Coaxial Cable Distribution Amplifier

Monster75 · #1 (**permalink**) 10-11-2010, 6:53 PM

i was in my local bestbuy today and found a Coaxial Cable Distribution Amplifier this one... Dynex™ - 4-Way Coaxial Cable Distribution Amplifier - DX-AD113

would this work hooked up to my antenna..... to help boost it..????

was thinking i dont see why it would not help boost it someone... i dont listen to anything on my scanner over 800mhz......

thoughts or ideas....

SAR2401 · #2 (**permalink**) 10-11-2010, 7:11 PM

Assuming you don't listen to anything below 50 MHz, it may work to boost your signal...or it may only boost more noise and cause more intermod. Any amplifier that is going to work will work better if it's mast mounted and the coax run to the amp is as short as possible, This one is meant to be located near the end of the coax run, so it already has one strike against it. All I can say is buy it and see how it works. If it improves your reception, fine. If not, you can always return it for a refund.

slypx · #3 (**permalink**) 10-11-2010, 9:06 PM

How about trying it !

I tried it and boom ! came in the lost signals !

For me it works great, better then expected. Here's my setup :

2 Comet DS150 Discone Antenna in the attic
2 x 50 feet of RG213 cable connected to each DS150 to reach my listening post.(Threw away the garbage cable RG58u supplied with the antennas)
2 x 24dB 54-1000 MHz cable amplifier 24 dB Signal Amplifier with Return Path [100053] : Vanco's eCatalog, Delivering quality products to connect your customer's world!
Both output into a 6 way splitter and then to my scanners.
A few 3 feet RG6 cables between the amp and the splitters and between the splitters and the scanners and "F to BNC" adapters to feed the scanners.

I know that the amplifier should be in the attic close to the antenna but I installed it inside for winter time as it gets below 0 F (-20 C) quite often from December to February out here.

With that setup, I ended up pulling in signal from further away like I never did, read more details here : http://forums.radioreference.com/antennas-coax-forum/191003-attic.html

It's not my case, but I agree that sometimes it might boost intermod or noise, but I'm miles away from towers and I don't get any negative issue, just gain !

Even though I need to update the post with the last setup, have a look at the listening post : Brand new desk and listening post

Enjoy !

Monster75 · #4 (**permalink**) 10-14-2010, 3:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slypx

How about trying it !

I tried it and boom ! came in the lost signals !

For me it works great, better then expected. Here's my setup :

2 Comet DS150 Discone Antenna in the attic
2 x 50 feet of RG213 cable connected to each DS150 to reach my listening post.(Threw away the garbage cable RG58u supplied with the antennas)
2 x 24dB 54-1000 MHz cable amplifier 24 dB Signal Amplifier with Return Path [100053] : Vanco's eCatalog, Delivering quality products to connect your customer's world!
Both output into a 6 way splitter and then to my scanners.
A few 3 feet RG6 cables between the amp and the splitters and between the splitters and the scanners and "F to BNC" adapters to feed the scanners.

I know that the amplifier should be in the attic close to the antenna but I installed it inside for winter time as it gets below 0 F (-20 C) quite often from December to February out here.

With that setup, I ended up pulling in signal from further away like I never did, read more details here : http://forums.radioreference.com/antennas-coax-forum/191003-attic.html

It's not my case, but I agree that sometimes it might boost intermod or noise, but I'm miles away from towers and I don't get any negative issue, just gain !

Even though I need to update the post with the last setup, have a look at the listening post : Brand new desk and listening post

Enjoy !

well i went ahead and bout one from walmart... was cheaper and a better then bestbuy had... and must say i hooked it up to my discone i have in my 3rd floor attic.... and wow it has mad a major improvement ... i was getting good signal already but this helped even more... thanks for the info.... as i am a happy camper..... now..

bs369 · #5 (**permalink**) 10-15-2010, 10:06 AM

The 24DB signal amp what is the going price for this item. Sounds like just what I need especially being able to vary the gain

slypx · #6 (**permalink**) 10-15-2010, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bs369

The 24DB signal amp what is the going price for this item. Sounds like just what I need especially being able to vary the gain

You should be able to get one around 20-25 $ in the USA, I've paid mine 30 $ cdn off the shelves.

Here's a link where they announce it at 19 $
Vanco 24dB Signal Amplifier w/ Return Path : 120041

bs369 · #7 (**permalink**) 10-15-2010, 11:58 AM

Thanks for the rapid reply and info...Just ordered one.
73

Bob S.
Harrington, DE.

Monster75 · #8 (**permalink**) 10-15-2010, 1:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bs369

The 24DB signal amp what is the going price for this item. Sounds like just what I need especially being able to vary the gain

walmart for about $20 bucks..

baybum · #9 (**permalink**) 10-15-2010, 1:11 PM

Monster...the same one is at Walmart?

bs369 · #10 (**permalink**) 10-15-2010, 1:24 PM

Checked our local walmarts, Camden/Milford, De. They had preams but w/o variable gain.

baybum · #11 (**permalink**) 10-15-2010, 1:36 PM

I would imagine I would want variable gain, in case I needed to back off overloading on local freqs. Correct?

bs369 · #12 (**permalink**) 10-15-2010, 1:56 PM

Yes, my prior experience with preamps presented that problem. The ability to back off the gain, for me. is necessary. Although I now live in an rural area of southern DE and experience no overloading, interference with my prsent setup....Discone up about 10 ft above the roof with very low loss cable. With the preamp I can at least make up for the line loss and perhaps a few db boost....(hopefully!) The cable run is 100ft. Hope this helps.

Flatshovel · #13 (**permalink**) 12-17-2010, 9:06 AM

This article caught my attention, I also have one of the distribution amps laying around and I thought what the heck why not hook it up and see what happens. Boy what a major improvement, I am now picking up signals that were very weak that I could not hear before. Matter of fact I can now hear the local CG tower about 30miles away where I could not hear before. I have a Scantenna ST2 mounted outdoors about 30ft up and just hooked up the amplifier to the end of the coax run here in my house and then just ran short pieces of coax to each of my scanners from each output jack on the amplifier. My only concern is to much overload, and could this setup possibly detune the scanner by giving it to much gain? Just a thought as I would ask the experts here. The scanner that I have is a Pro-197 from Radio Shack and I am really not impressed with it all but that is another matter. Just wondering as I don't want to harm the equipment that I have.

Thanks,
Joey

slypx · #14 (**permalink**) 12-18-2010, 1:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flatshovel

This article caught my attention, I also have one of the distribution amps laying around and I thought what the heck why not hook it up and see what happens. Boy what a major improvement, I am now picking up signals that were very weak that I could not hear before. Matter of fact I can now hear the local CG tower about 30miles away where I could not hear before. I have a Scantenna ST2 mounted outdoors about 30ft up and just hooked up the amplifier to the end of the coax run here in my house and then just ran short pieces of coax to each of my scanners from each output jack on the amplifier. My only concern is to much overload, and could this setup possibly detune the scanner by giving it to much gain? Just a thought as I would ask the experts here. The scanner that I have is a Pro-197 from Radio Shack and I am really not impressed with it all but that is another matter. Just wondering as I don't want to harm the equipment that I have.

Thanks,
Joey

My setup is one year old and didn't notice anything in regards of that