BC125AT Range upgrade

[TheTntExpert29]

Hello. I currently have a BC125AT scanner and have the default antenna that it comes with. Is there any antenna's that will expand the range to help with railfanning? Would help since I live near the train tracks and the closest defect detector is 5 miles away and I want to be able to hear that from my house. Not sure if I did post this in the correct section.

 

[Bob1955]

Hello. I currently have a BC125AT scanner and have the default antenna that it comes with. Is there any antenna's that will expand the range to help with railfanning? Would help since I live near the train tracks and the closest defect detector is 5 miles away and I want to be able to hear that from my house. Not sure if I did post this in the correct section.

Diamond RH-77CA and you can purchase it either on Amazon or for less at The Antenna Farm and their number is 406-333-7989 and its $22.95 and a HUGE difference over a Uniden STOCK rubber duck but it is 15" long... only drawback.
Hope this helps you as its probably more on Amazon.
Stay safe,
Bob

 

[KT4HX]

While I don't have one personally, I've read a lot of good comments on this one:

5/8 Slim Duck 160 MHZ

www.smileyantenna.com

 

[mmckenna]

Hello. I currently have a BC125AT scanner and have the default antenna that it comes with. Is there any antenna's that will expand the range to help with railfanning? Would help since I live near the train tracks and the closest defect detector is 5 miles away and I want to be able to hear that from my house. Not sure if I did post this in the correct section.

An external antenna outside your home will improve reception of rail traffic greatly. A good outdoor VHF antenna up as high as you can safely get it will let you hear quite a bit more than an antenna stuck on top of a hand held scanner.

 

[N4DJC]

While I don't have one personally, I've read a lot of good comments on this one:

5/8 Slim Duck 160 MHZ

www.smileyantenna.com

I’ve had one for several years, really improved my reception on rail band. Well made and not floppy like the Diamond.

 

[K2KOH]

Even the Smiley regular duck cut for railroad will be a vast improvement over the stock antenna

 

[Bob1955]

I’ve had one for several years, really improved my reception on rail band. Well made and not floppy like the Diamond.

N4DJC- This is ONLY for VHF-High band only.
The best one for all bands besides the "Over-Priced" Condor is Diamond RH-77CA (BNC) and it is $22.95 from The Antenna Farm down South which is an antenna specialty firm.

 

[KT4HX]

N4DJC- This is ONLY for VHF-High band only.
The best one for all bands besides the "Over-Priced" Condor is Diamond RH-77CA (BNC) and it is $22.95 from The Antenna Farm down South which is an antenna specialty firm.

While that is true, the OP was asking specifically about railroad reception which is why the Smiley was recommended. That said, The Antenna Farm is indeed a fine company and I do look forward to their re-opening on April 27th. I've missed them over the past months while they worked on relocating their business.

 

[Nasby]

Smiley or RH77CA is the way to go.
Both are excellent!

 

[Bob1955]

Smiley or RH77CA is the way to go.
Both are excellent!

Nasby-You got that right!
Scanner Master in MA has a Product Code: 22-542055 BNC-VHF/UHF/BNC 800 MHz-Triband Scanner Antenna 8.5" length and says, "Great Improvement Over Factory Standard Antenna with BNC Connector Our Price: $32 and the other one, a BNC W-801 Regular Gainer Portable Antenna has been designed to provide a BIG improvement over standard flexible whips provided for handhelds and OUT of stock.
The Antenna Farm has the Diamond RH-77CA for $22.95 and they may be reached at 406-333-7989 and NO, I don't work for them. Ha Ha
Hope you had a good weekend.

 

[TheTntExpert29]

Thank you for the suggestions. I'll look into the RH77CA and the Smiley.

 

[TheTntExpert29]

Diamond RH-77CA and you can purchase it either on Amazon or for less at The Antenna Farm and their number is 406-333-7989 and its $22.95 and a HUGE difference over a Uniden STOCK rubber duck but it is 15" long... only drawback.
Hope this helps you as its probably more on Amazon.
Stay safe,
Bob

Might have to do from The Antenna Farm for the RH-77CA since it's out of stock on Amazon.

 

[TheTntExpert29]

Also between the 2 how far out does the reception go? I think the Uniden Default antenna is only around a couple miles.

 

[wtp]

RH-77CA
Relative Antenna Gain (dB):
6.0

usually the gain is in db's
for every 3 it just means about double, so 6 would be 4 times an imaginary antenna.
so view the numbers with caution.
you can never have too many radios or antennas.
so if you buy one and don't use it right away give it time, you might get another radio.
i use an old radio shack 800Mhz antenna and can hear the space station in the 145 band, 250 miles up and many hundreds of land miles away.
but with nothing in the way that makes a difference.

 

[Bob1955]

Might have to do from The Antenna Farm for the RH-77CA since it's out of stock on Amazon.

TheTntExpert29-AMAZOn is way over-priced on that Diamond RH-77CA anyhow as it is a 3rd part seller for them anyhow.
It cost no more than $1tops to make that IMPORTED rubber antenna too!

 

[Randyk4661]

An external antenna outside your home will improve reception of rail traffic greatly. A good outdoor VHF antenna up as high as you can safely get it will let you hear quite a bit more than an antenna stuck on top of a hand held scanner.

I agree with this, an outside antenna will give you a greater range than any rubber duck antenna inside the house. A good Diamond discone or a tuned 160MHz base antenna would work great.
Save the other rubber duck for chasing trains down the line.

 

[blackbelter]

I will question the authenticity of the low priced Diamond antennas.