wesm1957
Member
Just got my GRE amplifier in the mail today and after plugging it in and trying it on my Pro96 I should have gotten two of them so I can put one in the car. I am thinking about getting another one just for the car
GRE Super Amplifier 3001
- Thread starter wesm1957
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does that mean you like it? How does it do on 800?
Do you monitor digital?
Did you get the one designated for handhelds?
Just trying to get more detail.
Most posts I've read here don't speak highly of that thing.
Mike
Do you monitor digital?
Did you get the one designated for handhelds?
Just trying to get more detail.
Most posts I've read here don't speak highly of that thing.
Mike
LarrySC
Member
When he figures out the overload you want hear anything else out of him.
Swipesy
Member
LarrySC said:
I disagree. I have used the GRE Super Amp on my Pro-96 for a year now and it is the only way I can hear 800 digital transmissions. If he is in a remote area like I am it will work fine. If he gets into Urban then you are right. It all depends on where it is used.
Eng74
Member
I used one on my 2067 and 2053. I live in an area where the repeater can suck really bad at times and it helps a lot. The 2096 did seem to need it so that is one less thing in the truck.
wesm1957
Member
I am using it for 800 and digital and it is working great. I live in an apartment on the ground floor and don't have the luxury of an outside antenna. In fact my apartment is somewhat below ground level. I have to put the scanner in just the right place in my apartment to pick up 800 transmissions, and with the GRE amp I can have it anywhere. I also monitor the air traffic here in Grand Rapids and it makes it a lot easier to here the control tower. I have the desk model which can be powered with an adapter or a 9 volt battery. I plan on getting an antenna coupler so I can use all my scanners on one antenna and I think with the adjustable gain it will help with the signal loss through the coupler. I think I am going to get another one to use in the car. I listen to a lot here in Kent county on my way to work and lose the signals on my way to work. I know the glass mount antenna doesn't help but that will be getting replaced soon.
Get the HH model for your car, that way you have more space, and less worrys.
N
N_Jay
Guest
Pre amps success or failure has to do with the SIGNAL STENGTH and the BACKGROUND RF NOISE.
Digital vs. Analog has nothing to do with it!
Digital vs. Analog has nothing to do with it!
wesm1957
Member
I am thinking about going with the desk model, I have lots of room in my car for it. I have an old Whelen switch box I want to get working to turn on and off what I have in the car and I can mount the amp right in the bracket the switch box is in. lots of room in an old 86 ford full size wagon, and a nice long flat roof for a great ground plane
jmp883
Member
I love this topic....it seems that opinions are either completely for them or completely against them. No one seems to take a position in the middle......
I'll take that position, here are my thoughts, experiences, and opinions:
I have a GRE preamp in my shack. It was the best piece of equipment I ever bought for my shack, even better than most of my scanners.
I live in northern NJ, about 40 miles northwest of NYC. I live in a valley that limits line-of-sight reception. My antenna is an omni-directional mounted on my old TV antenna mast approximately 15 feet above the roofline of my 2-story house. Before I purchased the amp my reception was limited to just my own town and the immediate surrounding 2 or 3 other towns. With the amp I now receive everything in the northern 3rd of the state, roughly everything from I-78 north, including Orange, Rockland, Putnam, Westchester, and Ulster Counties in NY and all of FDNY. I have the antenna line coming into the amp then split out to 4 scanners. I have no signal loss or intereference anywhere that I have been able to detect and I scan everything from VHF-Lo to an 800 MHz trunked system.
Now for the flip side.....my parents live in Omaha, NE. I take my 780 with me every time I go out there. There is some awesome listening: Omaha FD (before they went digital), Union Pacific RR, and plenty of mil-air monitoring (Offutt AFB). The first time I went I took the preamp....BIG MISTAKE! The geography of the midwest, basically flat, meant that line-of-sight reception was awesome, and that was using the factory back-of-set antenna. I would love to hook it up to an antenna mast-mounted on the roof of my parents house! Anyway, the preamp just overloaded the radio completely. Another indicator of just how much I didn't need the preamp in Omaha was when I programmed both Chicago and Kansas City ATC Centers in the 780. Both ATC Centers are hundreds of miles away from Omaha and I was able to hear ground-to-air as well as air-to-ground without the preamp loud and clear, again using only the back-of-set antenna. I turned the preamp on and reception diminished enough to be noticable.
It all boils down to the individual circumstances of each user.
Please don't listen to those who flat out tell you that you're wasting your money by buying the amp. If you are not receiving a signal, have antenna issues, or location problems, the preamp might just be the solution you need. If you can, borrow one first instead of spending the money. Yes, there are situations where a preamp will do more harm than good, but contrary to the naysayers, there are situations where they will more than pay for themselves.
I'll take that position, here are my thoughts, experiences, and opinions:
I have a GRE preamp in my shack. It was the best piece of equipment I ever bought for my shack, even better than most of my scanners.
I live in northern NJ, about 40 miles northwest of NYC. I live in a valley that limits line-of-sight reception. My antenna is an omni-directional mounted on my old TV antenna mast approximately 15 feet above the roofline of my 2-story house. Before I purchased the amp my reception was limited to just my own town and the immediate surrounding 2 or 3 other towns. With the amp I now receive everything in the northern 3rd of the state, roughly everything from I-78 north, including Orange, Rockland, Putnam, Westchester, and Ulster Counties in NY and all of FDNY. I have the antenna line coming into the amp then split out to 4 scanners. I have no signal loss or intereference anywhere that I have been able to detect and I scan everything from VHF-Lo to an 800 MHz trunked system.
Now for the flip side.....my parents live in Omaha, NE. I take my 780 with me every time I go out there. There is some awesome listening: Omaha FD (before they went digital), Union Pacific RR, and plenty of mil-air monitoring (Offutt AFB). The first time I went I took the preamp....BIG MISTAKE! The geography of the midwest, basically flat, meant that line-of-sight reception was awesome, and that was using the factory back-of-set antenna. I would love to hook it up to an antenna mast-mounted on the roof of my parents house! Anyway, the preamp just overloaded the radio completely. Another indicator of just how much I didn't need the preamp in Omaha was when I programmed both Chicago and Kansas City ATC Centers in the 780. Both ATC Centers are hundreds of miles away from Omaha and I was able to hear ground-to-air as well as air-to-ground without the preamp loud and clear, again using only the back-of-set antenna. I turned the preamp on and reception diminished enough to be noticable.
It all boils down to the individual circumstances of each user.
Please don't listen to those who flat out tell you that you're wasting your money by buying the amp. If you are not receiving a signal, have antenna issues, or location problems, the preamp might just be the solution you need. If you can, borrow one first instead of spending the money. Yes, there are situations where a preamp will do more harm than good, but contrary to the naysayers, there are situations where they will more than pay for themselves.
N
N_Jay
Guest
jmp883 said:
Realy?
N_Jay said:
where can i get one of these amplifiers for my pro-96 at? :?:
N
N_Jay
Guest
:?Cobra_Commander said:
http://www.grove-ent.com/PREAMPLIFIERS.html
Does anyone ever feel the need for a little "Spoon" smily to indicate when someone who should know better is asking to be "spoon fed"? :roll:
astrodanco
Member
Well, I guess so because http://www.radiooutfitter.com has them for less then what Grove wants. Didn't you know that? :shock:N_Jay said:
wesm1957
Member
Cobra_Commander said:
Cobra, the one I got is the base station model. It is small and doesn't take up much room. I got mine right from GRE.
here is the link to their sight (scanner page) scroll down to see it. Both the base and hand held model are shown.
http://www.greamerica.com/scanner.html
So this will improve singnals for me? and will it improve the miltrary air signals for the pro-96 to? :?:
wesm1957
Member
Cobra_Commander said:
I haven't tried military air signals yet, but it has improve everything else I listen to. Before I was not able to hear anything from the county east of me here at home, but with the amp I am now picking them up. They are on VHF high. I did get the base model since I do most of my monitoring here at home. I will post a picture of it next to my Pro-96 later tonight. I am off to the Shack to get some things to power all my scanners from one source and get rid of all the wall warts!
By the way I grew up in Mogadore, and my parents still live there. I will be in the area in the middle of May to see my daughters school concert.
N
N_Jay
Guest
Cobra_Commander said:
N_Jay said:
Well maybe because people refuse to take the time to think about the YES/NO questions they ask, even when the fact that it is not a simple YES/NO answer has been discussed right in the same thread. :roll: :roll:
Well if tell use the noise figure of your reciever and the noise figure of the amp, and the signal level of the desired signal, and the noise floor in the band, and list any other significant signals in the band that could desense the receiver, . . . .
Then maybe some one will tell you yes or no.
Or just try it!
JoeyC
Senior Member
Cobra_Commander said:
jmp883 thank you for answering this question before it was asked.
It is amazing that some people will only read what they want to hear, be it a yes or no answer. If you involve a variable in the equation it becomes too difficult to comprehend, thus is ignored.
N
N_Jay
Guest
astrodanco said:
Hey!
When you ask to get spoon fed, you get what is served! :twisted: :twisted:
My point was in the time it took to ask the question he could have had the answer. :wink:
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