RS antenna ripoff?

[twocats]

I went to the RS in Wheaton yesterday to get both the serial converter and a better antenna. I had planned on purchasing the 800Mhz (stock number)20-283 antenna. After looking in the back for it, they came back with the 20-006 center-loaded antenna. They told me it was the same thing, and that it was the same price. The more I think about it, I'm really wondering if I was misled, because I still don't have great reception. Should I return it, and get the 800Mhz antenna elsewhere?

 

[BoxAlarm187]

Definately not the same thing, and yes, you were mislead. I would return this antenna and find a store that doesn't try to sell you a product that you didn't ask for.

 

[twocats]

Ah, should have figured. Well, at least I know the problem now. And it's certainly the last time I go to that RS. Thanks for the response.

 

[Gary335]

I'll be honest: I like the center loaded one better than the 800mhz duckie. It costs less, and, in my opinion, offers similiar performance. Where I'm at in Balto.Co both antenna's seem to offer a similiar improvement over the duckie the scanner came with. I agree though that he shouldn't have given you something you didn't ask for.

Now, the question is, did he do it knowing what he was doing, or was he just so stupid that he didn't know there was a difference?

 

[twocats]

Actually, on the RS site they're both listed at 16.99, and that's what I paid for the center loaded. I'd like to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, but I think he just wanted to get me out of there and get back to whatever they were all doing on a laptop. Maybe I'll get the other one, and wait to return this one until I've compared. What a pain, though.

 

[Gary335]

I paid 14.99 for mine. The clerk tried to charge me 16.99 but I pointed out to him that the price tag clearly read 14.99, which is what it read, and what he charged me.

 

[twocats]

The center loaded didn't even have a price tag on it. That's what I get for being too trusting They saw a newbie user, and decided I wouldn't know the difference. At least I kept the receipts!

 

[Gary335]

I'm a newbie myself, but I know enough to know what's what, and to know when I'm being lied to, or being ripped off.

Its a good thing you kept those reciepts!

 

[eyes00only]

I'll be honest: I like the center loaded one better than the 800mhz duckie. It costs less, and, in my opinion, offers similiar performance. Where I'm at in Balto.Co both antenna's seem to offer a similiar improvement over the duckie the scanner came with. I agree though that he shouldn't have given you something you didn't ask for.

Now, the question is, did he do it knowing what he was doing, or was he just so stupid that he didn't know there was a difference?

My bets on the stupid side

Jerry

 

[Dispatcher308]

Electronics Shack

Folks,
I dont think they took you as being a newbie so they could take advantage of you. Radio Shack does not have the quality of people they used to and have become more of an Electronics Shack then a Radio Shack. I was told one day when I went to my local Radio Shack that they dont cater to the Radio hobbyist anymore, I said well ill take my business elsewhere and sold my stocks that I had with Radio Shack. It truely is becoming sad.

Nathan

 

[N1508J]

These days you have to educate yourself first before you go to ANY store, especially RS. Know what you want in advance and why you want it. Don't let the nose pierced generation dummy down your needs. Check out Radio Reference sources for input. Sometimes, although rarely, you will find an employee interested and experienced enough to offer intellegent alternatives at RS. In most cases the most knowledgeable person in the store is the one that steps over the threshold, the customer.

 

[troymail]

These days you have to educate yourself first before you go to ANY store, especially RS. Know what you want in advance and why you want it. Don't let the nose pierced generation dummy down your needs. Check out Radio Reference sources for input. Sometimes, although rarely, you will find an employee interested and experienced enough to offer intellegent alternatives at RS. In most cases the most knowledgeable person in the store is the one that steps over the threshold, the customer.

Yes - this is one of those stores that I know what I want wneh I walk in -- the sales people there generally have NO idea what they are talking about... what ticks me off is that they come off trying to act like they know (maybe jst trying to be helpful) but in the end they just mislead people....

 

[Metro174]

I'm at the point that when I need to go to Radio Shack, I don't ask for anything by name. I give them the catalog number. Less confusion that way.

 

[n4voxgill]

its either radio shack or a 40 mile round trip to the ham store. at the price of gas, it sure has to be something big.

 

[n4voxgill]

i must be getting sleepy, i also wanted to say that if we have to go to the internet then it will be a week waiting on delivery. I usually need it now. I sure hate to see Radio Shack items changing, but they sell so few scanners and connectors.

 

[twocats]

Well, I finally did get the right antenna from a different store (who also tried to tell me it was the same thing) but to be honest, I don't see any difference between it and the stock antenna. I was hoping to get a little more range and clarity, but I'm not getting much of anything beyond DC and lower Montgomery County. Perhaps when I move I'll go for the outdoor antenna or some other type of setup. Oh well.

 

[troymail]

I have the RS 800Mhz antenna and it definately works better for my purposes than the stock antenna. In fact, I have been helping to program some friend's radios and afterwards we do a test -- we listen for a bit and then swap antennas... the radio with the RS antenna definately gets better reception during the test.

Having said that, I experience the same issues you are having -- the digital systems are really hard to listen to if you are not very close to in actually in the area. I live just south of BWI airport and I can hear Baltimore City but the reception is pretty bad in my opinion. Oddly, I can also hear Washington DC too (which was a surprise).

With all of the issues out there about interference, etc. these systems are tuning much better these days and have more towers and antennas that are designed to make the radios work well within the jurisdiction without "bleeding out of" that area enough to cause interference somewhere else.

I also am interested in an outside antenna to improve reception. I purchased one but it really didn't help... I'm not sure why.

 

[twocats]

I'm surprised, because I live literally a block from the DC line. I don't know why I'm having so much trouble with most of Montgomery County. I wonder if those towers over on Grubb Road could be interfering? Well I've only had this scanner for a few days now, and I still have tons to learn, so maybe there's something dumb that I'm doing that will fix everything.

 

[Dank]

I live in the far NE corner of Montgomery Co, right on the PG County line and I can hear all of the Mont Co TRS system fine including fireground comms on 7G from the Germantown area and MCPD on my handheld BC296D with original antenna.

 

[MCMD5]

I am from the Kensington area. I use the Uniden 250 and the 785. I have no trouble with picking up Montgomery County digital talk groups using the original equipment