RS/GRE 800 MHz Antenna vs. BCD436HP Stock Antenna

[cellphone]

Outstanding article Paul! This is very helpful and your results with the RS 800mhz antenna match what I have not been able to quantify.

I "forth" the motion to test a RH77CA. If you are willing to put in the time, I'll buy you the antenna. Let me know where to ship the antenna. It will be there next day.

 

[Tim-B]

You can also get that 800 antenna with an SMA connector so you don't have to use the adaptor on Uniden radios. They don't sell the SMA one at Radio Shack but if you google "remtronix 800 MHz antenna" you will find some vendors for it.

 

[royldean]

perhaps I missed it, but what is the vertical scale? db?

 

[UPMan]

dBFS (dB Full Scale) is what the SDR output provides (and is the vertical scale).

The absolute values are going to vary with each test setup (as I don't have a standardized physical setup...the distance between the antennas as well as vertical separation could vary). So, to compare a number of antennas, I have to do them all in one run. I've not done a repeat run with different setup to see what that does to the performance deltas (i.e. the graphed results). So, I'd take the graph as a good indication, but not worry too much about the absolute values. Perhaps someone who actually is an RF engineer could provide some clarification (for myself, especially).

 

[RF-Guy-El-Loco]

RS/GRE 800 Mhz Antenna

Paul, Excellent work. The graph tells us the whole story. This is labeled clearly, we can see the whole frequency spectrum and relative gain over 0 dBFS in the graph. No need to over analyze. Interesting response, I felt that the RS 800 antenna rx'ed a tad better at 460Mhz than stock antennas in my foolish antenna experiments with my own ears and bandscope mode. At 155Mhz I couldn't tell a difference.

I will clarify it for you, this is Exactly What I Wanted to See. A Frequency Graph. Great job!

 

[bigcam406]

so basically the graph is showing us what we already know, that the antenna works well for the specific band.

 

[royldean]

so basically the graph is showing us what we already know, that the antenna works well for the specific band.

It's confirming that, yes. But it's also showing that it works well for several other bands (not so much VHF, though).

 

[UPMan]

I'll clarify that it does not show that it works well on any band. What it shows is whether it is better or worse than the stock antenna on any particular band (it is possible that they both suck or are both excellent at a particular frequency...but that one is suckier or betterer [sorry for the use of technical terms] at that frequency than the other).

 

[Tim-B]

I have been all over Louisiana monitoring the statewide 700 MHz trunked system with various scanner and antenna combos over several years since the system was installed and I have gone through many rural areas, small towns, medium cites, big cites, and everywhere in between and this antenna works much better than any other I have tried on any scanner when monitoring this system. Sometimes when monitoring the Shreveport 800 MHz system it too much antenna in the city and I got cell site overload so I had to use a stubby to cut down the RF gain. But on the state 700 MHz system this antenna has worked very well. Other scanners on the same system with various other brands and lengths of antennas would have transmissions cut out or they would begin to recieve the transmission a few seconds late while the scanner with the RS 800 was talking away.

I have even purchased professional grade 1/2 wave 7 inch long antennex antennas made for professional 800 MHz trunked portables and they did nor work as well on the scanner as the RS 800.