car scanner issues?

[overboost_t88]

Hello,

Hopefully I post this in the right area. I read and searched and can't really find anything so here it goes.

I have a bcd436, I'm on the road a lot in my area and between 2 counties. My problem is my area has both trunked p25 statewide system and the next county over has just a standard analog system with VHF/UHF. I am looking for a antenna that will be effective on all 3 bands. I have tried a few of the TRAM antennas and they seem to work OK while I'm parked, once I start moving seem stop receiving most traffic. Is this common or am I missing something? Would a dual band ant and a 800mhz specific combined help with signal loss?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank guys!

 

[I_am_Alpha1]

The receive capability of antennas are usually very wide. Transmit capabilities are very narrow in comparison. I know exactly where you are (no, not watching you...right now . You didn't say whether you lose analog, digital, or both...or mention what your signal meter is reading...so let's look at a few things then.

Simulcast/Multi-Path...Signals from multiple sources received a split second from each other. This can cause scanners to get confused so they give up and won't receive. Being mobile, a fix could be dumbing down the antenna...like using a VHF (or VHF/UHF) antenna for 800Mhz. The idea is to only receive one source. You can try the attenuation feature as well. If you have a full signal meter, this may be your issue.

Poor reception...Just not getting enough signal because it's being blocked by your car as well as the topography. There are a few "hills" in Manhattan as well as buildings. You've tried several antennas to no avail. Perhaps an antenna on the outside of the car like a mag mount scanner antenna (wide receive capability). A low signal meter may be an indication of poor signal reception. Your attenuation should be off for this.

Sorry, without putting eyes on what's happening it's difficult to give you a definitive fix-all answer. Watch the signal meter to see what's happening

 

[overboost_t88]

sorry about that, So ya it just seems quiet across everything analog and digital. Digital more than RCPD (analog) I also have a baofeng programmed and it seems to receive a lot quicker and faster than the BCD.


The meter on the BCD436 will show full and half on digital ill even get DAT but it wont process it. sometimes i get the P25 ,it will even come up with the TGID sometimes just no sound. I am only following st george and eskridge site, not all of the kansas sites.


All of these comparisons were with TRAM 1094 BNC(better) and TRAM 1089 SMA(worse) and stock rubber duck while driving. I guess im wondering is there a better antenna mag mount or NMO I should be using instead of a cheap amazon one.

Thanks again!

 

[jonwienke]

No antenna will work very well inside tbe vehicle. You want something outside. A glass or mag mount is ok, NMO mounts are better but require drilling holes.

 

[scannersnstuff]

SpectrumForce Wideband Antenna with Mag Mount and BNC | Scanner Master

I have 2 of these. For the price, they work amazingly well. Temporarily run thru window, or more permanent , run cable thru trunk. Remember though - think safety first ! .

 

[lu81fitter]

I can say, without a doubt, that any gain antenna for anything other 7/800 MHz will severely reduce 7/800 reception, unless it is listed as tri-band. Tried numerous antennas. The best for your situation will be based on some experimentation. Start with an 18" whip and see how is does. An NMO mount drilled in the center of your roof is best. A mag mount in the same location will be a good alternative. An external antenna when mobile will probably be your best option.

 

[ridgescan]

All I can offer for perspective is my own experience with my glassmounted Larsen Tribander whip. I don't know what your expectations are regarding distance from you to the repeaters, but my Tribander, fabbed to a 90s cellphone glassmount at the side of my shell, will receive San Francisco 800 trunked out to about 12 miles, and will receive UHF 480-490megs out to about 20 miles in my truck. So I say if you got a Larsen Tribander and hard-ground-mounted it to your vehicle's metal body, it would do quite well for you in all bands you asked about. Here's the original cellphone whip

Here's the Tribander whip