Railfan Technology > Scanner Antennas'

So I have had a couple different kinds of scanner antennas over the last few years. Some big some small some with the seals coming off and some with the magnet mounts pealing away. What I am looking for is a super durable antenna that gets attached to the car roof by a magnet that gets the most range for the scanner preferably a small sized antenna. Any ideas or thoughts?

Thanks
SD

I've had a Larsen 1/4 wave antenna for over 10 years.  Works great, make sure you read the instructions to cut the shaft to fit the frequency range you want.  You can find them on line or through Ham Radio Outlet where I got mine.

My vote is for Larson 5/8 wave antennas.
There is a number of manufacturers of 5/8 wave Mag mount antennas. Some are built less expensive than others. We have quite a bit of lively discussion in the archives if anybody is interested.

Larson makes a great antenna and have been making them for 50 years or more.  They use the NMO mount and I don't have anything that uses that so I have stayed away from them.  Most others use the UHF mount.  It's just a person preference.  Some of the new mag mounts include an adapter to make them universal handling either the NMO or the UHF mount.  They will h   I use an MFJ-1412 myself, sold by MFJ Enterprises.  As a ham I use the 146MHz and 440 MHz band.  I chose that antenna because it seemed more stable mechanically than some other dual band antennas.  Most have a small coil in the middle of the whip, between the lower section and the upper section.  My antenna has the coil but it is a part of a continuous piece of stainless steel, no connections anywhere along the antenna other than the base and you're going to have that on every antenna.  I've used it for railroad communications and it works great.  MFJ has some magnet bases and I don't know the model number of mine but it has about a 5" base and holds well at 75 MPH.  

There are several Amateur Radio stores that carry these type antennas.  ARO, HRO, The Ham Station, R and L, and others.  You can Google them.  Call and order an antenna and they can suggest a good mount to match the mount on the antenna.

John

Whatever antenna you purchase make sure you mount it as high as you can on your vehicle. And I'd suggest at least a five inch or larger heavy duty mag mount. Glue some felt cloth on the bottom of the image mount before use. This way it will be easier to remove when you have to and it will not damage the finish on your vehicle.

Bryce Lee VA3TRN

I also use the Larson 5/8 wave antenna on my trucks and I chose to drill a hole for the roof mount instead of using a magnet mount. 

John Miller
Conestoga, PA