Hratajesak78
Newbie
I’m looking at getting the Bearcat SDS100. What would be the best antenna would you recommend to pick up the most activity?
Bearcat SDS100
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Really depends on what you're looking to listen to. Lots of folks, myself included, use the Remtronix REM-820s for 700-800-900mhz. In addition to improved performance, it has the nice sealed SMA connection that works with the SDS100
palmerjrusa
Member
Welcome to the RR forums. You don't need much of an antenna to cover 800mhz (a paperclip should work in theory) The above recommendation is made quite often for this band but if you have intentions of ever monitoring VHF & UHF you'll want something a bit more substantial like the Comet SMA100RX, you just need to be careful with a telescopic antenna and collapse it when not using it or else it may cause stress on the antenna input
Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency Response (ARMER) Trunking System, Various, Multi-State
Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency Response (ARMER) Trunking System Profile
www.radioreference.com
palmerjrusa
Member
Due to the SDS100's antenna input construction some male SMA antennas wont screw down sufficiently for the inner pin to make contact with the scanner.
Something to be aware of...
tvengr
Well Known Member
For 700-900 MHz you want the REM-820S. The REM-810S lacks the rubber O-ring to maintain water resistance.
Hratajesak78
Newbie
I’m more interested to listen to the law enforcement, fire departments, and EMT. So which antenna would you recommend for that?
Most of these service types would be within the 700, 800 and 900 MHz spectrum at this point. You can always double check this by checking the database here. If that's the case, the original recommendation of the Remtronix REM-820s would still stand.
Why not wait and see if you really need one. The one that comes with the scanner is not ideal but works just fine for many users.
Looking at your county in the database, a number or your local public safety agencies use Minnesota's ARMER trunked system. Additionally, the site in your city, Fargo, is Simulcast. The SDS100 is a good choice as it handles simulcast systems much better than most other scanners (other than its sibling, the SDS200). If everything you're interested in was on ARMER, then a gain antenna such as the REM-820S would do well. However, some of the smaller agencies appear to also use Vhf-high & Uhf conventional frequencies. Your adjacent counties in North Dakota also appear to mainly use Vhf as well.While the 820S is fairly decent on Uhf (I have a number of Uhf channels to deal with in my area), it's not good for Vhf. You would likely lose many of those channels. A better choice for the SDS100 would be the REM-842B. While not quite as sensitive on 700 & 800MHz, it still does well on those bands, It is also good on Vhf & Uhf. That's the antenna I use on my SDS100, and I also have a wide variety of frequencies in use in my metro area (DFW).
GROL
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I primarily use the stock antenna on my SDS100 and don't need anything else for 700/800hz. The stock antenna isn't a bad antenna for a broadband antenna. I wouldn't recommend getting another antenna until you see if you really need one. The Remtronix 820 is better on 700/800 Mhz, but not by a huge amount. It is also decent on 150-170 Mhz. With the stock antenna I have no trouble with any sites within 15 miles or more. The Remtronix on my BC325P2 allows me to get a bit farther and improved reception of a 800Mhz site about 45 miles away on a mountain with a fairly unobstructed line of sight from my location. It is more solid receiving that distant site with the Remtronix than the stock antenna, but the stock antenna can still get it.
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