Radio range question

[jcanupp]

I live in west Forsyth County. North of GA20, right on the Forsyth / Cherokee line. There is no terrain between my home and downtown. I guess about 30 miles. I'm considering on SDS100. Is it credible the I could hear Atlanta Public Safety here, also Cobb? Do I need to special radio addons to hear Dawson?

 

[SkiBob]

You won't know until you try. That doesn't answer your questions, but something I learned a long time ago was... When you ask, they will tell you why you can't. Then when you try it and it works, those same people will tell you why it did.

It's all about the antenna. The better antenna you have, the better chance you have to hearing what you want. Don't count on the stock antenna to get anything but the local stuff. There are tons of threads that discuss antennas.

 

[jcanupp]

Awesome. Thank you for your advice. Btw, I love the Tomcat on you profile! My favorite airplane ever!!

 

[mccleway]

I agree with SkiBob: probably comes down to the antenna. Personally, I wouldn't expect to hear what you're looking for with the SDS100 sitting on a table in the middle of my house. Now if you add an external antenna to it, say about 30' up on the eve of the house, you'll probably pick up more than you can imagine. Same goes for a vehicle. Definitely add a mobile antenna to it to get the most out of your listening.

 

[jcanupp]

Gotcha. Thanks you for your advice.

 

[w4amp]

With a good outdoor mounted discone fed with some lmr400 coax you will pick up Atlanta and Cobb fine. 700/800 mhz P25 (Phase 1 and 2) is where the SDS series really shines. You might be able to receive them with less, elevation is the main factor.

 

[jcanupp]

Got it. No way I'm going to attempt an outside antenna, I would mess it up. Definitely would need it installed.

 

[maxxkatt]

Got it. No way I'm going to attempt an outside antenna, I would mess it up. Definitely would need it installed.

I am in Gwinnett county (Peachtree Corners) and I have the same distance type question. I have a 2 story house and putting a Discone antennat in the attic running Wilson Electronics 50 ft. Black WILSON-400 Ultra Low Loss Coax Cable. Doing attic antenna instead of outside antenna, because tried that years ago and slipped on the roof and almost fell off. Never again.

 

[MTS2000des]

What system(s) are you trying to monitor? What scanner(s) are you planning to use?

 

[radiohead90]

As stated above the antenna is very important. But don't forget to use the best feed line you can afford. Both components will make all the difference in the world.

 

[KK4JUG]

Also, remember terrain isn't the only troubling factor. Power lines, metal roofs, coax--virtually anything between you and the transmitter--can have an effect.