Antenna question

[hiegtx]

So still no ideas why the antenna wouldn't fit? I guess it's worth buying another adapter when I order a new antenna just to be on the safe side? From what I'm reading, it sounds as if the 800 mhz antenna should have fit my adapter with no trouble.

You are correct. No reason it should not work. I use the R/S 800 antenna on one of my 396XT's in the city (used it on the 396T version also, before the XT came out). No reason it should not have worked. As Chauffeur6 noted, the Uniden SMA->BNC adapter is well made & sturdy. While it's not impossible to have a flaw, I'd call it unlikely, assuming you have the real deal. I say that because the second XT I bought, not long ago, was missing the adapter. I called the dealer, who sent me a replacement, but it was not the usual Uniden one. The Uniden adapter is practically "flat" when screwed into the scanner, with a knurled base maybe slightly taller than the width of the fingernail on your pink finger. The BNC connector, of course, is on top. The aftermarket type sent as a replacement is much taller, with a six sided section, like a fitting, with a smaller knurled piece below the BNC connector. Makes it sit up higher. I took the Uniden adapter off my 396T & moved it to the second XT, using the off-brand on the older scanner. That one doesn't leave the house, just sits on my computer desk in my home office.

Is there any chance that a piece of the telescoping antenna's BNC connector could have come loose & gotten lodged in the adapter? That would keep the other antennas from working. Take a hard look at the connector on that antenna, and at the 800 antenna you bought. See if there appears to be anything amiss.

Thanks Steve. I'm starting to get comfortable enough with the scanner that I was thinking of trying to program in some big city stuff and try and listen to the trunked stuff on one of my trips through DFW. The 800 mhz antenna seemed like a good one to get for taking the scanner with me while driving into town. Besides, I was under the impression if this was to become a serious hobby, I was supposed to have a drawer full of antennas, adapters and parts I didn't really need.

I think we all seem to collect antennas. If you program in a lot of the trunked systems in Dallas, Tarrant, Denton, & Collin Counties, then the 800 Mhz antenna (once you get a handle on why it does not want to connect to the scanner correctly) is a good choice. I've had several of those antennas. Managed to abuse one of them enough that I finally tossed it, but haven't gotten a bad one. Also haven't seen a flurry of posts from other members about getting 'bad' ones that don't fit either.

Thanks for the tip. I'm not opposed to the telescoping antenna. I've just read they can be hard on the connection in the radio, so I was trying to play it safe. I guess it's "springy" enough to protect the radio internals?

I've seen some good comments on the Smiley antennas John_S mentioned, but that's not one I've tried (yet).

 

[John_S]

There are industry standards for all these connectors. Sometimes a company will choose to use a connector that may be on the edge of the specs in order to save a few pennies per unit. There are times when the sockets/chassis mounted connectors are recessed in just enough so that you can't seat the antenna properly, especially if it's an aftermarket piece. I've seen that before. I realize that's not the case here. Just trying to point out the variances that one can run into. It's the same with adapters. SMA connectors/adapters are also sensitive to having the center pin make a positive connection...in this case, what you have does really count. That's been a problem for some aftermarket antennas on HT's. The best solution is to ditch the adapter and get SMA mount antennas.