PSR-500 VHF Deaf

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Ghost4658

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Mayflower Ar.
I have a psr500 about 4 years old and the VHF is very weak, 800mhz is fine dont know about 450mhz not any around me, tried different antennas.
this did not happen all at once, reset scanner to factory settings and reprogram scanner no help.
Anyone know about the extended settings in win500 if there is any setings there that could help?
 

DiGiTaLD

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Aug 10, 2005
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Mine Too

I have a similar problem, but its affecting all bands. VHF high and UHF is especially bad. I usually only listen to 800 MHz on it, and even now that is getting bad notwithstanding the 800 MHz GRE rubber duck. I get much better sensitivity on 800 MHz on my PRO-2096 than with the PSR-500. If I connect the PSR-500 to one of the little 800 MHz commercial base antennas that I've got up in the air (fed with Belden 9913 semi-flexible, not junk RG-58), it just flat out will not hear things that the PRO-2096 hears all day long.

I did the typical stuff. Checked the screw on the board. Its tight. The antenna connector isn't loose at all and never has been. The scanner has lived its whole life inside a leather soft case. It doesn't get dropped or abused. It just seems that in the last year, sensitivity has gone in the tank.

I'm getting ready to send mine in to GRE for service. We'll see what happens.
 

Ensnared

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Baseline Operation

I have a psr500 about 4 years old and the VHF is very weak, 800mhz is fine dont know about 450mhz not any around me, tried different antennas.
this did not happen all at once, reset scanner to factory settings and reprogram scanner no help.
Anyone know about the extended settings in win500 if there is any setings there that could help?

If you have noticed a degradation of VHF signals over time, then I would suspect there is a BNC module issue occurring.

For example, I know how my PSR 500 works in my immediate area. When I notice VHF degradation, it usually means one thing, the BNC module has failed. I have many posts on this subject. If, for instance, if I can no longer hear NOAA on the radio, I start saving my money for a repair trip to GRE. Typically, 800 mhz comes in fairly well, but VHF is weak and/or nonexistent.

I am very rough on my PSR 500. Sometimes, the radio gets knocked over and the rubber antenna is generally the first thing to make contact with the ground. Perhaps, it has a fulcrum effect on the circuit board, I don't know. But, diminished VHF reception is generally the first symptom of an ill radio that needs to go to the GRE hospital. I am speaking from my experience with this radio. So, I always compare baseline operation to current functioning.

I might add that I use a "hard" leather case to help cushion the inevitable fall to the floor. I wish I were less clumsy, but I'm not.
 
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emscapt9816

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Try using an FM trap. Radio Shack should have them. My 500 was deaf from a nearby station. I put the FM trap inline between the antenna and radio, what a difference. The GRE radios are very sensitive, but also tend to overload.
 

Ensnared

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FM Trap?

Try using an FM trap. Radio Shack should have them. My 500 was deaf from a nearby station. I put the FM trap inline between the antenna and radio, what a difference. The GRE radios are very sensitive, but also tend to overload.

I must be misunderstanding something here. Are you referring to being overloaded by an FM broadcast station, like a music station?

Sorry, but I was thinking the person was having reception problems on VHF frequencies in his area.

My mistake.
 

emscapt9816

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Yes, nearby FM transmitters will virtually wipe out VHF high band reception reception on a GRE made radio. Installing an FM trap attenuates the offending signals, and allows reception of the VHF High band.
 
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