Need help, new member

[Bbowman2002]

Hey guys and gals, this is my first post. I have a unbidden bc350c, live in an apartment and am looking for a good antenna. I have nowhere to mount one outside. I only have a window to stand it in. Any suggestions? Also wouldnt mind upgrading my scanner if there is a great one in your eyes.

Thanks everybody

 

[bkantor]

When I lived in an apartment, the best result I got was with a magnet mount antenna. I put it on the air conditioning sleeve outside my window. At some point, I had to remove it and moved it inside and stuck it on a file cabinet with pretty good results. As far as a new radio, depends on how much $ and what you want to listen to. Out of my many scanners, my current favorites are the Radio Shack Pro-106 and GRE PSR-800. The 106 has the edge for reception, but the PSR-800 is incredibly easy to use. That is my opinion, your mileage may vary! Best of luck.
Bob

 

[Rt169Radio]

Welcome to Radio Reference,

A mag-mount antenna on a piece of metal would be the best for your current situation.

As for a new scanner would you want a handheld or another base scanner? Take a look at the Uniden BCT15X,GRE PSR-410,and the Uniden Bearcat BCD996XT.

 

[Bbowman2002]

I like the base models. I do currently have a mag mount antenna, what is the big deal with having a piece of metal to put it on? Trust me when I say this... I have had a scanner for a bit but I dont really know anything about it. By the way the feq's that i listen to are 110htzs to 180htz's I would like to listen to more but I hate how I dont get good reception. I know that the feq's that i listen to the most is 151.175. The call center for that feq is about 15 miles as the crow flies. I just hate not being able to hear something so close. Thanks for your guys help when I feel less of a man without knowing what to do...

 

[rmosier]

If you have a balcony you could do what I did. Went to the hardware store and picked up a large door hinge, and srewed it to the deck, and mounted a mast to it, and lashed it to the railing (it holds a diamond discone). When I leave I'll just fill the screw holes with wood glue. If you're downstairs this won't work. Depending on what freqs you want to hear, you might consider a beam antenna. Yagi or log periodic.

 

[rmosier]

Or maybe a preamp.

 

[gewecke]

I like the base models. I do currently have a mag mount antenna, what is the big deal with having a piece of metal to put it on? Trust me when I say this... I have had a scanner for a bit but I dont really know anything about it. By the way the feq's that i listen to are 110htzs to 180htz's I would like to listen to more but I hate how I dont get good reception. I know that the feq's that i listen to the most is 151.175. The call center for that feq is about 15 miles as the crow flies. I just hate not being able to hear something so close. Thanks for your guys help when I feel less of a man without knowing what to do...

Well , the big deal is magnetic mount antennas NEED a ground plane to work properly! And what do magnets stick to?
This is why mag mount antennas work well when on a fridge, file cabinet, a/c cover or in my case, a steel baking pan on top of a 7' high book case.

73,
n9zas