Antennas again

[tesco1]

I know antennas have been mentioned many times on here, and when i look through the thread most of the talk is about Antennas for a specific purpose. What i am looking for is a general purpose Antenna ( outside on Bungalow roof ) for a 3 metre pole i have attached to chimney. I have done a bit of research, and i came to the conclusion that Discones were the answer to general reception ie Air, Public services Ham, Taxis etc. When i look through the threads i get different views on this. I am waiting for a GRE PSR 295 receiver to arrive from Japan, i have already ordered a Watson 881 supergain to attach instead of rubber duck, and now i am looking ahead at enhanced reception at home, also need 25metres of reasonably priced cable, newbie to this, but will catch up, many thanks.

[pete_uk]

A good cheap antenna would be a dual band amateur radio antenna. They come in at around £60 and although they are resonant at 145Mhz and 430mhz they work fine up on the higher frequencies (150-170mhz and 440-470mhz) where you will find most interesting stuff.

You will never find an antenna that is ideal for everything!

[crusty]

There's been lots of viewpoints posted on this subject, here's my 2p for wideband VHF/UHF listening:
1. Decide on your budget.
2. Work out how much it will cost you for your run of good quality coax and connectors.
3. Spend the remainder on a stick or discone antenna (discone my preference).
Losses at UHF on cheap coax are bad.