Can i get anymore reception?

[firefighterbiddle]

Hello all, i live in carson city, and i run a Bc-780xlt, with a VHF-hi outdoor antenna 20 feet off the ground. My question is i want to receive more, such as LMU (cdf) Inyo nf, Eldorado nf, and Plumas nf. Does anyone have any idea how i could get those? What about a discone?
Scott B

 

[kma371]

I like discones. I use mine here in Elk Grove and it helps me out. I hear places as far away as Mariposa and Marin Counties. They are not too expensive plus they are wideband so you are not just limited to VHF-hi. Lowband CHP comes in very well too. Try one and see how well it works for you.

 

[Norman]

Hi Scott, you don't say what kind of feed line you use or its total length. You could be losing a lot of your signal. I suspect you may be using RG58 type cable. Ball park figure, 50ft at 160mhz would be 2.9db of loss. 3db would be half of your signal, so its close.
You might want to try some other kind of feed line like RG8, that would be 1.2db of loss. More signal to your receiver, but also more costly. Also, puting connectors on it is a PITA
for most folks. You will have to weigh the advantages, cost etc. Try this site:
http://www.ocarc.ca/coax.htm Plug in your numbers and see what comes up. Discone antennas have zero gain, would be nice to find an antenna with some gain. Hope this helps, Norm.

 

[DPD1]

When you're shooting for distance, the only thing that's really going to help, is something directional. If you're mainly interested in one band, focus on that with something that's made for it... The more you focus on one band, the more gain you will get... That combined with a directional antenna, is as good as you will do. But in mountainous terrain, it's all up in the air. You might hear what you are shooting for, and you might not. It's hard to say until you try.

Dave
http://www.dpdproductions.com
- Custom Scanner, MURS, GMRS, & Ham Antennas -

 

[trooperdude]

You would LOSE reception with a discone over a 1/4 wave on high band.

For distance NOTHING beats a quality VHF Yagi, fed with 9913Flex and a short
cable run.

 

[EMSJUNKY]

i am using a homebrew j-pole tuned to 151.000 mhz. i can pick up CDF in the sierras from the bay area. i have it up on a 25 ft pole with a low loss coax... thats where the project gets expensive.

you can giet instructions on how to make the antenna if you type "j-pole" into google. and you can get all the supplies at yuour local rat shack and hardware store.

PM me if you need more help.