Hello, I am a bit of a radio newb and would appreciate some the advice of some of you who have more knowledge about the physics of RF energy and antennas. I just received a funcube dongle pro + which as most of you know is a usb dongle which can be used as a SDR with coverage from about 150 kHz up to about 1.9 ghz. I already have an antennacraft ST-2 on the roof which has a range from about 30mhz up to about 1300 mhz. there is obviously a need for a different antenna for MW and HF, so I purchased the PAR endfedz ef-swl. Now here is my question; Is there any disadvantage to coupling the two antennas together using an f connector type splitter so that I can have a single connection coming in to the receiver or am I better off swapping antennas when I want to listen to one band or the other. Would combining the two antennas introduce any extra noise or interference? It would be a bit more convenient not to have to swap antennas, but if performance is affected negatively in any way by combining them then I just as soon swap the connection.
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question about combining antennas
- Thread starter docrock
- Start date
It's better if your antenna is made for the band(s) of interest, but, if you are just listening, receivers are not too 'picky', their 'standards' aren't all that high, you know? Before getting another antenna I think I'd see what your present antenna can do. Won't be as good as a specially designed antenna but may be 'good enough'.
Combining antennas is a bit complicated. Some times it works well, sometimes not so well. You have to consider everything 'in-line' which gets complicated. I think the simplest way of going about it is to get that second antenna and a 'splitter' to combine the two into one. Try it, the see what the difference is if you only use one antenna at a time. Pick whichever way works 'best' for your particular situation. Not very 'definitive' huh? Without knowing a -lot- more about your situation that's about as definitive as I can get.
Have fun.
- 'Doc
Combining antennas is a bit complicated. Some times it works well, sometimes not so well. You have to consider everything 'in-line' which gets complicated. I think the simplest way of going about it is to get that second antenna and a 'splitter' to combine the two into one. Try it, the see what the difference is if you only use one antenna at a time. Pick whichever way works 'best' for your particular situation. Not very 'definitive' huh? Without knowing a -lot- more about your situation that's about as definitive as I can get.
Have fun.
- 'Doc