Antenna Suggestions for BCD436HP?

[APSN556]

The RS800 antenna seems to be the hot antenna that everyone is using for their 800 mhz needs. I'm a bit hesitant to get one though due to the fact that the BNC adapter will need to be used. Doesnt using the adapter cause signal loss? What native SMA rubber duck antenna do you all recommend then?

Anyone try these? 10x GSM Omni Antenna 3 dBi 800MHz Tilt and Swivel SMA Plug Male Connector 216mm | eBay

secondly, what SMA tri band Antenna do you recommend?

 

[Mustafa]

Personally I find the Watson sma889 to be about the best antenna to use with the 436 for general use and then I use the RS800 for when I specifically listen to the 800Mhz band.

 

[APSN556]

Personally I find the Watson sma889 to be about the best antenna to use with the 436 for general use and then I use the RS800 for when I specifically listen to the 800Mhz band.

Unfortunately a telescoping antenna is not an option for me. It would be broke within a week of use

 

[AZScanner]

I've not had any problems using the RS800 antenna with the adapter other than it does tend to unscrew itself after a few weeks worth of being bumped and banged around. One poster put a small o ring between the adapter and the radio which seemed to help. I haven't bothered to do this yet, but I've been meaning to.

As for the signal loss, it's very minor and not a factor at all when using the scanner on our local DTRS. I've even picked up Mesa's TOPAZ system from where I work near the 101 and 56th street in Phoenix, which the scanner simply won't do using the stock antenna. The gain of the antenna far outweighs any possible loss from the adapter.

-AZ

 

[KevinC]

After some hesitation I purchased one of these...

SpectrumForce 700-800 MHz 2db Gain Portable Scanner Antenna with SMA Connector

It works pretty darn well. It leaves a little gap between the base of it and my BCD436HP, but a trip to Home Depot solved that with the purchase of an O-ring.

 

[Stealthguy05]

I too have the spectrum force antenna, and I'm able to pull in a p25 700mhz system from 40 miles away that is over a hill. It's silent with the standard duck.

 

[cellphone]

The RS800 antenna seems to be the hot antenna that everyone is using for their 800 mhz needs. I'm a bit hesitant to get one though due to the fact that the BNC adapter will need to be used. Doesnt using the adapter cause signal loss?

Long ago back when the BCD396T or XT was first released, there was a post by someone who did some in depth testing with a service monitor on the loss associated the the SMA to BNC connector. The result was such a small loss that it should not be considered a factor in your antenna selection. I will see if I can find the post, or someone else might chime in with this post.

I have had great experience with the Radio Shack 800mhz antenna even comparable to the stock antenna on VHF and UHF.

 

[tsalmrsystemtech]

I took my stock telescopic antenna from my BCD536HP and it tends to work really well. More metal in the sky the better. It works for me. It works well for me on low band VHF

 

[bearcatrp]

Have been using the RS antenna on my 396T with great success. When I got my 436, used the RS on it. Sounded good. Then came across a review on the comet SMA3 antenna. Glad I did. Better than the RS antenna. Another bar on the signal, voice seems better, pick up more aircaft now, etc.. Here is where I got mine from..
Comet SMA3 SMA Amateur Antenna

 

[nosoup4u]

I would give the spectrum force antenna a thumbs up as well. For the last 10 years I was stuck on the Seeker 800. Great antenna but very heavy and bulky. The SF works nearly as well, is lighter and has a smaller footprint.

 

[Ghstwolf62]

I picked up both the Condor and SRH77CA antennas and both seem to work really well. Each was highly recommended on here which is why I bought it.

One is long and the other is heavy but both have impressed me. The Condor even grabbed a TRS from about 7 miles further away than the SRH77 did and that over mountainous hilly terrain. I've been told they both work really well on 800 too but can't attest to that personally as all I have are conventional 800 analog out here. It does work real well on that but so does the stock one.

Now I just have to pick a good mobile one.

 

[FlashSWT]

After some hesitation I purchased one of these...

SpectrumForce 700-800 MHz 2db Gain Portable Scanner Antenna with SMA Connector

It works pretty darn well. It leaves a little gap between the base of it and my BCD436HP, but a trip to Home Depot solved that with the purchase of an O-ring.

We bought one of these at work to replace a broken antenna on a 396T. The user loves it, says he can pull in distant towers he didn't receive on the stock antenna. We're about to buy a few more.

 

[yaesumofo]

Personally I really like these antennas made for lectrosonic wireless units.
nope they aint cheap.
They are made in USA and are high quality.

you can trim (tune) them to exact frequencies.

they are ultra flexible and will not break easily.


Lectrosonics AMJ Color Coded Whip Antenna for Lectrosonics AMJ26

making home brew antennas with HQ SMA connectors is also a great way to go.


Yaesumofo

 

[mrkelso]

We bought one of these at work to replace a broken antenna on a 396T. The user loves it, says he can pull in distant towers he didn't receive on the stock antenna. We're about to buy a few more.

I recently (just today) added one to my 436HP and man does it make a big difference with the NJ inter opt system for me.

 

[cellphone]

After reading everyone's comments about the SpectrumForce, I'm very interested. Since this is not a multi-band antenna, I'm hesitant. How does it's performance on VHF and UHF compare to the stock antenna?

 

[mrkelso]

The SpectrumForce does well on the police and fire bands by me. Clear crisp with good signal. I have mine 4 feet above the scanner using a clip on antenna (BNC Female Clip Mount 4 ft RG-174U cable With Bnc male. Then you will needs an ska to bnc adaptor for the scanner. Works Great for me.

 

[netracer61]

l just bought the Spectrumforce

The spectrumforce is on sale at scanner master right now how can you go wrong for $7.45 ?
Its worth a shot at better reception at that price.

 

[Anderegg]

The SpectrumForce is still on sale, just ordered a few extras today!

Also, see the following post, i am trying to do a full on 800MHz antenna shoot-out soon.

http://forums.radioreference.com/sc...timate-portable-800mhz-antenna-shoot-out.html

Paul

 

[jonwienke]

I'm using the Diamond RH77CA. It's a noticeable improvement over the stock ducky on VHF, UHF, and CB bands (about 1-2 bar average increase). I haven't got much traffic to compare 800-900 MHz.

I got the BNC version, because I mounted the SMA-BNC adapter on the scanner so I can quickly switch between base, mobile, and handheld antennas. My base and mobile antennas are both BNC, so having a BNC handheld antenna makes things more consistent. Also, wear on the scanner antenna connector is minimized because the SMA-BNC adaptor gets most of it.

 

[bwilborn]

I just got one of the SpectrumForce antennas from Scanner Master and it doesn't feel like it will thread onto the SMA connector on the 436 at all. I realize that the connector on the antenna is quite a bit more shallow than the stock antenna, but I can barely turn it 1/4 of a turn before it stops and feels like it's going to strip the connector on the scanner.

I took a magnifying glass and inspected the threads and they appear to be fine. What are other people's experience with this antenna? How many turns should I be able to go before it is snugly connected?