hrspotter
Jet noise lover
I figured out I had it on CloseCall Priority - even on open squelch it cut out every second or so. Turning CC off fixed it.Clipped transmissions at the beginning of a transmission are usually going to be a function of either the scan or the squelch not opening quickly enough. For the former, you can park it on the primary FCLP frequency. For both, there should be settings you can adjust to help the sensitivity (depending on your scanner model).
I will say that a rubber duck antenna will never perform as well as a mobile or base antenna. That is likely the main source of losing bits and pieces of the conversation.