Specialty antennas? Solid Signal has them

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Yes, this is an antenna. I know it looks like a broken umbrella in the picture, but it’s an antenna. It’s probably not one you’d need but trust me, it’s an antenna.

This particular antenna is optimized to receive three very specific frequencies that are used by public and governmental agencies (first responders and the like.) The frequencies it picks up can only be received by something like a police scanner. This isn’t the kind of antenna you’d pick up just to get ham radio, television, or something else.

Why does this antenna look so weird?

This particular antenna, like many antennas designed for government and first responder use, has what’s called a ground plane. That’s the part that makes it look like a broken umbrella. It acts almost like a mirror, taking transmissions that have hit a horizontal surface and aiming them back at the antenna. Regular antennas have reflectors like this as well, but they don’t look as weird. Government and first responder broadcasts use vertical polarization, which means the waves go up and down rather than side-to-side like they do for radio and TV. That changes the way they bounce on things and make something like a ground plane necessary.

You’ll find antennas like this on government buildings, hospitals, things like that. They’re generally used to communicate with people in the field like police officers and ambulance drivers. They’re often found near other antennas or on towers. Chance are you have seen something like this and simply not noticed it. Of course, now that you know what it is you’re like to see them everywhere. The only problem is, if you need one you can’t get one anywhere.

If you need it, you need it

I’ll tell you though, if you need an antenna for your city’s base station or hospital’s dispatch network, you’re going to need something weird like this. And let me tell you, you won’t find it at the local drugstore and you probably won’t even find it at the world’s biggest online retailer. But you will find it at SolidSignal.com, because we have over 31,000 parts available. About half of them can’t be found on any other online retailer’s site. If it’s hard to find, you’ll find it at Solid Signal. Our procurement team works hard to make sure you have all the parts you need for any installation. If you don’t see what you need, let us know and chances are we can get it. If it’s made, we’ll find it and offer it to you at the best price.

If you have a specific need, whether it’s a cellular antenna that picks up some of T-Mobile’s weird signals or a TV antenna that’s designed to pick up just one channel or a Wi-Fi antenna that will let you get signals from 15 miles away, there’s just one place to look and it’s SolidSignal.com. Even better, give us a call at 888-233-7563 and we’ll help you find exactly what you need! We’re here for you during East Coast business hours. If it’s after hours just fill out the form below. We’ll get right back to you.

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.