anthonie121
Member
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2006
- Messages
- 0
I need some help from the resident experts please.
I own a Uniden BC-246T and a Radio Shack Pro-96.
I am quite new to the scanner world.
I monitor mostly a digital 866Mhz trunked system, a lot of VHF high commercial stuff between 150 and 174Mhz and like to listen to Airband once in a while. I have only heard transmissions on 2 frequencies in the UHF 460Mhz range. Either my city doesn't have anything in that range or my antenna SUCKS in the range reallly badly.
I currently have a 1/4 wave home made groundplane trimmed for best SWR on 160Mhz range. You know, the type that you make with the SO-239 jack and the 5 pieces of brass welding rod..... It is mounted outside about 25 feet in the air and I am situated on a very high ridge looking down over the city. I am using about 50 ft of very high quality RG6 coax.
The local radio store near me has the Hustler DCX Discone Antenna on sale for $20.
Will I get drastic improvement if I use this Hustler DCX discone instead of my current setup with the home made 1/4 wave antenna tuned for 160Mhz?
Yes I know everyone is gonna jump in here and say "buy it and compare" because it is only $20. But I would like to get some real world advice instead from those of you who have used the Hustler DCX Discone or who are experienced enough to give me a fairly good idea of what to expect. At the end of the day, $20 is $20 and I can use it to put gas in the car or something rather than waste it on the Hustler if it will give me no noticable improvements over my 1/4 wave home made ground plane.
Here is a link showing the Hustler DCX
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/scanants/1205.html
Thanks in advance.
I own a Uniden BC-246T and a Radio Shack Pro-96.
I am quite new to the scanner world.
I monitor mostly a digital 866Mhz trunked system, a lot of VHF high commercial stuff between 150 and 174Mhz and like to listen to Airband once in a while. I have only heard transmissions on 2 frequencies in the UHF 460Mhz range. Either my city doesn't have anything in that range or my antenna SUCKS in the range reallly badly.
I currently have a 1/4 wave home made groundplane trimmed for best SWR on 160Mhz range. You know, the type that you make with the SO-239 jack and the 5 pieces of brass welding rod..... It is mounted outside about 25 feet in the air and I am situated on a very high ridge looking down over the city. I am using about 50 ft of very high quality RG6 coax.
The local radio store near me has the Hustler DCX Discone Antenna on sale for $20.
Will I get drastic improvement if I use this Hustler DCX discone instead of my current setup with the home made 1/4 wave antenna tuned for 160Mhz?
Yes I know everyone is gonna jump in here and say "buy it and compare" because it is only $20. But I would like to get some real world advice instead from those of you who have used the Hustler DCX Discone or who are experienced enough to give me a fairly good idea of what to expect. At the end of the day, $20 is $20 and I can use it to put gas in the car or something rather than waste it on the Hustler if it will give me no noticable improvements over my 1/4 wave home made ground plane.
Here is a link showing the Hustler DCX
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/scanants/1205.html
Thanks in advance.