hello all, newby here. this looks like the place for some sound advise on scanner/receivers so here i go.
my friends and i hunt with hounds and use VHF tracking collars to keep tabs on them. some use 155 Mhz and others use 217s. the matching proprietary tracking devises have receivers that provide an audible beep and some type of signal strength meter, be it LED or analog dial. Some have amps with adjustable gain and most have a sqelch or attenuator. all i've seen use a yagi type antenna for directional signal tracking. the trick is to a: find the signal(a broken pulse), b: squelch it to the brink of lost and c: use the yagi to find the sweet spot. thats a bit of background for those not familiar.
I've looked around and read where some guys are using Yaesus and Icoms, I don't recall which models. I currently have an old Bearcat and yagi thats tuned for the 155 collars. the problems i have are:
a. no signal strength meter
b. no attenuator, if dog is too close, the squelch isn't enough to block signal
c. no beep, when i do find the signal, its like someone keying up a transmitter and no talking
d. if dogs are more than half mile away I can't find the signal(we lock on the desired frequency and seek),
each dog has his own, i.e. 155.050, 155.065.....
I've read on some new Yaesus that have a "pocket beep" function. i don't understand how/what it does. if it provides a beep/signal strength indication when locked on a desired freq. that would be the ticket.
I know I've bored alot of people, so to the point. Can anyone recommend a handheld to fit the bill, current or obsolete/out of production? Oh, and do it for less than the $500 tracking boxes?
thanks in advance
my friends and i hunt with hounds and use VHF tracking collars to keep tabs on them. some use 155 Mhz and others use 217s. the matching proprietary tracking devises have receivers that provide an audible beep and some type of signal strength meter, be it LED or analog dial. Some have amps with adjustable gain and most have a sqelch or attenuator. all i've seen use a yagi type antenna for directional signal tracking. the trick is to a: find the signal(a broken pulse), b: squelch it to the brink of lost and c: use the yagi to find the sweet spot. thats a bit of background for those not familiar.
I've looked around and read where some guys are using Yaesus and Icoms, I don't recall which models. I currently have an old Bearcat and yagi thats tuned for the 155 collars. the problems i have are:
a. no signal strength meter
b. no attenuator, if dog is too close, the squelch isn't enough to block signal
c. no beep, when i do find the signal, its like someone keying up a transmitter and no talking
d. if dogs are more than half mile away I can't find the signal(we lock on the desired frequency and seek),
each dog has his own, i.e. 155.050, 155.065.....
I've read on some new Yaesus that have a "pocket beep" function. i don't understand how/what it does. if it provides a beep/signal strength indication when locked on a desired freq. that would be the ticket.
I know I've bored alot of people, so to the point. Can anyone recommend a handheld to fit the bill, current or obsolete/out of production? Oh, and do it for less than the $500 tracking boxes?
thanks in advance
