indoor 800 Mhz trunking antenna

[TJK50010]

I'm about to move to a new apartment and I fear that with all the walls and distance from the radio towers my scanner reception will suffer. I'm looking to buy or make a good scanner antenna to pick up the Ames and ISU public safety towers from the South Grand area in Ames. I will be on the bottom floor with a clear window to the East (Ames Ops 1 tower).

My current scanner:
Radio Shack Pro 97 Triple-Trunking Handheld Scanner (bnc connector)

I run and operate the Ames police and fire stream on:
AMES Police and Fire

 

[Jimru]

Hi,

Best bang for the buck is the Rat Shack 800mHz antenna, model #: 20-283

http://m.radioshack.com/radioshack/...hack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102525"

Rat Shack still has a great return policy, so if it doesn't work, bring it on back!

 

[kd4eaq]

I'm using the Lava HD 600 HDTV antenna placed on top of bottom half of window. All freqs that normally show 0-3 signal strength now reading full scale, including trunking systems unable to receive before using RS 800 MHz duck. I'm on first floor. Using RG-6 coax between antenna and included amp.

 

[Signal3and2]

I'd be interested on what the gain is on 7/800 on that Lava antenna since it's described as only VHF/UHF. Do you have anything with an RSSI display on it?

 

[W8RMH]

I am in the same situation. For my feed I use a MAXRAD yagi antenna mounted on a torch lamp post about 5 feet above the floor, aimed at the site which is about 8 miles away, over flat terrain. I get RSSI's in the 760 to 840 ranges.

 

[KB7MIB]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux i686; U; en-US) Gecko/20081217 Vision-Browser/8.1 301x200 LG VN530)

I'd be interested on what the gain is on 7/800 on that Lava antenna since it's described as only VHF/UHF. Do you have anything with an RSSI display on it?

The UHF TV band used to go up well into the 800MHz range. So a UHF TV antenna, turned on its side so the elements are vertical, will work as a directional antenna for the UHF-T, 700 and 800 MHz bands.

 

[newsphotog]

I use this on a mag mount indoors: Laird Technologies B8065CN 806-866 5dB Closed Coil Collinear, Chrome | TESSCO

 

[GTO_04]

Look no further:

Indoor 700/800 MHz Yagi Directional Antenna with Desktop Stand

GTO_04

 

[IowaGuy1603]

The Rat Shack duck will work great for the Story County / ISU system from YOUR new area.

I was at Rieman Gardens a couple weeks ago and had my hand held with me and heard the system fine

 

[W8RMH]

Look no further:

Indoor 700/800 MHz Yagi Directional Antenna with Desktop Stand

GTO_04

I looked at this antenna at one point, however it is over 4 feet long. The "stand" is a piece of PVC pipe and a wood block on each end, placed on a 4 foot long table. Kind of impractical for indoors in my opinion.

 

[searingxheretic]

When I lived in an apartment, I had success with the DIY antenna pictured below. Credit to the photo goes to LordJ of these forums, he sent me the picture years ago, I believe its from an ARRL antenna book. Antenna number 3 worked great for my local 800mhz trunked system. The best part is that its unobtrusive, I used thumbtacks to pin it to the wall, and you could hardly notice it.

Sent from my cm_tenderloin

 

[TJK50010]

I don't know how good the rubber antenna will work inside a building. The good news is that I should still be line of sight with the Ames OPS 1 antenna. I believe that transmitter is at the corner of Lincoln-way and Dayton Ave. But where I live now....I almost live directly under that antenna. Now depending on where the ISU and Story county transmitters are located...that could mean that these systems could be obstructed by a building or two. If Ames only had the one transmitter, a simple directional antenna would work great.

 

[IowaGuy1603]

I don't know how good the rubber antenna will work inside a building. The good news is that I should still be line of sight with the Ames OPS 1 antenna. I believe that transmitter is at the corner of Lincoln-way and Dayton Ave. But where I live now....I almost live directly under that antenna. Now depending on where the ISU and Story county transmitters are located...that could mean that these systems could be obstructed by a building or two. If Ames only had the one transmitter, a simple directional antenna would work great.

Try the duck before you go spend lots of money.

Looks to me like the University tower is about in the middle of the main campus

Story countys tower is in Nevada...............but you should have no problem hearing it where you are