Maxrad Maxscan1000

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MrVelvet

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I bought the above antenna in hopes of greatly improving the reception of my PRO97 scanner.

I installed the antenna on my truck, (2005 F150), using a fender lip mount and running the cable through the firewall. I didn't want a mag mount on the roof as I have height restrictions.

My first impressions of the antenna were good, in that it picked up much further distance of the 130-160 range when I was in the driveway. Today, I got a chance to test it out on the road and see how it performed in the higher freqs - 400's and 800's.

Well, I'm less than impressed. The range and overall reception quality of the 800 range were not that much better than the standard shorty antenna that came with my scanner. Is there something I can check to make sure everything is working correctly? Is my install done right? Or am I simply expecting too much from this antenna?

Thanks for any help.
 

stvnd53

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What I finally bought was a MAG Mount BNC.w/58u to BNC.I use the RS800 ant when listenning to 800.It also does a pretty good job on UHF.the RS800 is app.5.5" high.so w/mag mnt I'm lookig at app 6".
Haveing bought most of the SPECIAL antennas for my Pro'97 I now have 1 antenna for each band.
At $20 each antenna,and $35 for mag.mnt.I'm looking at as much for them ,as the '97
 

Uplink

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My problem with that antenna is it whistled like crazy on the freeway, I thought I had a bad seal on my front windshield till I figured out it was the antenna on the front fender:)
 

KC0QNB

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Gothenburg, NE
Antennas designed for all bands aren't as good as ones designed for particular bands, at best they are a compromise. If you the best results on vhf high band, get a vhf high band antenna, if you want the best possible performance on 800 get an 800 antenna, and so it goes. For VHF high I use a Maxrad 5/8 wave 3db gain antenna, for uhf (we don't have 800 here...yet) I have a Maxrad 5db gain antenna mounted on a fender bracket, but the uhf I used to listen too went digital so it doesn't get used much.
 

MrVelvet

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Okotoks, AB
OK, so if I bought a magmount for the roof of my truck would I see a big difference in reception over my current fender lip mount?

I'm starting to get really dissapointed in my purchase.
 

hoser147

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Dec 17, 2005
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Grand Lake St. Marys Ohio
You might be just as disappointed in that too, if you really want to increase reception drill the hole on top. Its really hard to beat NMO, or go band specific as mentioned above. Good Luck Hoser
 

Squad10

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Nov 8, 2007
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Use the Maxrad 800 Mhz NMO mount with the RG-58 White Teflon coax for best results.
 

HOLEBILLY

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Jan 22, 2006
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I have a maxad on my roof the same as you have but i have a mno mount and it works super.
 

MrVelvet

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Drilling a NMO hole? Wow, I don't know if I could do that to my roof. I guess if that is my only other option, I'll have to live with my current reception.
 

blueangel-eric

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Emporia, KS
Drilling a NMO hole? Wow, I don't know if I could do that to my roof. I guess if that is my only other option, I'll have to live with my current reception.

it's worth it to get a good metal to metal ground plane. Plus it looks more professional then a mag mount.
I know it's scary at first. but it's not bad once you make it past your first hole.
Eric burris kc0ldt
 
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