antenna madness!

[thmsemrtn37]

I have a BC80XLT Uniden and have had a lot of trouble getting 800Mhz. I purchased the radio shack 20-006 800 Mhz antenna and didn't see much difference. I then got one of those telescoping 30-1300 Mhz antennas and still no difference.
I then dug out an old 3" stock ducky antenna and it improved the 800mhz noticeably!! I have no idea why? Any suggestions?

 

[Rt169Radio]

I have heard that short antennas work good on 800MHz freqs. So maybe that's why.

 

[krokus]

How strong of a signal are you trying to copy?

If your signal is already strong, or you are copying a simulcast system, a better antenna might not help. (In fact, it could make things worse.)

 

[KC8ESL]

It's not madness, it's physics!