Antenna Recomendations For Pro-96/Detroit System Anyone?

Microkid · #1 (**permalink**) 09-17-2005, 12:02 PM

I Am Currently Using A RS Discone W/Belden 9913 50ft. run....receiving DFD/PD quite well...Here In Sterling Heights....Could A Directional Yagi Beam Improve Things?

THANX, DAVE

feta92 · #2 (**permalink**) 09-17-2005, 03:28 PM

What are you gettin on the % for the CC???? With the antenna of course.

Microkid · #3 (**permalink**) 09-17-2005, 04:13 PM

96/72 sometimes it is 00 thenn 88 but mostly in the 70s, i am getting chopped up coms ....at times it is clear off & on.....

DewAddict · #4 (**permalink**) 09-17-2005, 04:21 PM

I would think a beam style antenna would make an improvement based on the fact of the gain involved when using that type of antenna. You could rotate it as necessary to receive the best signal strength.

I am at Southfield and Ford rd. and cannot get a good enough signal to receive the Detroit system without it being choppy even with a mobile antenna. I am disappointed for sure. We'll have to see what happens in the next few weeks with their system. What is more surprising is that I can receive the Livingston County system almost perfect from the Northville tower which is double the distance away from the closest Detroit tower and my current location.

Rob

Thunderbolt · #5 (**permalink**) 09-17-2005, 05:04 PM

I would highly recommend a high-gain Yagi-beam or a corner reflector, with around 9-12 dB gain. I know that Larsen makes a seven-element beam, which is very well manufactured, with welded construction, and is all-black in color. Likewise, Larsen and Maxrad do carry a full line of corner reflector and Yagi beam antennas.

I understand that with the P-25 simulcast systems currently in place out in Arizona and the Twin Cities area, the best way to improve your reception, is to attempt an isolation method on just one of the towers. This way you weed out the other towers and hopefully obtain a better capture effect on the closest tower to you. Moreover, its very important to use high-quality feedline, preferably hardline if you obtain it, with Type-N connectors at each end.

Good luck!

73's

Ron

jcrincon · #6 (**permalink**) 09-20-2005, 01:57 PM

How can you tell your signal strength on the pro-2096 what number is the reference and what is the best 100 or what should I be looking at. Thanks for the input, I see above CC ?

feta92 · #7 (**permalink**) 09-20-2005, 08:42 PM

When you find the control channel during a manuel search you will see the % of the signal strength.

brianw83 · #8 (**permalink**) 09-20-2005, 09:43 PM

Not sure if this input will help but Ive learned a few things about the PRO-2096 (permanently mounted in my truck) in the past 6 months. TIP # 1- antennas: The on-glass antenna is alright for digital 800mHZ only. It will do alright with some of the higher power analog stuff but for best reception and for those who are on a limited toy budget (like me) the mobile magnetic mount scanner whip works alright. Amazingly enough I can pick up the detroit traffic (talkgroups) without a problem with either one from the chesterfield/Mt. clemens area. Anyone thats in the metro area and wants the p96 files (WinPRO96) for the area, im more than happy to send em.
~In reponse to the livingston talkgroups. I was monitoring the Mt Clemens Tower with the ProComm software and theyre operating perameters must have been set for the wider area for some odd reason. Your not picking up livingston towers. Same with the
G-Event talkgroups that were used for drug recovery ops...they were set to statewide.

~Question: Im not picking up anything for HarrisonTwp. Fire/EMS on any of the listed analog frequencies (from RR, the FCC database, or other websites and I havent seen any new talkgroups on the MPSCS yet oter than tg:2326 which is still an unknown but in sequence should theoretically be a macomb county talkgroup.

Jeffn8wb · #9 (**permalink**) 09-21-2005, 02:51 PM

One thing that I am trying is I picked up a 5 db gain cellular mag mount yesterday. In my preliminary tests, there is an improvement over the Radio Shack 800 MHz antenna. I haven't tried in on my car as of yet, but from what I have noticed so far it should help things out quite a bit. Just using it in my office I am not noticing the dropout that I was getting before where I would lose the control channel.

SEMTTP · #10 (**permalink**) 09-21-2005, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeffn8wb

One thing that I am trying is I picked up a 5 db gain cellular mag mount yesterday. In my preliminary tests, there is an improvement over the Radio Shack 800 MHz antenna. I haven't tried in on my car as of yet, but from what I have noticed so far it should help things out quite a bit. Just using it in my office I am not noticing the dropout that I was getting before where I would lose the control channel.

Jeff I hope that works for you however, I have a 7 element yagi with 10db of gain on it and I cannot listen to the detroit tower(701) I get more bonking then anything. I am hoping that after the move to our new house this next week that that will improve. But I am not having any luck with the yagi, or the discone. Also I have a 3.2db comtelco 800MHz antenna on the truck and it will not even recieve it.

Eric