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How to Identify a Discone Antenna

Discone antennas are the most efficient antennas for receiving and transmitting amateur signals over multiple directions. They are known as omnidirectional antennas and are commonly used in ham and scanner base station environments. The unwieldy nature of Discone antennas make them unsuitable for handheld, mobile applications. However, they don't need to be pointed in any direction, unlike a Yagi, and this is of considerable benefit. Identifying a Discone antenna can be accomplished by a visual survey.

Instructions

- 1
  Look at the antenna and eliminate it from other common forms of antenna. A Yagi antenna is an antenna with an outreached arm that you often see in outdoor television installations. It's also used in ham applications, but it's directional, unlike a Discone---the Yagi arm needs to be pointing at one repeater location, and it's not an efficient solution for sending and receiving signals to and from more than one location without a motorized rotator. Other non-Discone antennas include Verticals, which look like a pole, and Quads, which are box-like.
- 2
  Identify a cone and disc, which are the required elements in a Discone antenna. The cone and disc can be metal---that is if they are made of a hard metal surface---or they can be an array of rods mounted in a cone and disc shape. The rods are called radiators. The disc is above the cone, and the cone slopes away from the disc, allowing for a good transition between multiple wavelengths. The coaxial cable connector often attaches to the center of the disc.
- 3
  Look for a vertical rod above the disc. This is an optional element. Some antennas have one, and it can be used for tuning purposes.

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