Terk 55 Antenna Suitable for Scanning?
 

It has a bandwidth from 54-806 Megahertz. It is compact, can be used
indoors or mounted outside. I am a tinkerer and was just wondering what
some of you more savvy antenna Elmer's thought and how well you all
think it might work...or not work.

Here are some of the specs:

receives UHF, VHF, and HDTV/SDTV signals
operational bandwidth: 54-806 MHz
broadband helical-coil single element
ultra-low-noise, impedance-matched amplifier
amplifier gain: 10 dB
output impedance: 75 ohms
rustproof, high-strength aluminum body, silicone-sealed for weather
resistance
threaded F-connector for connection to RG6 cable (not included)
includes power injector, sill and mast mounting brackets, flat coax cable
46-5/8"W x 4"H x 3-3/4"D

Should I just stick with my Diamond Discone and forget tinkering with
the Terk 55?

If you want more info on the antenna, here is the company's link:

http://www.terk.com/pdfs/tv55.pdf

Many thanks for taking the time to respond!

Alain

"A.Pismo Clam" wrote in message
...
It has a bandwidth from 54-806 Megahertz. It is compact, can be used
indoors or mounted outside. I am a tinkerer and was just wondering what
some of you more savvy antenna Elmer's thought and how well you all
think it might work...or not work.

Here are some of the specs:

receives UHF, VHF, and HDTV/SDTV signals
operational bandwidth: 54-806 MHz
broadband helical-coil single element
ultra-low-noise, impedance-matched amplifier
amplifier gain: 10 dB
output impedance: 75 ohms
rustproof, high-strength aluminum body, silicone-sealed for weather
resistance
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TV is horizontally polarized so the Terk is made to be mounted
horizontally. I suppose it could be made to mounted vertically, but like
any active antenna it will pick up noise, moreso than the Diamond
discone. I have experimented with active antennas for scanners in the
past and found them to be a poor choice. Dont even think of buying
one of those amps that you set by your scanner, it will pick up ALL the
noise of the antenna and coax, and generally be a pain to use. I say
stick with the Diamond and good low loss coax.

Jeff

It really depends on where he's located.
In the city, where there's a lot of high power
RF floating around, the discone would be a
better choice. But in the countryside, away from
any high power paging systems and public
service transmitters, the Terk might be the best
choice. I used to use a mast mount TV amp when
I lived in a sparsely populated area and it worked
great. When I moved closer to the city, I got nothing
but desense and intermod. YMMV