hoser147
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SAR has the idea, and this has been covered many times, View the similair Threads at the bottom of the page or do a search, there is a wealth of info hear. Good Scannin Hoser147
GRE Super Amplifier
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baybum
Member
I just did another test using the rubber duckie.
800mhz sounds the same with the amp on "max" as it does with the amp off.
490 is the same.
VHF hi is about the same.
It just doesn't seem to "pull" anything weak in.
If the signals are weak before I connect the amp, they are the same after I max the amp out.
800mhz sounds the same with the amp on "max" as it does with the amp off.
490 is the same.
VHF hi is about the same.
It just doesn't seem to "pull" anything weak in.
If the signals are weak before I connect the amp, they are the same after I max the amp out.
I got it to amplify a 400 MHz Mot Type II control channel from about 35% to 99%. Other than that, no luck w/ anything else. I'm going to try a variety of antennas and scanners.
like i said in previous posts about this subject your mileage will vary.i had very good sucess with the gre.now i am using a 20db coax inline amplifier with better results.
You did actually apply external DC power to it ??
Right ??
Right ??
Yes. And the little red light does come on...trooperdude said:
jmp883
Member
Here's my experience with the GRE pre-amp:
I live in northern NJ, about 30 miles northwest of NYC. I live in a valley and have a discone scanner antenna mounted about 15 feet or so above the roofline of my house. Before I bought my GRE amp I was lucky to hear my local PD and FD. After I bought and installed the amp the whole world opened up to me. Now I can hear everything in the upper third of NJ, basically everything north of Interstate 80. I can now also hear several southern NY counties, FDNY, and NYPD.
I also have a negative story regarding the amp. My parents live in Omaha, NE and I usually take one of my BC-780's with me when I go out to visit. I also take both the back-of-set antenna and a mag-mount antenna that I can put on the awning over the back deck. The first time I took the amp with me it overloaded the radio, and that was with either antenna. Once I shut off the amp and just went with the antenna plugged into just the radio I heard everything just fine. A great example of not needing the amp was when I was monitoring aircraft from Omaha. I was able to hear not only the aircraft in the air but also the controllers in both Kansas City Center and Chicago Center. Turn the amp on and that all disappeared. Gotta love flat geography for line-of-sight propagation!
Simply stated it all comes down to your specific circumstances. For me, at least while I still live in northern NJ, the amp works, and it works quite well.
I live in northern NJ, about 30 miles northwest of NYC. I live in a valley and have a discone scanner antenna mounted about 15 feet or so above the roofline of my house. Before I bought my GRE amp I was lucky to hear my local PD and FD. After I bought and installed the amp the whole world opened up to me. Now I can hear everything in the upper third of NJ, basically everything north of Interstate 80. I can now also hear several southern NY counties, FDNY, and NYPD.
I also have a negative story regarding the amp. My parents live in Omaha, NE and I usually take one of my BC-780's with me when I go out to visit. I also take both the back-of-set antenna and a mag-mount antenna that I can put on the awning over the back deck. The first time I took the amp with me it overloaded the radio, and that was with either antenna. Once I shut off the amp and just went with the antenna plugged into just the radio I heard everything just fine. A great example of not needing the amp was when I was monitoring aircraft from Omaha. I was able to hear not only the aircraft in the air but also the controllers in both Kansas City Center and Chicago Center. Turn the amp on and that all disappeared. Gotta love flat geography for line-of-sight propagation!
Simply stated it all comes down to your specific circumstances. For me, at least while I still live in northern NJ, the amp works, and it works quite well.
I've been in Montana for a few months now and I must say that the little GRE amp has worked miracles for my scanning. I'm not in a metro area now and live a few miles outside of town. It has given new life to mobile and portable scanning. It improves the signals so much I couldn't pick them up otherwise. So I guess it's just overloaded in a metro environment. I just felt like I had to do the little unit some justice after how it's paid off.
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