Hi all,
I have this massive cell tower 1/4 mile away and have no problem hearing 800MHz with a 3dB gain antenna at 40' HAAT. I have no desense problems at all even with the municipal tower a block away and more licensed transmitters in this postage stamp size town than you can shake a stick at, I'm quite literally surrounded by antennas within sight.
Am I just lucky or is there something you guys are failing to communicate here? I suspect incomplete information, looks like a puzzle with a few pieces missing. Mike, if you have to be a mile or more from the tower I suspect a lousy receiver. Having had a mobile 2M setup for a number of years and several rigs I can tell you that all receivers are not created equal, nor are they endowed by thier creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are servicable life, operability, and the persuit of signals. What the manufacturer never tells you are the critical bits, that's what the ARRL lab testing is all about. Too bad there isn't the equivelent for scanners and SW receivers, "the truth is out there" but you have to find it yourself "if you want to believe".
Edited for "inaliens". (;->)