Can’t put up an antenna due to restrictions?
Do you rent, hate heights, or have Homeowner’s Associations that have rules you need to follow?
Today’s podcast is dedicated to all of those who have antenna restrictions.
For those of us who have free access to what we put on our homes, we can forget at how difficult this hobby can be for those who can’t have outdoor antennas.
Here are some creative antenna solutions for those who can’t attach antennas to their homes, rentals, or live in apartments.
What You Need To Know
- Before thinking about adding antennas, we need to ask ourselves a few questions.
- Do we have adequate reception now with our stock antennas?
- If you go outside your home or apartment, does reception noticeably improve?
- Are we satisfied listening to what we can hear now, or do we need to pull in more range that only a better antenna can accomplish?
- Conventional scanning can have more challenges than monitoring trunk systems.
- Conventional frequencies are typically repeated and can be in the VHF UHF range.
- These frequencies typically work well with penetrating buildings and getting indoors.
- Simplex may be nearly impossible to receive well without an antenna with gain.
- Here are some ideas to improve your reception without adding antennas:
- If your radio is located in an interior corner of the house or apartment moving it closer to a window
- Another option is to relocate the radio from an interior wall to an exterior wall
- One of the easiest ways to stealth an antenna is to use attic or dead space, if you have access to them.
- You can try hiding antennas behind curtains or other interior designs.
- Mag Mount antennas can be attached to A/C units, the top of refrigerators, or anything else that has a metallic base.
- Bringing coax from outdoors to indoors without drilling can be a challenge. There are simple solutions for that as well.
Are you looking for your first scanner radio?
Download our new e-guide, “5 Thinks You Need to Know Before Buying Your First Scanner”. This free PDF is about 30 pages long and has 5 things you should look for, plus a few extra bonus items to make sure you make an educated purchase.
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