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| Need an 800mhz antenna http://interceptradio.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=3157 |
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| Author: | n7lxi [ Wed Sep 09, 2009 12:31 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Need an 800mhz antenna |
I'm getting fed up with lousy reception in my car of ValleyCom and all of the other TRS that I like to listen to. I use a PRO-97 and an NMO mount antenna cut to 850, and I find that the reception is as good, if not better, with the rubber duck inside the car! WTF? I live in Fremont, and it all comes in lousy. Seattle Fire, bad. Eastside, Bad. VC? Bad. Any suggestions? |
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| Author: | Vizwar [ Wed Sep 09, 2009 1:29 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Need an 800mhz antenna |
n7lxi wrote: I'm getting fed up with lousy reception in my car of ValleyCom and all of the other TRS that I like to listen to. I use a PRO-97 and an NMO mount antenna cut to 850, and I find that the reception is as good, if not better, with the rubber duck inside the car! WTF? I live in Fremont, and it all comes in lousy. Seattle Fire, bad. Eastside, Bad. VC? Bad. Any suggestions? The NMO will give you much better reception. So what you said about that, makes sense. A scanner isn't going to give you very good reception inside a car; that is to be expected. Even an MTS2000 will perform better inside a car, if it's connected to a roof antenna. Are you sure you typed those sentences right? Am I sure I read this right? Cause I know you know better, Rob. :wink: |
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| Author: | n7lxi [ Wed Sep 09, 2009 2:35 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Need an 800mhz antenna |
I know, it sounds crazy, but there it is! The trunk lip mount NMO whip cut for 850 works NO BETTER than the 800Mhz rubber duck I have on the scanner. bad coax? Bad connector? operator error? |
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| Author: | PRESTONBJ [ Wed Sep 09, 2009 3:11 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Need an 800mhz antenna |
Is the 800mhz antenna a 'no ground plane' ?? We see much better reception on 800mhz LTR with an NMO mount directly in the roof or trunk. We sell the B8065CN 5db gain antenna. GREAT RESULTS!! |
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| Author: | icom1020 [ Wed Sep 09, 2009 3:13 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Need an 800mhz antenna |
I was gonna say check the connector. Does it sound better on VHF with a VHF antenna with the NMO? |
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| Author: | Beaconhunter [ Wed Sep 09, 2009 5:55 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Need an 800mhz antenna |
With the GRE-600 in my car, I have found overload from cell towers to be the most significant factor in receiving the local trunked systems. You are often better off with a less efficient (rather than more efficient) antenna under these circumstances. That may explain why your rubber duck works better than the exterior antenna. When real close to a cell tower, I have actually gotten a better trunked signal by completely disconnecting the antenna. When someone else told me to try this, I thought that they were nuts, but I tried it, and much to my surprise it worked! |
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| Author: | chpalmer [ Wed Sep 09, 2009 6:12 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Need an 800mhz antenna |
Beaconhunter wrote: With the GRE-600 in my car, I have found overload from cell towers to be the most significant factor in receiving the local trunked systems. You are often better off with a less efficient (rather than more efficient) antenna under these circumstances. That may explain why your rubber duck works better than the exterior antenna. When real close to a cell tower, I have actually gotten a better trunked signal by completely disconnecting the antenna. When someone else told me to try this, I thought that they were nuts, but I tried it, and much to my surprise it worked! When you really understand what front end overload is this makes perfect sense... With all the 800mHz rf the first amplifer in your receiver is kept quite busy. It has no resources left to amplify your wanted signals. Its also amplifying these unwanted signals into your receiver raising the noise floor substantially. Make sense? |
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| Author: | Atomic Taco [ Wed Sep 09, 2009 11:53 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Need an 800mhz antenna |
n7lxi wrote: Any suggestions? Move? I get the Seattle simulcast well, but anything else sucks. Haven't tried to pick up KC/VC from my new place. Have you tried the Radio Shack 800 antenna? It's actually really really good. |
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| Author: | n7lxi [ Thu Sep 10, 2009 5:11 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Need an 800mhz antenna |
Taco, the Radio Shack 800 antenna is what I use, but it's still sketchy in spots. I'm just surprised at how bad I receive all of the TRS stuff with the antenna on the trunk. The car is a lease, so no drilling. I haven't tried the scanner with a VHF antenna yet. This weekend, maybe. At home, the Seattle Simulcast is listenable, but I work down south. :( I guess I'll just keep messing with it. Preston, maybe I should try one your antennas. And I understand the front end overload issues. Damm cell towers! I occasionally get a "hetrodyne" type sound on the scanner. I'm guessing that's caused by cell or something else overloading the front end of the radio, too. |
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| Author: | John Miles KE5FX [ Thu Sep 10, 2009 5:24 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Need an 800mhz antenna |
See the eBay link in the other thread I posted. Those antennas are awesome. Totally bulletproof. |
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| Author: | icom1020 [ Thu Sep 10, 2009 5:56 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Need an 800mhz antenna |
Okay, if you're getting a hetrodyne or overloading, then probably not too much can be done until rebanding except the antenna swap or possibly hitting the ATT button. I get the same issue in other areas with overloading from cell or Nextel sites on my 197. I wouldn't trade the hot front end though. The rebanding could render the 97 obsolete. |
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