Handheld Scanner Antenna

[csxjs]

I recently bought this antenna from Thailand from eBay for railfanning.I was hesitant from buying from another country but this antenna is great! It is listed as a BNC 5/8 whip for 160-170 MHz. It was picking up 20-25 miles and i live in a mountainous area. The antenna says "Air Police-USA Instrument". I've haven't found anything on this antenna on the internet but it does look similar to the Smiley Antenna Super Stick II. Has anybody else gotten this antenna or have any idea what brand Air Police is? The antenna seems legit but im not sure.

http://cgi.ebay.com/45-5-inch-VHF-160MH ... dZViewItem

Thanks in advance

[lakeshoredave]

impressive stuff. i'm a railcom guy but that antenna sounds good!

[Grump]

A lot of those Asian companies make "knock off" antennas that are similiar to designs by other big names like Diamond and Comet among others...
Build quality can vary, but if you look at alot of these types of these Asian auctions, they'll advertise the same antenna in two different auctions as different bands. If you get one that works good in your freq range, than great. But just be aware of that...

[Steve W]

The telescopic antennas tend to be a pain in the neck on a handheld, and the also have a tendency to bend. A good rubber duck wiil be just as good. Also you can have the best antenna in the world but there a re many other factors as to what you will hear, such as your elevation with reards to the transmittin signal, sensitivity of your receiver, propagation of the signal and also the transmitter power. Remember the railroads limit the poer and reception of its radios to cut down on interference with other dispatch centers.

[Ken W2KB]

The telescopic antennas tend to be a pain in the neck on a handheld, and the also have a tendency to bend. A good rubber duck wiil be just as good. Also you can have the best antenna in the world but there a re many other factors as to what you will hear, such as your elevation with reards to the transmittin signal, sensitivity of your receiver, propagation of the signal and also the transmitter power. Remember the railroads limit the poer and reception of its radios to cut down on interference with other dispatch centers.

I would restate that a good rubber duck may be almost as good. The gain of the long telescoptic will make a noticeable difference with weak signals, all other things being equal.

[csxjs]

Thanks, I did notice that all the other antennas for different bands were the same antenna but for the 161 MHz range it measured correctly for a 5/8 so I guess I just lucky. I am planing to order a rubber duck and compare the results. Thanks for your help!

[Steve W]

Just a quick footnote and just my opinion, when I am out railfanning at a yard or crossing I am intersted in what I can see and hear not what is going on 25 miles away. If I want a wide area coverage that last thing iI will use is a handheld, that is what my mobole scanner or spectra is for, the handheld is for on the ground use.