Do I need a new antenna?

[CPFD25]

I have a pro-97 scanner with the stock antenna. I am attemting to listen to the City of Madison 800Mhz system. I however live approx. 7 miles outside of the city and can not pick up the signal. If I drive about a mile closer to the city I can monitor everything. The problem is there are quite a few bluffs between my house and the city. Will getting a better/bigger antenna help me out, and if so what kind is good?

 

[N_Jay]

I have a pro-97 scanner with the stock antenna. I am attemting to listen to the City of Madison 800Mhz system. I however live approx. 7 miles outside of the city and can not pick up the signal. If I drive about a mile closer to the city I can monitor everything. The problem is there are quite a few bluffs between my house and the city. Will getting a better/bigger antenna help me out, and if so what kind is good?

If one mile makes the difference, I would bet you need more height, rather than a "better" antenna.

 

[oracle]

Ditto on the height requirement.

Generally speaking 800MHZ frequencies are line of sight frequencies, that is they propagate via skywaves, not groundwaves. If you're using an antenna that plugs in via BNC connector and is physically located on the back of the radio, just getting an external antenna and mounting it on the side of your house could suffice. Otherwise, get up as high as possible.

 

[LarrySC]

There is an 800 MHz 5db gain 23" dual open coil with a base adp at this site. www.bncantenna.com Stock # 2-2067 and B-2067. Can be used with RG-6. Antenna works on VHF as well but not UHF.