Looking for the best scanner for me - a NEWBIE!

[Mobilman44]

Good Morning!
Thank you all for the excellent advice and comments. "Factory Warehouse" has processed my credit but I've yet to see it in my bank. As soon as that happens, a 436 will be on order.

Have to ask.....do you have preferences as to a scanner dealer?

ENJOY the day!

 

[Mobilman44]

Just thought I would update you all.......this morning I placed an order for the Uniden 436. It should arrive here mid next week, a nice birthday present to myself!

Thanks all for the help.......I'm sure I'll have questions and comments down the road, but for the short term I look to be OK!

 

[LEH]

I'm sure I'll have questions and comments down the road, but for the short term I look to be OK!

Don't hesitate to ask, I am sure someone will have the answer you need.

I'd download the Sentinal software now and start working on how you're going to organize things. Maybe someone in Harris County already has a profile they'd share with you.

 

[Mobilman44]

Whew, the unit finally arrived yesterday - 4 days after Fed-ex projected. That said, it is in perfect shape and I got it up running in 15 minutes.

I know I'll have tons of questions and have several already but I want to try to answer them on my own.

But, I do have one question.........I do believe I would benefit from a better antenna. Most of my listening will be done indoors at the house and given my location, IMO most of the transmissions are at least 3 miles plus away. What antenna would you all suggest?

Thank you!

 

[jonwienke]

The Diamond RH77CA is an excellent all-around choice. There are other antennas better on specific bands, but it's one of the best overall.

But if you can set up pretty much any outdoor antenna above your roofline and trees, it will beat any antenna attached directly to the scanner.

 

[Mobilman44]

Thank you for the suggestion!

Regarding outdoor antennas, I have a story from my teenage years in Chicago....
I built a number of Knight Kit (Allied Radio - Radio Shack) back in the 60s. One was a short wave receiver. I ran a copper wire from the garage roof to my 2nd story bedroom and connected it to the radio. Somehow I figured hooking the Knight Kit 12 watt amp to the radio would improve reception even more. So I did just that.

A day or so later I turned on the units, got shocked senseless, legs went out from under me and I slid down on my butt. Not sure what happened, guess it wasn't properly grounded. Anyway, that was the last of my outdoor antenna experiments.

 

[mikewazowski]

Antenna discussion can be continued here:

https://forums.radioreference.com/s...1-best-aftermarket-antennas-uniden-436-a.html