SDS100, not ideal for VHF?
- Thread starter threeofnine
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Yep propagation charts are affected by cold fronts and changes in weather, problem I have with being able to receive at least six NOAA Weather Radio Stations is, not because of ducting but because of location, I get such long range that I will receive two different stations on one frequency.
For example I'm on the Delaware River North of Philly border just south of Trenton New Jersey on the Pennsylvania side and I will receive 162.4 which is Atlantic City, New Jersey and Allentown PA, you literally hear both stations simultaneously.
I also search the VHF Federal bands as they have become so busy recently, especially in the early morning hours.. surprising reports of VHF simplex Tac channels actually being in the clear at times. Between Philly and Trenton things get very busy, mostly ICE.
I also enjoy listening to Aviation and have had very good results with the CAP around Philadelphia and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
My rooftop with my 200 is a Sputnik ground plane with LMR 400 that performs very well on VHF, UHF and 7-800.
Back in Houston, I had one good station, and two marginal ones. Some nights, I'd leave an SDR waterfall running on NWS just to watch the different stations come in and out. Here south of Dallas, I get 5 stations constantly, with the last two frequencies coming in with just a bit of enhancement.
I've also noticed up here that you can get some interesting propagation along a front as it moves through. Never noticed that in Houston.
I've also noticed up here that you can get some interesting propagation along a front as it moves through. Never noticed that in Houston.
Thanks. I'm getting 162.400, 162.425, 162.475, 162.500, 162.550 and 162.575. I'll need to listen to see which one is which.
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Yes you see two locations one is where the station is located and the other locations are the weather coverage it offers so Fort Myers you are talking about Venice all the way up to the Panhandle, definitely Tampa, Lakewood Ranch, Sarasota and as I say you might even be getting something out of state above the Panhandle.
Just to clarify since this thread is about VHF reception on an sds100 is that what you are using, or a 200, what kind of antenna?
Correct I don't think the OP, and certainly not myself are interested in base type antenna setups. I am only interested in what can be carried at least "semi" easily, not overly bulky, and truthfully at times on a belt clip. I have enough devices at home to listen to VHF analog without worrying about how to do that.
Honestly if I wanted to carry more than one thing, I have some ham HT's that out-perform most things I've ever tried even listening of the ham bands. Trying to figure out if the SDS-100 will actually fit the "all in one" category.
Since I'm sitting at my desk with 10 different antennas (aside from the stock ones), I might as well talk about them.
I have: Remtronix antennas 820s, 920s, and 843 s & b; Gabil radio RH795 in bnc and sma; a Retevis dual-bander with sma for Baofeng; and two oldies but goodies, a no-name ham dual-bander bought at a hamfest, and the stock antenna from an early 90s Trident.
The Remtronix antennas perform very well for what they are. The 820 is excellent on 7/8/9, and the 920 is even better with two extra inches, and does UHF nicely. The 843 antennas are listed as V/U/7/8/9, good performance on U - 9, but it performs a bit better on VHF than a standard 8" duck. Plus, being foldable means it plays well with the 200 as a back of set, and the 100 so you can lay it down.
The Gabil GRA-RH795 is a 70 - 1000 MHz telescopic antenna. It comes in bnc and sma, but the sma one does not fit the SDS100. It's a heavy antenna, so stress on the radio's connector is a concern at longer lengths. Does a nice job at the frequency you tune it to. A roll of 18" heavy-duty aluminum foil helps any antenna, but really makes a difference with this antenna.
Retevis dual-bander, model unknown about 18", very flexible. Not the right sma for the 100, but very good on VHF, even with an adapter. Long and floppy, tends to smack things accidentally, but it works well. If it comes with the proper connector for the 100, it's worth investigating.
I've kept the last two around because they work well. The ham dual-bander is 18" and much stiffer than the Retevis. The old Trident antenna is just super broad-banded, does nicely down to about 12 MHz, and no glaring dead spots in its coverage.
They all do better than stock (not a very high standard to beat), but make sure to double check frequency coverage on the Remtronix to be sure it's the one you need.
And get a wide roll of aluminum foil...
I have: Remtronix antennas 820s, 920s, and 843 s & b; Gabil radio RH795 in bnc and sma; a Retevis dual-bander with sma for Baofeng; and two oldies but goodies, a no-name ham dual-bander bought at a hamfest, and the stock antenna from an early 90s Trident.
The Remtronix antennas perform very well for what they are. The 820 is excellent on 7/8/9, and the 920 is even better with two extra inches, and does UHF nicely. The 843 antennas are listed as V/U/7/8/9, good performance on U - 9, but it performs a bit better on VHF than a standard 8" duck. Plus, being foldable means it plays well with the 200 as a back of set, and the 100 so you can lay it down.
The Gabil GRA-RH795 is a 70 - 1000 MHz telescopic antenna. It comes in bnc and sma, but the sma one does not fit the SDS100. It's a heavy antenna, so stress on the radio's connector is a concern at longer lengths. Does a nice job at the frequency you tune it to. A roll of 18" heavy-duty aluminum foil helps any antenna, but really makes a difference with this antenna.
Retevis dual-bander, model unknown about 18", very flexible. Not the right sma for the 100, but very good on VHF, even with an adapter. Long and floppy, tends to smack things accidentally, but it works well. If it comes with the proper connector for the 100, it's worth investigating.
I've kept the last two around because they work well. The ham dual-bander is 18" and much stiffer than the Retevis. The old Trident antenna is just super broad-banded, does nicely down to about 12 MHz, and no glaring dead spots in its coverage.
They all do better than stock (not a very high standard to beat), but make sure to double check frequency coverage on the Remtronix to be sure it's the one you need.
And get a wide roll of aluminum foil...
So far for me on VHF, the comet RH77 has worked the best of all the ones I've tried in various devices. I've got several Remtronix laying around and as I stated earlier the multi-band one didn't do as well as the stock antenna that came with the BCD 436. (it did out do it on 700/800 however). I've ordered the comet that was mentioned here although I don't feel that is really what I'm after for carrying something on a belt clip at times however, I do want to test it on other devices also. I will say for 700/800 the Remtronix stuff works pretty well, I even use one on the back of one of my G5 amplified charging bases and another one on a BCD 436 which actually brought that scanner to life here for me on the simulcast I try and monitor, depending on where I'm at of course.
Thanks for the post about antenna's, that helps.
Just did a quick comparison of the 3 Remtronix antennas on the SDS100, to see how 7/8/9 reception was affected. Locked onto my local simulcast control channel, the monoband 820s was at -71dbm, the dual-band 920s at -74, and the tri-band 843s was at -80. Not a huge difference in numbers and no difference in audio that i could tell, but it does demonstrate the tradeoff in gaining bandwidth.
My old dual-bander and the Retevis will both tickle your armpit if you're not careful.
