Are dedicated scanners more sensitive?

[corbintechboy]

Hello,

I was just wondering if a "scanner" was more sensitive then a broadband receiver? The reason I ask is I just acquired a PCR-1000 and use a stockish type antenna and I used to own a pro-2055. The 2055 seemed to pick up ALOT more on the stock antenna then the 1000 does. Is it correct to assume that a scanner is more sensitive?

I hope I make sense...Lol

 

[Stick0413]

Yes in general the less freqency range a reciever has the more sensitive it is. This is because it can more or less concetrate on picking up a smaller frequency range versus having to pick up a wider one. This is a weird way of looking at it but I guess it could make someone understand the concept a little better. If you had to find number x in a series of random numbers from 1 to 100 (i.e. 99, 36, 84, 55, etc) versus having to find number x in a series of random numbers from 1 to 1000 (i.e. 956, 236, 817, 543, etc) it would be much easier to pick the number out of the 1 to 100. Even though it doesn't have anything directly to do with the topic that should still give you an idea of why (same principal more or less). This is much of the reason many people find someone of the older recievers to be more sensitive (ones that don't go above UHF, etc).

 

[corbintechboy]

Thanks for the info. Now it makes perfect sense. I was actually considering getting a wideband handheld come tax time. Now with this info I would be better off with a scanner for sure.

Thank you.

 

[jonny290]

My single band VHF/UHF radios (ic-271a and ic-275a) will receive copyable FM signals when my 396 won't even pick them up at all. This is with squelch wide open, same antenna. My PCR100's are my least sensitive receivers, and the ones with the widest RX range.

 

[kb2vxa]

They are ALL "wideband" receivers these days in the consumer market, the days of band switching tunable front ends and antenna peaking controls passed with vacuum tubes and early solid state. Just because it tunes specific bands doesn't mean the front end doesn't drag in DC to daylight, you should learn how to read schematics rather than going by printed text alone.

Jonny, my Azden 2M portable's receiver beats the pants off all my other rigs regardless, all that means is one is more sensitive than the others.