so what would the The GRE Super Amplifier 00 MHz to 1 GHz 0- 20 decibel do for my gre per 500 does it simply allow me to pick up frequencies from a farther distance? what would i could i expect with this amplifier hooked up to my per 500, thanks scott
Amplifier
- Thread starter burchill
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In my experience with the PSR500 .. it is a very sensitive radio already and it doesn't need an amplifier. If you live in an urban location .. I think that you will find that you will actually hurt the performance of the radio by adding an amplifier. Just my 2 cents ..
I guess that would depend on what you will use if for. It is a pre-amp designed to boost the RF signal from the antenna. The specs say the gain is adjustable but the web site's pdf instruction sheet doesn't tell how to adjust it and there isn't any obvious knob, screw or hole for an adjustment. Under certain conditions it could increase the range of your scanner but I don't think it will really do much for you.
Their is a knob for adjustment on the back of the unit.And as has been said your results will vary from others.
You are better off investing your money in lower loss coaxial cable or in a multi band antenna rather than any preamp! The GRE 500/ pro-106 has a sensitive enough receiver that you would merely overload it. 
73,
n9zas
73,
n9zas
Also a greatly amplified signal can result in overloads to the front end of the scanner. The amplifier (really a preamp) amplifies any signal, and that includes noise. If the signal is already strong with the regular ducky antenna it will likely overload the scanner's front end and cause problems. Of course you can fix that by attenuating the preamp signal with the knob, but it could be a nuisance if you are constantly having to readjust it.
Overall though, I'd go for a better antenna. I bought a Watson 8 in. long "regular gainer" antenna and it makes a big difference when the scanner is on the road with me. You can get wide band antennas with proper radials, and if you stick one high in the air with a length of coax to your scanner while it is in the house, that will probably do more for you than any preamp. Of course the neighbours might object to a high tower in your backyard or on the roof.
My neighbours did so I moved my 8 foot high commercial wide band antenna into my upstairs bedroom and connected it to my scanner downstairs with 50 feet of 75 ohm TV cable type coax with some adaptors needed to fit the BNC jack on the scanner. The theoretical impedance mismatch seems to make little practical difference and I can scan a lot more systems. The repeater on Mount Seymour near Vancouver is about 70 miles from my location in Victoria B.C. and the big antenna gives me a five bar signal with no extra preamp required.
But even the 8" Watson ducky makes a big difference when I'm on the move and it was only thirty bucks. You can probably get better ones cheaper depending on where you live. The reviews for the Wilson I found on line were not terribly complimentary but it was cheap and it works fine for me. Much better than the stock 4 inch ducky.
Overall though, I'd go for a better antenna. I bought a Watson 8 in. long "regular gainer" antenna and it makes a big difference when the scanner is on the road with me. You can get wide band antennas with proper radials, and if you stick one high in the air with a length of coax to your scanner while it is in the house, that will probably do more for you than any preamp. Of course the neighbours might object to a high tower in your backyard or on the roof.
My neighbours did so I moved my 8 foot high commercial wide band antenna into my upstairs bedroom and connected it to my scanner downstairs with 50 feet of 75 ohm TV cable type coax with some adaptors needed to fit the BNC jack on the scanner. The theoretical impedance mismatch seems to make little practical difference and I can scan a lot more systems. The repeater on Mount Seymour near Vancouver is about 70 miles from my location in Victoria B.C. and the big antenna gives me a five bar signal with no extra preamp required.
But even the 8" Watson ducky makes a big difference when I'm on the move and it was only thirty bucks. You can probably get better ones cheaper depending on where you live. The reviews for the Wilson I found on line were not terribly complimentary but it was cheap and it works fine for me. Much better than the stock 4 inch ducky.
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