Scanner Antenna Question

[Zap159]

Hello,

I was hoping you could help me out with a scanner question...

I have a radio shack pro-651 hand held scanner with the stock bnc "rubber duckie" antenna. The frequency range is 25 MHz - 1300 MHz.

My problem is I live out in the country in rural NW Iowa, and the house I live in has aluminum siding and an aluminum roof. The police / fire agencies around me are about 10-30 miles in any direction. Most use conventional frequencies, and most are in the 150-160 MHz range (a few are in the 450s). There are a few trucked systems, but they are a ways from me, and not my "target" at the moment.

I can usually only pick up 1 of the agencies around me, and only 1 of their channels. Its about 15 miles west of me. There are 10-20 agencies I SHOULD be able to hear at this range. I tried putting my scanner next to a window to help get around the aluminum siding thing (which I believe is the problem), but it doesn't seem to help much.

My question is, is there an good hand held bnc antenna anyone would recommend that would help pull the signals in from inside my house, and not lose the 25-1300 MHz range? I have considered an external antenna, but I'm worried about a lightning strike. Plus I think going with an external would tie me down to one place in my house (antenna cable length), not to mention the expense. I have seen a few available from Amazon, but I'm not sure which one would be the best for my situation.

Any assistance you can provide would be GREATLY appreciated.
Thank you in advance

 

[WQPW689]

Try the good old Diamond RH77CA. Although it's designed as a dual band (2m, 70 cm), it's top notch at receiving a lot of others. It's my go-to antenna when I'm on the move with a handheld, including my 436, 325P2 and 1080.

You're not gonna get 25MHz up to VHF without an external antenna, unless the propagation gods smile. For starters, try the Diamond 77. Might surprise you.

 

[Zap159]

Try the good old Diamond RH77CA. Although it's designed as a dual band (2m, 70 cm), it's top notch at receiving a lot of others. It's my go-to antenna when I'm on the move with a handheld, including my 436, 325P2 and 1080.

You're not gonna get 25MHz up to VHF without an external antenna, unless the propagation gods smile. For starters, try the Diamond 77. Might surprise you.

Thanks for the reply

That is one of the antennas I looked at, but I wasn't sure about the freq range, or the aluminum siding problem.

 

[wyShack]

My guess is you will need a outside antenna. It is fairly easy to install an antenna and properly ground it to prevent damage to your building in the event of a lightning strike.

One thing that MIGHT work in your situation is what is sometimes referred to as a passive repeater. Install your antenna outside then hook it up to another antenna inside your home (you can use the homebrew off center antenna described on this site here :Homebrewed Off-Center Fed Dipole - The RadioReference Wiki). Signals arriving at the outside antenna will be 'retransmitted' by the inside antenna. the signals will be weaker than if you hooked the scanner directly to the outside antenna but you may be able to pick them up all over your house. Basically the two antennas will 'pipe' the signals through your siding with some losses.

The higher your outside antenna the greater your range, but also the greater the chance of a lightning strike-a trade off that really depends on your surroundings (is a nearby building a lot taller than you?

Good luck
Never stop learning

 

[WQPW689]

Thanks for the reply

That is one of the antennas I looked at, but I wasn't sure about the freq range, or the aluminum siding problem.

The 77 performs fine inside with my concrete block/brickface construction. I do use it near the windows though. For 23 bucks, try it before you start thinking externals.

 

[Zap159]

The 77 performs fine inside with my concrete block/brickface construction. I do use it near the windows though. For 23 bucks, try it before you start thinking externals.

Just curious, you being a Ham, I have alot of respect for your opinion...
What is your opinion of this antenna?

Amazon.com: Radio Shack Telescoping BNC Whip Antenna for Scanners Receives: 25-1300 MHz, Amateur Radio HTs - Transmits: 2M 220 440: Electronics

 

[gewecke]

What Wyshack suggested is a good idea, and may work even better by using good low loss Rg6 quad cable with F59 tv fittings AND using a simple tv preamp in the line. :wink: 73, n9zas

 

[WQPW689]

Just curious, you being a Ham, I have alot of respect for your opinion...
What is your opinion of this antenna?

Amazon.com: Radio Shack Telescoping BNC Whip Antenna for Scanners Receives: 25-1300 MHz, Amateur Radio HTs - Transmits: 2M 220 440: Electronics

I have it and it's a fine antenna. I use it in the house on a Uniden 125 AT. Mainly for civil air bands but there's still some conventional Police transmissions (think Newark and Hoboken, NJ PD's when I'm up there). A little unwieldy for in the car or walking around, but still a good investment.

 

[Zap159]

I have it and it's a fine antenna. I use it in the house on a Uniden 125 AT. Mainly for civil air bands but there's still some conventional Police transmissions (think Newark and Hoboken, NJ PD's when I'm up there). A little unwieldy for in the car or walking around, but still a good investment.

Between the two we discussed here, which would be a better all around scanner antenna?

I was kinda leaning toward the Radio Shack one because its longer. I would think that would help with the distant weak signals. But i'm not a ham, you would know better than me.

Thanks again in advance

 

[KD1UA]

RS Antenna

Between the two we discussed here, which would be a better all around scanner antenna?

I was kinda leaning toward the Radio Shack one because its longer. I would think that would help with the distant weak signals. But i'm not a ham, you would know better than me.

Thanks again in advance

Here is the height adjustment for the Radio Shack Telescoping Antenna

USING THE ANTENNA FOR RECEIVING
For the best reception, adjust the antenna length as shown below.
Frequency Antenna Length
25–50 MHz (VHF Low)
50–54 MHz (Ham)
108–136 MHz (Aircraft)
Extend All Nine Sections
138–144 MHz (Government)
144–148 MHz (Ham)
148–174 MHz (VHF High)
Extend Only the Top Four Sections
220 MHz (Ham)
380–450 MHz (UHF Low)
470–512 MHz (UHF TV)
800–900 MHz
1296 MHz (Ham)
Extend Only 1 to 3 Lower Sections

Personally I use the Diamond RH77CA

 

[n5ims]

Between the two we discussed here, which would be a better all around scanner antenna?

I was kinda leaning toward the Radio Shack one because its longer. I would think that would help with the distant weak signals. But i'm not a ham, you would know better than me.

Thanks again in advance

I agree with the RH77 choice, it's very good on VHF and UHF but make sure that the one you get has the standard BNC connection, they make several versions with different connectors. It's optimized for the 144 and 450 frequency bands so it should provide good overall results. As a dual-band design, it should work on both the VHF-Hi and UHF frequencies you indicated are "your target". The telescopic antenna would need to be adjusted for those 150-160 frequencies and adjusted again for those around 450 so it won't be as convenient to use.

Longer isn't always better. An antenna works best if it's at specific length(s) for the design frequency. A 6" antenna may work better than a 4' antenna (assuming both are just rods) at UHF frequencies (for example) since it would be resonant. The correct length is dependent on both the frequency and antenna design so without specifics it's hard to give a "general" answer to what length would be best. This is why the RS telescopic antenna has instructions on how you should configure your antenna based on the desired frequency in use (see KD1UA's post for those instructions).

 

[Zap159]

I agree with the RH77 choice, it's very good on VHF and UHF but make sure that the one you get has the standard BNC connection, they make several versions with different connectors. It's optimized for the 144 and 450 frequency bands so it should provide good overall results. As a dual-band design, it should work on both the VHF-Hi and UHF frequencies you indicated are "your target". The telescopic antenna would need to be adjusted for those 150-160 frequencies and adjusted again for those around 450 so it won't be as convenient to use.

Longer isn't always better. An antenna works best if it's at specific length(s) for the design frequency. A 6" antenna may work better than a 4' antenna (assuming both are just rods) at UHF frequencies (for example) since it would be resonant. The correct length is dependent on both the frequency and antenna design so without specifics it's hard to give a "general" answer to what length would be best. This is why the RS telescopic antenna has instructions on how you should configure your antenna based on the desired frequency in use (see KD1UA's post for those instructions).

So it seems the consensus is the RH77. I'll give that a try.

Thanks to you all for your input!!

 

[Redneck0410]

If all else fails, get you a cheap magnet mount antenna and mount it to the roof. It may not suck in all the signals you want but it'll be an improvement.

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