need antenna help

[SCPD]

I have a Radioshack Pro 163 scanner but i need a good antenna what should I buy.The antenna on the the scanner does not get good signal.I have my scanner next to the window should i put it some where else? Need Some help?

 

[n5ims]

The "right" antenna is very dependent on what frequency band (or bands) you need it to work on. The RR database for the county you list as your location has agencies on VHF-Hi (150 & 160 MHz ranges), UHF (450 & 460 MHz ranges), and the 800 MHz band (850 & 860 MHz ranges). If you want to listen to everything, the antenna for that wide of a band range will only give "OK" results. If you only listen to one band than a band specific antenna might give you quite good results. Also you don't indicate if you're OK with an outside antenna or need one to put directly onto your scanner. If you can provide this information (especially helpful may be links to the RR Database for any systems you need) than hopefully somebody will be able to give you a good suggestion.

If you're using the included "stock pull up antenna" one trick is to adjust it's length based on the frequency of the agency or system you're listening to. For the 800 MHz band, make the antenna as short as possible (3" or so is best). For the UHF band (450 - 460 MHz or so) should be about 6" or so. For VHF-Hi (150 - 160 MHz or so) make it about 14" - 17". As you can tell, the higher the frequency, the shorter the antenna. These lengths are approximate so experiment to see which works best for the agency/system in question. If you're scanning various ranges, try the longer length and adjust shorter to get the best overall results.