Pro-95 stock antenna
- Thread starter marioc
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Eng74
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I use the RS 800MHz antenna on my 93/95/96/97. It seems to work better than the stock one on all bands.
KCChiefs9690 said:It is actually good at receiving VHF and UHF. But, if you listen to lots of 800MHz (trunking), then I recomend you get the Radioshack 800MHz Trunking antenna. It is about $15.
I agree that it works okay for VHF-high and UHF. For VHF-low (33-54 MHz) where "size matters" it performs poorly. If you have anything worthwhile down there, you'll want a telescopic whip that extends to three feet or more. RS still sells a scanner antenna with a center-load coil that works well all the way down to CB at 27 MHz.
Being that the stock antenna is a simple single-element antenna, it's actually too long for 800 MHz. The $15 RS stick will perform better.
As far as an antenna that works well for all bands, you won't find anything that fits on the scanner itself to do the job, regardless of whatever marketing schpiel it comes with it. You would have to get a discone and stick it on the roof or in the attic. I tend to like the telescopic whip because I can "tune" it for the various ranges by extending or collapsing it.
n4voxgill
Silent Key
if you are receiving what you want to hear, why worry about it.
n4voxgill said:
1. Because with the stock antenna many people do not receive everything they want to hear. You would be amazed how changing the antenna can reveal signals you may have wanted to hear, if only you knew they were there.
2. Listings are not everything, and many times can be elusive as to a station's true usage; that's why scanners have a "search" feature.
3. Many services, especially in the VHF range, are simplex. With the stock antenna you'll get the base station, but many times you can't get the mobile units, even if they're only a couple miles away. With a better antenna you can pick up more than just one side of the conversations.
n4voxgill
Silent Key
and if your receiving what you want to hear, why worry about it.
n4voxgill said:
n4voxgill
Silent Key
Dubbin said:
he never said any of this. It is not always applicable. If you hear what you want then it is a stupid waste of money to buy more antennas. If you don't hear what you want, then you need to go to a better antenna. But it sure isn't automatic.
But it's not a "stupid waste of money" if you start hearing more things that interest you with the new antenna that you didn't hear without it. Get the point here? :roll:n4voxgill said:
PhilJSmith67 said:KCChiefs9690 said:It is actually good at receiving VHF and UHF. But, if you listen to lots of 800MHz (trunking), then I recomend you get the Radioshack 800MHz Trunking antenna. It is about $15.
I agree that it works okay for VHF-high and UHF. For VHF-low (33-54 MHz) where "size matters" it performs poorly.
I agree completely. On Low Band it stinks compared to the stock duck. It's nearly the same on VHF High, exactly the same on UHF, and much better on 800 MHz.
Joe M.
n4voxgill said:
I, nor anyone else, said anything about it being "automatic." Your opinion is that buying a better antenna is a stupid waste of money. My opinion is that spending $129 on a piece of equipment and not wondering if it's performing the best it can is an absurd and lazy waste of money.
n4voxgill said:
Listen. Nobody is "worrying" about anything. High cholesterol is something you "worry" about. A tornado warning is something you "worry" about. Getting better reception on a scanner is something people are "curious" about. Asking questions does not equate to worrying; it equates to curiosity and the desire to learn. That's why the very first post on the thread was posted. Your post was akin to someone blurting out "shutup" in the middle of a conversation that you could very easily ignore.
Some people are not content with lousy reception and simply want to know what they can do to improve it.
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