PSR-300 Overload issues

[CStarr59]

I've had a psr-300 for many months now and it's always been plagued with front end overload issues no matter what antenna I used. I've tried all types of whip antennas and all no good, so it just sits unused in my drawer and every now and then I will pull it out and after 20 minutes I am so frustrated with the overload I put it back away again. So I just chalked it up to my location and almost gave up until last night when i was looking through my antenna box and found an antenna that was long packed away and thought I'd never use. I put it on the psr-300 and all the overload issues were gone and reception was great. This is the antenna that I used...........
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103159
I don't understand why it works, but it just does and it makes my psr-300 shine and it's back on my counter and scanning away like never before. I'm sure everyone has seen this antenna before and never gave it much thought. But if your having issues with front end overload give it a try, It just might solve your problem once and for all.

 

[tbharper]

Glad you found a antenna that works for you. I love mine i have it hooked to a scantenna at the house and use this with my http://www.wearecb.com/store/hustler-mot-trunk-lip-mount-scanner-antenna-p-549.html truck and it works great

 

[CStarr59]

Glad you found a antenna that works for you. I love mine i have it hooked to a scantenna at the house and use this with my http://www.wearecb.com/store/hustler-mot-trunk-lip-mount-scanner-antenna-p-549.html truck and it works great

Don't you get overload with the scantenna? My psr-300 is the only scanner that suffers from this, all my other scanners work fine. I have a psr-100 that will take any antenna hooked to it and work great, so maybe my psr-300 need to be looked at by GRE.

 

[tbharper]

My 300 does not get overloaded with the scantenna. that might be because the area I'm in i live in Tennessee, Macon County

 

[country2]

Mine is pretty bad on my Pro-106 using the antenna that came with it but not as bad with my scanantenna mounted outside...go figure unless one of the wireless devices near it causes it but anyway I bought that antenna few years back for my pro-97 but cannot remember what I did with it!

 

[br0adband]

I've been a big fan of that telescopic whip antenna since it was first introduced at Radio Shack way back in the early 80s - the only thing I'm not a fan of is that price. When it was first introduced - and make no mistake it is exactly the same right now as it always has been, it is no different from an engineering standpoint - the cost was $6.99 out the door. I really can't comprehend why they've jacked the price so damned high now, nearly 3x more (give or take a few bucks), and while I still own one, I am a bit peeved at the cost.

Personally, for general everyday monitoring of everything from around 150 MHz up to 960 or so I just use the very highly regarded (and worth every cent) Radio Shack 800 MHz duckie. I don't know what it is about that antenna but ever since it was first introduced it's been pretty much my favorite single "all purpose" antenna ever, and I've own dozens of scanners and even more antennas of all kinds over the past 30+ years I've been monitoring regularly.

I just got home with a GRE PSR-300 and a Diamond RH-C77A which is also a fantastic all-around general purpose antenna, but if I can get to Radio Shack on Friday I'll be grabbing an 800 MHz duckie for sure. Especially here in Vegas where we have the huge SNACC county sponsored communication system, my need to monitor the 800 MHz band is primary and that antenna is simply astonishing in that range, especially for the cost which hasn't changed since it was introduced over a decade ago.

Go figure.

 

[CStarr59]

I've been a big fan of that telescopic whip antenna since it was first introduced at Radio Shack way back in the early 80s - the only thing I'm not a fan of is that price. When it was first introduced - and make no mistake it is exactly the same right now as it always has been, it is no different from an engineering standpoint - the cost was $6.99 out the door. I really can't comprehend why they've jacked the price so damned high now, nearly 3x more (give or take a few bucks), and while I still own one, I am a bit peeved at the cost.

Personally, for general everyday monitoring of everything from around 150 MHz up to 960 or so I just use the very highly regarded (and worth every cent) Radio Shack 800 MHz duckie. I don't know what it is about that antenna but ever since it was first introduced it's been pretty much my favorite single "all purpose" antenna ever, and I've own dozens of scanners and even more antennas of all kinds over the past 30+ years I've been monitoring regularly.

I just got home with a GRE PSR-300 and a Diamond RH-C77A which is also a fantastic all-around general purpose antenna, but if I can get to Radio Shack on Friday I'll be grabbing an 800 MHz duckie for sure. Especially here in Vegas where we have the huge SNACC county sponsored communication system, my need to monitor the 800 MHz band is primary and that antenna is simply astonishing in that range, especially for the cost which hasn't changed since it was introduced over a decade ago.

Go figure.

Both the RS 800 and the Diamond RH77CA are fantastic antennas, but both cause overload on my psr-300. Even the stocker causes it and I really like the scanner and don't want to give up on it. The RS telascopic whip is the only one that I have tried that actually works. If I put the diamond on it the radio will last about 2 minutes then start overloading. I've tried all different areas of my home and it's the same, even outside it does it.

 

[CStarr59]

Ok I tried a test, I put the Diamond RH77CA on and the local frequencies that are close by come in crystal clear. I'm getting overload on distant signals where the signal bar is maybe 2-3 bars. I have the global attenuator on so just the "G" is on the top of the screen. Any Ideas...? It works a little better with the RS 800 antenna but still overloads. All my frequencies are conventional VHF/UHF analog and no trunking in my area. The stock antenna does not work well so I don't use it at all. The stock antenna also fits loose on the BNC connector, all other antennas fit snug.

 

[CStarr59]

Update

Well after several hours of testing different antennas and attenuator settings I have come to a decision. The RS 800 antenna works the best without overloading and if I keep the attenuator totally off it receives good. It's been running several hours with this setup and is performing well. So I guess problem solved and thanks for all that helped.

 

[jyams]

I read on this forum that the RS Stubby below is a good antenna in environments where overload is a problem. Makes sense.

 

[jyams]

Also might try this filter. I use it on my PSR 500 and it cleared up overload problems for me. Also discussed in this forum

 

[CStarr59]

I read on this forum that the RS Stubby below is a good antenna in environments where overload is a problem. Makes sense.

I have tried smaller antennas like the race stubby and no overload also not much anything else also. Since I played around with the attenuator and have been using the RS 800 antenna all is good. The scanner is happy with this setup and so am I, so far so good. The RS 800 is a fantastic antenna for all around scanning on all frequencies. It is amazing how good this little antenna works.