Pro-163: Deaf Pro-163?

[KC3ECJ]

My Pro-163 can barely pick up anything. VHF high and 450 anyways. Not sure about other bands. A cable TV amplifier helps but it still not as sensitive as other scanners or transceivers.

Is it common for this scanner or is this particular one a dud or damaged? I opened it up and the shielding behind the BNC jack is securely on there.

 

[mule1075]

Try the attenuator might help.163 is notorious for front end overload.

 

[bob550]

Try the attenuator might help.163 is notorious for front end overload.

As a PRO-163 owner, I second this suggestion. I feed my 163, along with 3 other scanners, with a 4-way cable TV amp to my roof-mounted discone. The amp is necessary, for me, to boost P25 signals to my Uniden 996xt. However, I find most VHF-high frequencies are grossly overloaded and must be attenuated. The attenuation makes all the difference in the world and the PRO-163 comes alive on VHF as a result.