Diamond D3000N Super Discone Ultra-Wideband Antenna: Great for SDR and Scanners!

Note: the Antenna had roughly the same SWR when it was installed on the roof as it did when tested in the shack. So that was good news as VHF/UHF was frankly very good!

That self-sticking tape at 10 minutes into the video is the stuff that we used to call F-4 tape in the Air Force. Because it literally held the F-4's wire harnesses together in a pinch.

Loctite? :D

does the antenna come with the coax on the table? and if not a link to that cable would be appreciated.

Coaxial N/mâle N/mâle ?

Thank you for your work on this review. I finally found one of these in stock today and it will arrive this weekend. I am looking forward to more of your Honest and Informative reviews. It will be a very happy Fourth of July for our family.

Safety Glasses! Would had loved that you ran the rigexpert once in the final position, specially on 6 meters.

🤔 yeah I would have had to re-record that part when you dropped the screw. I tend to go full Tourette’s and probably be arrested by the YT Nazi’s 😂

What’s the microwave antenna for?

LOL. Buy an X-30 antenna instead.

Please. What is the packaging length of the Disconne D3000N?

The horror 😂😂😂😂

Safety glasses are cheap.

I use a Diamond D3000 antenna for FM, DAB, 132MHz aviation band (I live near an airport) and 144 MHz amateur band. For the Broadcast signals I am using a UK designed Majority Fritzwilliam 2 receiver and for the rest the also in the UK designed SDRPlay radio on my PC. The whip antenna peaks around 49MHz measured with my NanoVNA-H analyser. The cable is a Messi & Paoloni Hyperflex 5 low loss 50 Ω cable that is 28m long. I used an N connector on the antenna side. The FM signal is around -57 dBm at 102 MHz and the DAB reception is excellent! I receive the weakest but still useful channels over a distance of 65 km (10kW transmission power) and even over 90km distance at a C/N between 9 and 11 dB. That is really the lower limit! The nearby DAB stations I receive with a C/N of between 19 and 24 dB.

That yellow thing you set on your roof looks very dangerous since you didn't use it and you were walking over and around it and straddling it which is much worse than if it wasn't there at all because it's a tripping hazard

I have a tram 1411 discone antenna and I just assembled it today, all I need to do now it get a BNC male to PL259 cable and a way to mound the antenna to a pole with the cable coming up through it

A tool I've been appreciating a ton recently are safety glasses. Get a good pair and you won't have to worry about getting poked in the eyes.

Those "shenanigan's" you mentioned, were they an example of spurious emissions? (new guy here)

Just getting into Ham and scanners. Have a used SDS 200 Scanner with DMR coming in a few days. Have a Anytone DMR base and HT unit also. Setting up the D3000N (HOA trying to hide it in the backyard lol). Question is love these little SDR's also. Doing some research and is it possible to hook up the SDS 200 to a panadpater and have a waterfall display on a computer screen ? Not sure if the scanner also scans talk groups on DMR yet. I like see whats active on the bands with the waterfall. Not sure if it would be better to hook up to scanner or Anytone 578UVIII Pro.

Love my Tram 1411 discone with the "CB" vertical. SWR under 1.5 on 70, 1.25, 2, 6 & 10. Haven't tried TX on the Ghz side. Think all my RFI chokes/RFI ferrite core winds work a little matching magic.

Does anyone know what the thread is on the 6m coil. If it's 3/8-24 then it could be swapped with a more robust 6m antenna.

how about frequencies above 1500 Mhz?

What coax did you use?

Safety Glasses ?

Hey Josh, does your sds 200 have a remote head? It looks like it in the pic. THX

I am thinking about adding this for my SDR/Scanning/Listening needs. Tired of burning up MFJ SDR switches.. Have you noticed any sensitivity degradation on the UNO from being blasted at close range from your VHF/UHF primary transmission antenna? Also, how did you end up diplexing to both the Uniden and the SDR? Selectable Switch or what.
Thanks dude
KD9RDN

Wear glasses during assembly

No rubber tips? Just put a small ball of silicone on the end. Whilst the the tube is open, put dabs of silicone at the base of the radials to protect them.

I work with antennae atop 8,000 mountains in Laos and l find silicone sealant a saviour.

Thanks as always Josh.. FYI it sounds like you're receiving PL tones on your SDRUno... There is a button in the EX Control panel "PDBPF" that mutes them... I am currently running a Diamond X50a for my SDR.... My question is this: The Db gain spec on my X50a is 4.5Dbi on 2 meters, but the discone only reports a gain of 2Db... So for VHF/UHF scanning, would I actually see an improvement with the discone on weaker/distant signals, even though the DB gain is reportedly less? TIA KX7D 73

Haha 147.450 I noticed briefly.

Uh, can we please see the swr/impedance plot? Much better than "it mostly works good."

I own a Uniden SDS200 and am in 850Mhz simulcast hell where I live near UCLA. I can hear LAPD ok'ish and other services quite well but LAFD is almost inaudible. I know this is a loaded question as there are many variables that factor into this issue but do you think the performance of the D3000N could help me with the 850Mhz band? It seems that your reception improved with the unit. Thanks!

Hah. This comes at a good time.. I was thinking of getting a discone for my RSP1A... I was thinking 'I wonder if Josh has any videos on discones?'.. and here we are....

You might say it's shaped like a disc and a cone...

always read the instructions

I'm new to all this and enjoy your videos. I have a metal roof and was thinking about getting one of these but not sure if my metal roof would mess with it to much/ I have a shed in the far back but the elec pole lines right above it. I have one other place I can out it but it still will be say 20 to 25 ft from the metal roof do you think it would still work for me very well. Using it with a SDR and software.

Would this work in an attic for an RTL-SDR dongle?

Very disturbing video. Please wear safety glasses! 😡

You need a Lightning conductor maybe

what would be a good antenna for listening to the scanner and also transmit on for ham and gmrs? (still new to all this)

All the Comet and Diamond antennas I've bought are pretty decent so far. I think I have that exact antenna on my SDS200.

A roof-mounted antenna receives much better than an internal antenna. Amazing. 😉

Have you ever tried this on 11 meters?

Have you used this antenna to receive the NOAA weather sat's. ??? If so how were the captures??

I have something similar mine is Diamond D-130 with UHF connector. been using for 20 years. since I am afraid of height, mine is mounted with heavy duty fence post driven into ground and 20 ft pole attach to it . AG6JU

Disc + Cone = Discone. I have one of those but it has extensions on two of the lower diagonals to supposedly receive down to 11m band. I think it only receives up to 1.2Ghz too but it's been a good antenna for scanning with the SDR, but I wish the SDR would actually scan like a scanner scans (Fast).

3m makes cheap safety glasses...

I just ordered this antenna. I can’t wait till it comes in.

Will a splitter work on an antenna like this to hook up two sdrs?

Assemble it upside down on a bucket.