Phoenix - at some point in your life, you have to spend money.
We would all love to be cheap - but that isn't always going to cut it.
A antenna is a antenna is a antenna...
It doesn't matter if it is a scanner antenna, a television antenna, or a radio antenna.
What does matter is that it needs to be resonant.

2 meters FM takes place between the frequencies of 145 and 148 MHz.
If you want to listen to those frequencies - you need to build a antenna that is resonant on those frequencies and you need a receiver that can be programmed for your local repeater frequencies and you also need to monitor the simplex - non repeater frequencies.

The FM National Weather Service uses frequencies in the range of 162 MHz

MHz 162.400

MHz 162.425

MHz 162.450

MHz 162.475

MHz 162.500

MHz 162.525

MHz 162.550


Trying to use the national weather service to determine how a 2 meters antenna works is a lot like trying to use diesel fuel to see how your gasoline engine runs - without having the proper fuel to try it.

Although there is a mismatch between a antenna that is horizontally polarized and vertically polarized - if the repeater is close enough - less then 65 miles away, and if the antenna exhibits enough gain - and if the coax has a low loss rate at 146 Mhz - then it shouldn't make much of a difference...

Take a YAGI television antenna, stick it up as high as you can get it in the air - OUTSIDE and listen.
If you are an apartment dweller in a concrete / steel reinforced building and you try to use an indoor antenna - you are not going to be very successful.

You have to be smarter then the antenna...

Here is a repeater list for the coordinated repeaters in your area..

http://www.artscipub.com/repeaters/s...?state=Arizona

Just remember that a repeater does not have to be coordinated to be legal for use.

In Western Pennsylvania, only one third of all the repeaters in use are coordinated...

Here is a list of the Amateur Radio Clubs in Arizona - pick one and go to their meeting and explain your problem and ask for help and I am sure that someone will come up with a solution...

If you think you can study and pass the tests - you might want to look into getting the Technician Class License manual and doing some studying and getting your ticket and becoming a ham and not just listening...