Jump to content
Light-O-Rama Forums

FM Antenna


timmy

Recommended Posts

I bought the MBB V6000 and am looking for a way to get the antenna on my roof to get a better signal. I went to RS and bought 2 SMA to CB adapters and 50 ft CB cable. I bought the telescoping antenna and was wondering if there are any ideas of getting better range than this set up. I have 7 days to return cable if I get a better idea. The cable and adapters cost $80 tax and all. Will This work or is this a waste of time and money trying to put the antenna on my roof or will the scanner antenna work better? I read that the scanner antenna works best in 108 to 470 range. My MBB stops at 107.9. Thanks in advance.
Timmy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

timmy wrote:

I bought the telescoping antenna and was wondering if there are any ideas of getting better range than this set up.

To work reasonably, the (resonant) frequency of the antenna must be the same as the frequency at which you are transmitting. For what frequency is "the telescoping antenna" designed? If it is not near the FM broadcast band (90-108 MHz), it will be nearly useless.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also, what is the attenuation of the cable you bought at the FM broadcast frequency? If it is too high, you may get little or no signal at the far end.

Regards,

Alan.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Return it. radio frequencies ar between 87.7 & 107.9, and they use the odd decimal points (ie: 89.3, 103.5, 107.1). Many radios do allow u to tune in the even numbered decimals, but they arent legit stations. Since the lowest frequency u can use in your set up is 108, it will be unable to transmit to any radio.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry, I guess my first post was kind of confusing. The scanner antenna I was asking about looks like a homemade one i have saw on here. The package says peak performance between 108 and 470 I believe. I have not bought this one. I bought the telescoping one from MBB with my transmitter. How do I find out the ohms for a frequency. The CB cable I bought as extension is 50 OHM. I believe the scanner antenna I was looking at is like one Steven built and has shown a picture of. It is multi directional. One straight up and a few claw like ones facing down. Thanks for the replies.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just ran a test with my laptop and antenna on my roof and to my surprise it reached around 1000ft both directions from my house. Once you get to this range, you have to be sitting still or it is starts having static. This almost tripled the distance as compared to being on my front porch. I can hear the music beyond the visibility of my house. I am scared to mess with output power because with my luck it would lose too much signal. I guess I will attach the 50ft cable to run it to the pitch of my roof. With this small antenna, will it act as a lightning rod? This may sound like a crazy question, but I would hate that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Timmy,
Any time you have metal outside you are taking the chance of a lighting strike. So all of those houses with a TV antenna visible the owner is taking a chance of a lighting strike. Heck walking out the front door you are taking a chance that something will fall on you and kill you.

As for your scanner antenna. Well it is made for receiving and thus it is not optimized for transmitting. But it is designed to be broadband thus it is doing a fair job. If I was to put a antenna on your radio at the same location as your antenna was during your test. I promise I could at least double the distance again. Something you said that makes me feel that you did not have the long coax connected to the scanner antenna.

As someone else mentioned, depending on the coax you use. The amount of signal that is available at the far end might be so low, that you distance can decrease. I dont know what coax you have other than it is used with C.B.s Just for discussion what did you buy? How many feet and what type, such as RG-58 or RG-8? The thinner the cable the more loss it has per 100 ft.

I'll give you one quick example. If the loss at 100Mhz and 100ft is -6db and you antenna has a gain of 3db, your system has a -3db. Now 3db is that it appears that you are transmitting twice as much power. And when you have a -3 db loss in your system, then it appears that you have half as much power.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought RG58 cable but when I ran the test I just had the telescoping antenna hooked up to the transmitter via the attached 10ft very small in diameter cable. Just before I opened my CB cable I decided to check and my transmitter is 75 ohm and the cable is 50. I am taking the cable and adapters back tomorrow and buying coax cable and the sma to uhf adapters. Half the price of the CB adapter setup.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I built a tunable dipole antennae and placed it in my attic and ran 75ohm RG6 down to my Ramsey 25B transmitter and I am reaching 2-3 blocks away. Nothing showing on the outside of the house and no worries of lightening strikes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not to add a different glitch to what you are doing .....

Do you realize the V6000 only transmits in MONO.

That is why I bought the 4000 instead ... it transmits in STEREO

When I first received it I tested it for the range .... I got over 1/2 a mile from the antenna simply sitting on the window sill of my office that faces out to the road where the show will be.

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I chose the V6000 for the adjustable output. It doesn't sound that horrible. I am going to upgrade eventually, but I am just trying to get my music out to the cars this year. Thanks for bringing that up though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You are welcome .....

I just knew that when i was shopping for my 4000 I had read a few threads a people did not realize the 6000 was mono !

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

RaceMedic wrote:

Not to add a different glitch to what you are doing .....

Do you realize the V6000 only transmits in MONO.

That is why I bought the 4000 instead ... it transmits in STEREO

When I first received it I tested it for the range .... I got over 1/2 a mile from the antenna simply sitting on the window sill of my office that faces out to the road where the show will be.

Dave

I don't know what your radio transmitting laws are like up there in Canada, but down here in the States the FCC would frown on us transmitting as far as you are. I by no means am a FCC licensing expert but I know were not supposed to transmit very far.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

kzaas wrote:

RaceMedic wrote:
Not to add a different glitch to what you are doing .....

Do you realize the V6000 only transmits in MONO.

That is why I bought the 4000 instead ... it transmits in STEREO

When I first received it I tested it for the range .... I got over 1/2 a mile from the antenna simply sitting on the window sill of my office that faces out to the road where the show will be.

Dave

I don't know what your radio transmitting laws are like up there in Canada, but down here in the States the FCC would frown on us transmitting as far as you are. I by no means am a FCC licensing expert but I know were not supposed to transmit very far.



I admit I was thinking exactly the same thing. I have the antenna on my MBB 4000 down as far as it will go and still get about 2 blocks in any direction. Thats way more distance than I need. Timmy, do you live on a long road with not many houses around you?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tune my transmitter for the most distance because I use the EDM with RDS. I then will turn it down so the guys in the black van with little antennas all over it won't show up in my drive way.

For the first offense, The FCC can take your transmitting equipment and any equipment attached to it. So I'm not sure if that could include the computer and all my LOR boxes.

My bet is they would leave the christmas lights. Who would want to take all that down.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Scott T wrote:

I tune my transmitter for the most distance because I use the EDM with RDS. I then will turn it down so the guys in the black van with little antennas all over it won't show up in my drive way.

For the first offense, The FCC can take your transmitting equipment and any equipment attached to it. So I'm not sure if that could include the computer and all my LOR boxes.

My bet is they would leave the christmas lights. Who would want to take all that down.

Truth is, your odds of a visit are incredibly low. With their budget, it is tough to get them to even react to a more critical commercial issue most of the time.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

DonFL wrote:

Scott T wrote:
I tune my transmitter for the most distance because I use the EDM with RDS. I then will turn it down so the guys in the black van with little antennas all over it won't show up in my drive way.

For the first offense, The FCC can take your transmitting equipment and any equipment attached to it. So I'm not sure if that could include the computer and all my LOR boxes.

My bet is they would leave the christmas lights. Who would want to take all that down.

Truth is, your odds of a visit are incredibly low. With their budget, it is tough to get them to even react to a more critical commercial issue most of the time.



Can they pin it down to a house if they can't see any equipment?(ie my antennea is in my attic)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jim, I do live on a pretty long road with a few houses around. Most houses on my road have about half an acre. no empty lots. we do not live in a sub division however. I should have done a little more research and bought a more powerful transmitter. too late this year. I bought the materials to make the ramsey style tru match. is this worth my time or a waste. it was the heat of the moment because I only had 30 min to get to radio shack. I then get home and read mixed reviews on the antenna. some say it is just expensive rabbit ears. does it truly work or is it no better than my 38" telescoping one

Link to comment
Share on other sites

kzaas wrote:

DonFL wrote:
Scott T wrote:
I tune my transmitter for the most distance because I use the EDM with RDS. I then will turn it down so the guys in the black van with little antennas all over it won't show up in my drive way.

For the first offense, The FCC can take your transmitting equipment and any equipment attached to it. So I'm not sure if that could include the computer and all my LOR boxes.

My bet is they would leave the christmas lights. Who would want to take all that down.

Truth is, your odds of a visit are incredibly low. With their budget, it is tough to get them to even react to a more critical commercial issue most of the time.



Can they pin it down to a house if they can't see any equipment?(ie my antennea is in my attic)

Short answer...yes. Reality...unless there is a complaint, multiples of them, and it actually bubbles up into the priority bin, they aren't going to waste their time.

That said, in no way, shape, or form, am I advocating operating outside of the regs just because it is unlikely you'll get caught.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I posted this in another thread not realizing this was where I wanted to post it.

The 4000 comes with an extending antenna .....

Not being very knowledgeable about electronics ... can you change the length you extend the antenna to change the range you get or does it risk causing damage to the transmitter.

The 4000 transmitted much further than I ever need and am looking to see how it can be reduced .

Thanks,

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...