beofeng gm15 and antenna and power question

[WRZF693]

Hi Folks.. 
I have been researching, and everything I'm learning says having a better antenna high up does more for range than say using a few more watts in output power.. So, I'm wondering if I bought one of those midland antennas with the included coax cable  that's normally used for their mobile radios, would it drain the power very much of my small HT beofeng HM15 pro? I just want to put the antenna out the window or on the roof a few feet away and be able to use it instead of the 771 antenna to see if it helps give me a little tad bit more range.

I ask because I'm not able to hit a repeater in my area because it's so hilly here and so many woods.. I can get about 4 to 6 miles though just talking to my friend .. I live in a rural area and he lives in a small urban town and we can chat no problem, but I'd like to be able to hit the repeater that's about 22 miles from me and I'm wondering if that antenna sitting on top of the roof stuck to a cookie pan with just a few feet of cable would work in giving me enough range to connect and talk on this repeater???  I can get the kerchunk at times, but can't actually talk.

Otherwise I'm thinking I'm going to have to go to a mobile radio of 20 watts or more with a permanent antenna on the roof which I want to avoid at all costs if possible.  I mean, I don't want to have a permanent antenna because I'm about to move at the end of winter.. I hope all that made sense.. Also, I don't want to have to buy a new mobile radio until I get moved along with a power converter or whatever it's called to use a mobile radio at home.. 

Thanks in advance.. Great forum! This is a fun hobby..

[BoxCar]

Antenna height is the key. A higher antenna means the distance to the horizon increases along with clearance for obstacles like hills, trees, and buildings. You can use something inexpensive as a mast for an outdoor antenna such as PVC pipe. You can easily use 2 ten-foot sections of 1 1/2 inch pipe to get your antenna up over 20 feet.

[Sshannon]

1 hour ago, WRZF693 said:

So, I'm wondering if I bought one of those midland antennas with the included coax cable  that's normally used for their mobile radios, would it drain the power very much of my small HT beofeng HM15 pro? I just want to put the antenna out the window or on the roof a few feet away and be able to use it instead of the 771 antenna to see if it helps give me a little tad bit more range.

First, everything Boxcar said is correct, but to directly answer your question, if you used a mag-mount antenna on a cookie sheet on your roof it would not drain the power.  The coax cables used for those antennas do attenuate the signal somewhat, but they are short, so the effect is limited AND not as negative as the positive effect of using an elevated higher gain antenna. In other words the net benefit should be positive.

[WRZF693]

On 11/18/2023 at 9:24 AM, BoxCar said:

Antenna height is the key. A higher antenna means the distance to the horizon increases along with clearance for obstacles like hills, trees, and buildings. You can use something inexpensive as a mast for an outdoor antenna such as PVC pipe. You can easily use 2 ten-foot sections of 1 1/2 inch pipe to get your antenna up over 20 feet.

Thank you for the answer kind sir. I appreciate it.. PVC sounds like a great idea.. Hell I may go 40 feet if the PVC is cheap enough.. hehehe.. 
Tim

[WRZF693]

On 11/18/2023 at 9:42 AM, Sshannon said:

First, everything Boxcar said is correct, but to directly answer your question, if you used a mag-mount antenna on a cookie sheet on your roof it would not drain the power.  The coax cables used for those antennas do attenuate the signal somewhat, but they are short, so the effect is limited AND not as negative as the positive effect of using an elevated higher gain antenna. In other words the net benefit should be positive.

Thank you so much.. Any recommendations on a mobile antenna to use for such a radio that I could just stick out the window ? 
Thanks in advance.. Really appreciate all the answers here! You folks rock! 

[Sshannon]

4 hours ago, WRZF693 said:

Thank you so much.. Any recommendations on a mobile antenna to use for such a radio that I could just stick out the window ? 
Thanks in advance.. Really appreciate all the answers here! You folks rock! 
 

Just about any mobile antenna would work for that. If it needs a ground plane then mount it to a steel (if it’s magnetic) cookie sheet. 

[JoCoBrian]

5 hours ago, WRZF693 said:

Thank you for the answer kind sir. I appreciate it.. PVC sounds like a great idea.. Hell I may go 40 feet if the PVC is cheap enough.. hehehe.. 
Tim

Don't do it.   When the sun comes out that PVC will probably flop around like a spaghetti noodle.  20-25 feet doesn't seem to do that so bad in PVC but I have seen 40 footers wilt and flop over in the hot sun. 

[Sshannon]

Chain link top rail is relatively inexpensive and you could put two together for 20 feet but I don’t think you would want to use it to go higher. 
Several radio equipment companies make good masts if you don’t mind spending a little more. The Rohn R50 is good. I have a friend who uses it to elevate his dipole. 

[WRWE456]

I used galvanized electrical conduit. Also comes in ten foot lengths.

[JoCoBrian]

1 hour ago, WRWE456 said:

I used galvanized electrical conduit. Also comes in ten foot lengths.

How tall? And do you brace it against anything? 

[WRWE456]

In my case I used 2 lengths of 1 1/4" and 1 length of 1 1/2" The 1 1/4" fits inside the 1 1/2 ". I used a 1 1/4" for the bottom the 1 1/2" for the center and the final 1 1/4" for the top. Over lapped them maybe 2 feet then through bolted them together with 2 bolts for each joint. Ended up with a 26 foot mast. Putting the larger piece in the center position made the whole thing stiffer.

It is mounted with the bottom sitting on a block with a clamp on a second floor deck. It extends up to the peak of the roof where it is attached to the end of the ridge beam. It sticks up about 7 feet above the roof and has 2 antennas on it. A copper tube Slim Jim from KB9BVR Antennas. It's the Land Mobile version for MURS, VHF, Marine VHF and my scanner. Below that about 2 feet is an Arrow Antennas 7 element GMRS Yagi directional. If I want to rotate the Yagi I just walk out the door of my radio room and twist it. But I don't need to do that very often.

That's how I did mine but everyone's situation is different so you just need to be creative.

[WRZF693]

20 hours ago, JoCoBrian said:

Don't do it.   When the sun comes out that PVC will probably flop around like a spaghetti noodle.  20-25 feet doesn't seem to do that so bad in PVC but I have seen 40 footers wilt and flop over in the hot sun. 

Thanks.. I never thought of that.. Appreciate it.

[WRZF693]

20 hours ago, Sshannon said:

Just about any mobile antenna would work for that. If it needs a ground plane then mount it to a steel (if it’s magnetic) cookie sheet. 

Thank you kind sir..

[WRZF693]

16 hours ago, WRWE456 said:

In my case I used 2 lengths of 1 1/4" and 1 length of 1 1/2" The 1 1/4" fits inside the 1 1/2 ". I used a 1 1/4" for the bottom the 1 1/2" for the center and the final 1 1/4" for the top. Over lapped them maybe 2 feet then through bolted them together with 2 bolts for each joint. Ended up with a 26 foot mast. Putting the larger piece in the center position made the whole thing stiffer.

It is mounted with the bottom sitting on a block with a clamp on a second floor deck. It extends up to the peak of the roof where it is attached to the end of the ridge beam. It sticks up about 7 feet above the roof and has 2 antennas on it. A copper tube Slim Jim from KB9BVR Antennas. It's the Land Mobile version for MURS, VHF, Marine VHF and my scanner. Below that about 2 feet is an Arrow Antennas 7 element GMRS Yagi directional. If I want to rotate the Yagi I just walk out the door of my radio room and twist it. But I don't need to do that very often.

That's how I did mine but everyone's situation is different so you just need to be creative.

Thanks so much.. Very interesting.. 

[WRZF693]

19 hours ago, WRWE456 said:

I used galvanized electrical conduit. Also comes in ten foot lengths.

Thank you sir.. Appreciate it.. Never thought of that.. Very cool..