New Antenna...no Better..help

[JHARKNESS918]

I Purchased A Radio Shack Discone Antenna, Raised It To 25 Feet, And Get Little To No Better Reception On It..i Am Freaking Out...did I Do Something Wrong? I Had A Better Reception At 12' With The Lower Version Discone. I Put A 10' Mast On My Garage And Purchased The Higher Priced Discone...would A Preamp Help Or Did I Mess Up On Installation? I Double Checked Everything And Am Just Pissed That I Spent The Money On The Mast And The Antenna, Etc. Let Me Know ... Thanks

 

[red8]

it would depend on where abouts you live because of the fact if live
close to large metropolitan area the preamp could cause front end
overload real bad and if you try to use the attenuator off of your
which could help would cover up the weak signals on the scanner

red8

 

[ka3jjz]

What kind of coax did you use? That's a critical step that most folks ignore - as you get higher in frequency, coax loss rises dramatically. RG58 will not cut it here; 9913 Belden is good, and some like to use RG6.

This has been discussed at length on this forum; I'd suggest calming down and doing a little homework before continuing. 73s Mike

 

[ShadowKnight]

Is this a good antenna for the BCD396T? http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...ntenna&kw=telescope+antenna&parentPage=search

 

[red8]

It is not a crisis, it's just one of life's minor convienences that occur
from time to time
red8

 

[JHARKNESS918]

Wow,....i Am Using Radio Shack Rg-58...could That Be All It Is? Where Do You Recommend Going From Here?...sorry, Spent All Afternoon Getting The Mast Up And Antenna Put Together And Then Just Staring At The Scanner Saying...when Does The Magic Happen?

 

[newbie]

I have that antenna and have had good results with it.

 

[Bucko]

RG58 is the last thing you want to use on a long run, your higher end bands will take a hit, try RG8 or RG6........

 

[JHARKNESS918]

I Take It Rg6 Is Better?
Do The Adapters To Pl259 Connections Cause A Loss Or Should I Make My Own?

 

[elk2370bruce]

Anything is better than Rat Shack RG 58! There is nothing with more loss! Belden 9913 is am awesome alternate and well worth the extra cost - especially for long runs.

 

[Bucko]

I Take It Rg6 Is Better?
Do The Adapters To Pl259 Connections Cause A Loss Or Should I Make My Own?

I have used the adaptors and did not see any ill effect on the reception then I am on a high hill. You can remove the PL connector and replace it with a BNC..And like elk2370bruce said the 9913 is very good but if you have a run like 50ft or so the RG6 would do fine.

 

[JHARKNESS918]

Thanks for all of your help...I went out last night and purchased the rg6 cable. Marginal help at best..thinking about my next course of action. After a good night of sleep, I might go up again and check all the radials, but I know they are in good..Anymore help or suggestions are always welcome, thanks again!!

 

[intrepid97]

I have the RS "sputnik" antenna and the RS Discone,Lets just say I am glad I got the Discone on sale at a closing RS or I would have felt I had been taken.

I swapped the Discone with the Sputnik and I was NOT impressed in the least bit,The only place the Discone was better was the low band range,Signal strength dropped off on VHF Hi-Band and UHF.

I took the Discone down and put the Sputnik back up,So there is my 2¢ on this subject

 

[mdulrich]

Marginal help at best..thinking about my next course of action.

How far are you trying to listen? Are you trying to listen to a repeater or a trunked system? Depending on how far you are trying to listen you might have unrealistic expectations of what an outside antenna will do for you.

Mike

 

[dirtfinder]

I have that same rs discone up in the air about 20ft using lmr-400 cable and receive signals from 100mhz to 460mhz that are approx. 65 to 70 miles away clear as day. Now on the other hand if it is the 800mhz you want not a good antenna at all.

 

[buffalogoat]

I agree with the others about the Rad Shack RG-58 coax! RS sells some great products but their coax is'nt one of them! If you want to stay with 50 ohm coax, go with RG-8X or use RG-6Q 75 ohm coax. Either one will be a big improvement over the RG-58!

 

[blueangel-eric]

Is this a good antenna for the BCD396T? http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...ntenna&kw=telescope+antenna&parentPage=search

i have that one and if adjusted correctly it works fine. many people say it's junk but then they aren't using it right. the botom and top parts goes all the way out for low band and the top 1st section above the coil goes in, bypassing the coil for vhf hi. just test it on distant WX stations and see what i mean.

 

[RocketMan1]

Thanks for all of your help...I went out last night and purchased the rg6 cable. Marginal help at best..thinking about my next course of action. After a good night of sleep, I might go up again and check all the radials, but I know they are in good..Anymore help or suggestions are always welcome, thanks again!!

I too made the same mistake as you, I ran out and bought the RS discone thinking bigger is better, I came here for help, and after some questions and research I returned the discone and bought the RS "sputnick", and I couldn't be any happier, at only a fraction of the price (I think I paid about $24.00) you can't go wrong.
Also I heard GREAT reviews about the scantenna, can't wait to get one.
hope this helps.

 

[DewAddict]

For what its worth, I just erected a 5/8 wave vhf antenna to a height of 20' on the garage and I used Radio Shack RG-8 coax that was on clearance for $9.97 (used to be $40) I ran a 50 foot section into my garage/radio hut, as I call it. I have the Pro-96 and can pick up APCO 25 towers 40 miles away consistantly and can monitor radio traffic with ease in the 800 mhz spectrum.

The most unique part of this installation is that the antenna is not made for monitoring 800mhz at all. Now, I am just a few miles from the main tower I listen to, but even the tower that is 40 miles away comes in great. Just wanted to give you an idea of what worked for me.

Rob

 

[blueangel-eric]

Also I heard GREAT reviews about the scantenna, can't wait to get one.
hope this helps.

i just got a scantenna and it's great. heard 6 meter dx right after puttuing it up Canada station to a michigan station. i'm in KS

the RR channels good and UHF all good.
quite impressive compared to my Traintenna for trains or my 2meter homemade 5/8 wave and Ringo Ranger 2 antennas.