Great place and a lot of info. I have been reading for weeks and have searched all the things I can search but just more confused. I have a few questions but will start with what I have.
I have had a scanner for 20 years and have carried a handheld for work for 20 years.
A few years back we went to an 800 digital trunked system. I got the wife (me actually) a new BCD996T scanner. I have been running it with the stock antenna for a week and can hear all my regular VHF / UHF channels plus I can pick up our 800mhz system that is 30 miles away. The signal is weak and hard to hear at times, I get about one bar at best.
Yesterday I went to Radio shack and the man behind the counter sold me a 20-176 antenna, a 50' RG-58 cable with PL-259 ends and a BNC adapter (stop laughing).
I got home and run the cable out the side of the house. It was getting late so I stuck a piece of 3' long pipe in the ground and mounted the antenna to it just so I could test it.
It pulls in some far away VHF signals great but I lost all my 800mhz (again stop laughing)
After doing alot of reading I know this is a mess but It made things worse so.
I know I need to raise the antenna and ground it.
I know I should have better cable, and I know its not the best antenna in the world but why is this setup worse than the factory indoor antenna.
I have heard talk about multiple antennas? can you hook to antennas to scanner?
Is it just a bad antenna? I have read a lot of posts about it and some have good luck and some just hate it. Again I am not looking for the best just a little better than the factory one
I know I can start over but I would like to start with the weak link and build until I can just slighly improve the 800mhz signal.
Lets have it, I have thick skin.
I have had a scanner for 20 years and have carried a handheld for work for 20 years.
A few years back we went to an 800 digital trunked system. I got the wife (me actually) a new BCD996T scanner. I have been running it with the stock antenna for a week and can hear all my regular VHF / UHF channels plus I can pick up our 800mhz system that is 30 miles away. The signal is weak and hard to hear at times, I get about one bar at best.
Yesterday I went to Radio shack and the man behind the counter sold me a 20-176 antenna, a 50' RG-58 cable with PL-259 ends and a BNC adapter (stop laughing).
I got home and run the cable out the side of the house. It was getting late so I stuck a piece of 3' long pipe in the ground and mounted the antenna to it just so I could test it.
It pulls in some far away VHF signals great but I lost all my 800mhz (again stop laughing)
After doing alot of reading I know this is a mess but It made things worse so.
I know I need to raise the antenna and ground it.
I know I should have better cable, and I know its not the best antenna in the world but why is this setup worse than the factory indoor antenna.
I have heard talk about multiple antennas? can you hook to antennas to scanner?
Is it just a bad antenna? I have read a lot of posts about it and some have good luck and some just hate it. Again I am not looking for the best just a little better than the factory one
I know I can start over but I would like to start with the weak link and build until I can just slighly improve the 800mhz signal.
Lets have it, I have thick skin.