Third of five parts
For all the complex electronics inside a two-way radio, arguably the most important component is the antenna, which transmits and captures radio waves.
Portable radios come from the factory with an antenna that has been tuned precisely to meet the needs of the radio it’s attached to. So why would you need an accessory antenna? A couple scenarios spring to mind:
Broken and scratched — To operate at peak efficiency, an antenna needs to remain in the shape it was built in. Dent, scratches and breaks can foul up an antenna and might cause it to fail altogether. If your radio is operations-critical, you should have a backup antenna just in case. Without a working antenna, your radio ceases to be a radio.
Transmission range issues — A longer antenna can extend the range of your radio. Of
course, there is always a trade-off here: a longer antenna makes the radio much more unwieldy and prone to snagging and smacking into things. That, in turn, increases the risk of damaging your antenna.
If your radios operate within range of nearby repeaters and do not need require extra length, you’re probably better off sticking with the standard size that comes with your radio. However, people such as park rangers — who are a long way from the nearest transmitter — might be better off with an extra-long antenna. Conversely, if range is not an issue you might want an extra-short antenna.
Frequency tuning — Many antennas typically are tuned to work with a specific section of the radio spectrum. Some are UFH-only and others are VHF-only. This can be a complicating factor if you have an advanced radio that works in both UHF and VHF
modes. You might also see antennas labeled “VHF untuned” that are optimized for VHF but not a specific set of frequencies.
Issues for mobile antennas
Antennas for mobile radios in cars, trucks and construction equipment do the same job as the ones on portable models, but there are key differences.
Your main concerns are where you mount and how tall the antenna is. Typically, the best place for an antenna is the middle of a vehicle’s roof. Since that’s not always practical, some antennas are designed to mount on a window. Also, keep in mind that an antenna works a bit differently depending on the mounting surface. A metal roof does not have the same performance characteristics as a plastic or fiberglass roof. Make sure you’re getting the right antenna for your specific vehicle.
Also, a well-defined area like an open-pit mine or quarry might not have the same transmission and reception qualities as a city street, so your antenna height needs to match the environment.
If your antenna is too tall, it might be banging into things like the roofs over parking garages and restaurant drive-through windows. If it’s too short, you might sacrifice transmission quality.
The best thing to do with all antennas
is consult with an expert to find the right match for your needs. At BearCom, we’ve seen just about every user configuration imaginable. If you tell us what you need, we can make sure you’ve got the right antenna. Having the wrong one is not an option.
A handy way to match radios and accessories
BearCom developed a convenient web tool to
find the accessories available for a specific radio model. You start with the type of wireless product you need, then click on the brand and the individual model, and click “Go.” That takes you to a product page for the radio model that includes links to all of its available accessories.
The
reverse lookup operates the other way around: If you know the name of the accessory, it can show all the radios that are compatible with it.
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Third of five parts
For all the complex electronics inside a two-way radio, arguably the most important component is the antenna, which transmits and captures radio waves.
Portable radios come from the factory with an antenna that has been tuned precisely to meet the needs of the radio it’s attached to. So why would you need an accessory antenna? A couple scenarios spring to mind:
Broken and scratched — To operate at peak efficiency, an antenna needs to remain in the shape it was built in. Dent, scratches and breaks can foul up an antenna and might cause it to fail altogether. If your radio is operations-critical, you should have a backup antenna just in case. Without a working antenna, your radio ceases to be a radio.
Transmission range issues — A longer antenna can extend the range of your radio. Of course, there is always a trade-off here: a longer antenna makes the radio much more unwieldy and prone to snagging and smacking into things. That, in turn, increases the risk of damaging your antenna.
If your radios operate within range of nearby repeaters and do not need require extra length, you’re probably better off sticking with the standard size that comes with your radio. However, people such as park rangers — who are a long way from the nearest transmitter — might be better off with an extra-long antenna. Conversely, if range is not an issue you might want an extra-short antenna.
Frequency tuning — Many antennas typically are tuned to work with a specific section of the radio spectrum. Some are UFH-only and others are VHF-only. This can be a complicating factor if you have an advanced radio that works in both UHF and VHF modes. You might also see antennas labeled “VHF untuned” that are optimized for VHF but not a specific set of frequencies.
Issues for mobile antennas
Antennas for mobile radios in cars, trucks and construction equipment do the same job as the ones on portable models, but there are key differences.
Your main concerns are where you mount and how tall the antenna is. Typically, the best place for an antenna is the middle of a vehicle’s roof. Since that’s not always practical, some antennas are designed to mount on a window. Also, keep in mind that an antenna works a bit differently depending on the mounting surface. A metal roof does not have the same performance characteristics as a plastic or fiberglass roof. Make sure you’re getting the right antenna for your specific vehicle.
Also, a well-defined area like an open-pit mine or quarry might not have the same transmission and reception qualities as a city street, so your antenna height needs to match the environment.
If your antenna is too tall, it might be banging into things like the roofs over parking garages and restaurant drive-through windows. If it’s too short, you might sacrifice transmission quality.
The best thing to do with all antennas is consult with an expert to find the right match for your needs. At BearCom, we’ve seen just about every user configuration imaginable. If you tell us what you need, we can make sure you’ve got the right antenna. Having the wrong one is not an option.
A handy way to match radios and accessories
BearCom developed a convenient web tool to find the accessories available for a specific radio model. You start with the type of wireless product you need, then click on the brand and the individual model, and click “Go.” That takes you to a product page for the radio model that includes links to all of its available accessories.
The reverse lookup operates the other way around: If you know the name of the accessory, it can show all the radios that are compatible with it.
