House Antenna Recommandations

[Josiah3127]

Do you guys have recommendations for a small antenna for homes in a HOA?  I just want to get better signal from my GMRS radio.  Right now, I just have a handheld radio and can barely reliably reach a local repeater.  What do you guys use in this circumstance?  Thank you!

[kidphc]

You could paint and hide, base antenna, or slim Jim's in trees.

If you are a bit from the road or have trees that kinda hide you roof line. You could use a slim mobile antenna, and a groundplane nmo base mount to the eaves of your house.

Me I am using a combo of a ham 2m/70cm antenna in the attic and a mag mount on my ac.

I do have home brew gmrs yagi and 2m/70cm yagis that will go in the attic. Whenever I get my lazy butt around to it.

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[Guest]

While you are avoiding detection by the neighbor who does not like you ...  HOAs are fun !!! ...

 

I also like to point out "better" HT antenna alternatives such as Slim Line 465 MHZ (smileyantenna.com)

That one got me into our local repeater when the stock antenna failed.

However, there are other HT antenna options and somebody else might have a different favorite.

 

Back to preparing my HOA board meeting (coming up on Tuesday) ... why did I have to raise my hand ?!? 

 

 

[WSAB905]

This is the one I am going to use. Its only 3 ft long I doubt anyone will notice it if i put it on the back of my house. I have also read of people putting this in their attic as well but, Im very new to the GMRS world so I may be completely wrong.

https://edsantennas.weebly.com/

[kidphc]

While you are avoiding detection by the neighbor who does not like you ...  HOAs are fun !!! ...
 
I also like to point out "better" HT antenna alternatives such as Slim Line 465 MHZ (smileyantenna.com)
That one got me into our local repeater when the stock antenna failed.
However, there are other HT antenna options and somebody else might have a different favorite.
 
Back to preparing my HOA board meeting (coming up on Tuesday) ... why did I have to raise my hand ?!? 
 
 

You raised your hand. Because that is the only way to change some absurd laws.

My birdhouse random wire hf bird perch antenna and slim jim in electrical tracking inside the house salute you.

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[kidphc]

This is the one I am going to use. Its only 3 ft long I doubt anyone will notice it if i put it on the back of my house. I have also read of people putting this in their attic as well but, Im very new to the GMRS world so I may be completely wrong.
https://edsantennas.weebly.com/

Very good antennas. Ed is a professor, he explains alot of the theories in YouTube videos.

Keep in mind follow the directions closely. He has accounted for the pvc tubing, which is a bit specific. Personally, 90% of complaints of the antenna come from using the wrong pvc.

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[gortex2]

Skip the home made edfong antenna and get a real LRM antenna. I prefer the Laird FG4600 series but many have had good luck with the TRAM 1486

 

https://shop.mygmrs.com/products/tram-1486-uhf-fiberglass-base-antenna

 

[WRYC373]

2 hours ago, gortex2 said:

Skip the home made edfong antenna and get a real LRM antenna. I prefer the Laird FG4600 series but many have had good luck with the TRAM 1486

 

https://shop.mygmrs.com/products/tram-1486-uhf-fiberglass-base-antenna

 

There is tuning required of this antenna so if someone isnt comfortable with that i would just caveat that but there are few pretuned base station antennas. Its a very very good antenna however.

[nokones]

Laird FG4605 5 dB Omni with LMR400 coax. No tuning required very good VSWRs on GMRS freqs.

[DONE]

YOu are going to want to put an antenna as high as possible for best performance. 

Since you have an HOA and I am going to assume that you have approached them for a variance on their by-laws and failed, the next and most reasonable option is an antenna inside the attic space.  This will work reasonably well if you  don't have a metal roof.  Obviously a metal roof will significantly limit your ability to get RF through it.

Another option is a small dish for TV.  But be warned that you will need to research the federal regulations allowing for a small dish or off air antenna for folks that are in an HOA and their by-laws 'limit' that.  Due to it being a path for emergency communications, the FCC has mandated small dish and off air antenna's be allowed in all instances.  But you are going to need to get copies of those federal regulations in hand and present them to the HOA for review before doing anything else.  They will no doubt what to verify it before making a ruling.  And depending on the caliber of people running your HOA, they may or may NOT take well to being forced by anyone including the federal government to grant a variance.  At the point you basically role up the rules like a newspaper and slap them in the face with it.  They WILL crawl up your hind parts and file for a new address in there.  They will watch you like a hawk, making sure to enforce EVERY other regulation and by-law they have on the books.  And of course fine you as often as is possible until you sell out and move.  But it's an option, so I figured I would mention it.  After all the HOA isn't going to know what antenna is for what. 

But, first option is filing for a variance with them and seeing if you can put up something on an eve of the roof on a small mount. 

[kidphc]

YOu are going to want to put an antenna as high as possible for best performance. 
Since you have an HOA and I am going to assume that you have approached them for a variance on their by-laws and failed, the next and most reasonable option is an antenna inside the attic space.  This will work reasonably well if you  don't have a metal roof.  Obviously a metal roof will significantly limit your ability to get RF through it.
Another option is a small dish for TV.  But be warned that you will need to research the federal regulations allowing for a small dish or off air antenna for folks that are in an HOA and their by-laws 'limit' that.  Due to it being a path for emergency communications, the FCC has mandated small dish and off air antenna's be allowed in all instances.  But you are going to need to get copies of those federal regulations in hand and present them to the HOA for review before doing anything else.  They will no doubt what to verify it before making a ruling.  And depending on the caliber of people running your HOA, they may or may NOT take well to being forced by anyone including the federal government to grant a variance.  At the point you basically role up the rules like a newspaper and slap them in the face with it.  They WILL crawl up your hind parts and file for a new address in there.  They will watch you like a hawk, making sure to enforce EVERY other regulation and by-law they have on the books.  And of course fine you as often as is possible until you sell out and move.  But it's an option, so I figured I would mention it.  After all the HOA isn't going to know what antenna is for what. 
But, first option is filing for a variance with them and seeing if you can put up something on an eve of the roof on a small mount. 

Forgot about slot antennas.

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[WRNN959]

I went with a Midland MXAT01VP Grand Vista 7.5db fiberglass antenna. Mine is mounted on the gable end of the radio shed about 20' up and I'm easily reaching repeaters 40-50 miles away. The whip is only about 4' tall so you could easily mount in your attic space. As mentioned above you need an NMO base with ground plane radials. This configuration is working very good for me.