Hi all,
"Is it possible that if you have an antenna for a long period of time that it will lose some of it's performance as it wears down?"
Yes, every antenna has a little battery like a watch or calculator. They last about 5 years and after that they run down so the signals aren't as strong, just replace the battery.
"Inside your building is like an RF jail and there's little that can be done walking around with a hand held."
If it doesn't cause interference the RF can be paroled on good behavior.
"I have been reading about the "Seeker". Anybody have experience with this antenna and how does it compare to The RS antenna on VHF, UHF, and 800MHz?"
It works considerably better than antennas that just sit there and don't go looking for signals.
"Yes, coax cable will definitely deteriorate after a long period of time exposed to the elements."
You don't need to expose it to the elements, the antenna already HAS elements. When you expose it to an antenna, they use thier elements to mate and produce more antennas and because they have short elements they work best on higher frequencies. When they grow up they work on lower frequencies so keep breeding them for good frequency coverage.
"The effect will be noticed more at higher frequencies."
That's what I said about baby antennas.
"And as noted above, the antenna can also rust, corrode, or deteriorate."
Like a road with heavy traffic it develops pot holes and the signals break up when they hit them at high speed. It's horrible at the speed of light! "Oh, the electrons! I'm sorry, I can't bear to watch anymore, I can hardly talk..."
"Thank you for your replies Gentlemen."
Don't thank ME, it get worse, MUCH worse.
"Sorry about that, I was refering to the antenna attached directly to the radio."
Uh oh, now you're asking for it. Electrons from the power supply back up through the radio and get into the antenna. Keep your eye on it and look for signs of swelling. If swolen it's pregnant so take it off and take very special care of it. Soon it will give birth and you'll be the proud father of a gaggle of little rubber duckies. You may consider coating the connector with silicone rubber before putting it back on the scanner.
"Here is a link to the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District Fire Prevention Bureau's Standards to address this issue:"
Oh never mind the jokes about the fireman's hose, we're talking coax here!
"I do see the better audio and all with the digital and even at times with the analog 800, but to be honest I think I'd prefer VHF or UHF."
Now you're getting the idea, the higher the frequency the better the chances the system will get pregnant. Remember, hams do it with high frequency and big antennas but we make sure our connectors are well insulated.
