanding performance so far. 
 

Here is my dilemma, maybe you will be able to advise me. 
‘I am planning to run mobile repeater out of my car using this antenna. However easy mounting options are limited. I searched up and down on internet and can’t find any brackets to fit either side mirror or 3” bull bars. 
As of now the only easy option is to get NMO mag mount and to attach via adapter directly. 
‘Question is, will antenna and adapter withstand the pressure of highway speed?

[gortex2]

My FG4500 is mounted on my aluminum ladder on the back of the MH. I normally take it off but have forgot and drove home 100 miles with it there and it was fine. In real life I wouldn't run down the road with it. There are better antenna's for a vehicle. If its in a vehicle just drop an NMO in the center of the roof with a 1/4 wave and it will be fine. 

As reference there are adapter plates to mount to a 3" pipe but it will cost as much as the antenna. You could probably build a mount yourself if needed but again I'd just use a NMO on the vehicle. I have installed many on fire trucks and ambulances with a 1/4 wave on UHF. 

 

[ABTOCMEPTb]

33 minutes ago, gortex2 said:

My FG4500 is mounted on my aluminum ladder on the back of the MH. I normally take it off but have forgot and drove home 100 miles with it there and it was fine. In real life I wouldn't run down the road with it. There are better antenna's for a vehicle. If its in a vehicle just drop an NMO in the center of the roof with a 1/4 wave and it will be fine. 

As reference there are adapter plates to mount to a 3" pipe but it will cost as much as the antenna. You could probably build a mount yourself if needed but again I'd just use a NMO on the vehicle. I have installed many on fire trucks and ambulances with a 1/4 wave on UHF. 

 

My in-car 50x1 unit is connected to Pulse Larsen and I am happy with it. 
I want to use fg4500 on the move with RT97 repeater placed inside the car. 
Post a link to brackets you mentioned, please!

[gortex2]

These are the ones I use. 

Pipe-Pipe Clamp

If you have a mobile not sure why you would want the repeater also. 

[axorlov]

18 hours ago, ABTOCMEPTb said:

I want to use fg4500 on the move with RT97 repeater placed inside the car.

Yeah, I'm wondering too. 50W mobile with antenna on the roof already in. What is the problem are you trying to solve with low-power repeater and low-mount antenna (bull bars, mirrors)? And while on the move?