SDS200 Indoor antenna?
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trentbob
Silent Key W3BUX
You can always use the outdoor antenna of your choice by mounting it on a floor lamp, possibly in conjunction with a broom handle with 10 ft of low loss coax..
You would then have some latitude to move it around and rotate it for the best reception.
What kind of house and where is the scanner located? The antenna that comes with the 200 works fine on simulcast. I listen to a few.
Simulcast presents its own problems, where more is not necessarily better. So, poking an antenna outside of your window, while beneficial for conventional stuff, may make overcoming simulcast issues worse. There have bed. Many posts proclaiming a paper clip does better on simulcast systems than anything else they’ve tried. The floor lamp/broom handle approach is a variant of this. It gives you the ability to change where you locate your antenna without having to move your scanner. The scanner is placed where you want it annd the antenna is moved around looking for its permanent home. It could be just a matter of inches or feet. (I only use the sites best suited for my home when programming these systems. And low loss coax is always a must when working with the higher 700/800MHz frequencies, where most all simulcast issues are found to be present. It’s hit or miss with simulcast. The guy next door may be able to hear stuff you can’t, all because they’ve found that “sweet spot” a place to park their antenna. In my case, I use 50 feet of LMR400 coax to connect an outside rooftop directional antenna. It’s thick and stiff but a short piece (just enough to allow for the tight bends needed to make the final connection to the scanner) of more flexible coax is used as a jumper to connect to the scanner. They make low loss cable just as good (or maybe even better) that is thinner also. But I don’t have simulcast issues, at least not yet!
trentbob
Silent Key W3BUX
The poster here is using an sds-200 which has an SDR chip which overcomes simulcast distortion.
The paper clip method that you talk about was one of the many gimmicks, like drilling a hole in a empty paint can and putting the rubber duck in it to overcome simulcast issues and is certainly not the same as a good quality rooftop antenna mounted on a floor lamp or tripod.
2 story house with scanner in bedroom. I have been using a suction cup antenna on the window, but now it seems a lot weaker.
What floor? Scanner near a window?
Which model? If it's not tuned for the freqs the simulcast system uses it might not be that good.
What is the system that's coming in weak and how far from the tower are you?
I am aware it a SDS200… I’ve got two of them. The paper clip was just one example, driving towards the intended method of moving the antenna, trying differing antennas, etc., granted, these ideas were offered to those who were t using an SDR receiver. But mostly to point out it the location of the antenna that’s important. An outside antenna isn’t necessarily the answer. And while I am not bothered by simulcast issues (as my BCD325P2 works just fine), the software defined radio microprocessor chip you refer to isn’t infallible. The SDS200 may still have the need for tweaking the location and type of antenna used. Thanks for pointing out the various “tweaks” that were offered for those having trouble with simulcast when using the BCD436 and 536’s. That point completely slipped my mind.
trentbob
Silent Key W3BUX
Yeah my County went Phase ll simulcast in 2015, rendering the x36 useless just a year or so after getting them. We had to go over to apx radios to pick up my counties system.
Back to topic, the SDS radios handle simulcast very well, as you know, but the original poster here might be having issues with being out of range of the system he's trying to pick up, hence my recommendation for a rooftop antenna mounted on a inexpensive floor lamp or tripod using low loss coax.
Moving it around will certainly help with being out of range, in addition the poster could also apply filters to the sites of the system.
Dave seems to be on track with that.. too far from system, possibly out of range and window stick on antenna not appropriate frequency coverage.
There has been good info posted above already, so just a couple of thoughts /questions.
First, I agree, this sounds like it is not even a simulcast problem, but a signal strength problem.
So, the next question is more of a what and a where.
What system are you trying to hear?
It's transmit frequencies determine what antenna to use (800, use an 800 - VHF, use a VHF, etc, etc.).
An 800 antenna will work for 800 - VHF, not so much.
THere are fairly good wideband antennas, but they are a compromise - OK at most freq, great at none.
If signal strength is indeed the issue, narrowing down the frequency of the antenna becomes important.
Then the where.
If you are far away from the nearest transmitter, you need an antenna with gain - maybe even a directional antenna (Google "Yagi").
Low loss cable is also very important.
As to your suction cup antenna. They are usually cheap and thus, use crappy, high loss cable.
The more info you post here, the better we can help you.
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W9THR
Member- long time listener, first time caller
i use a 900 mhz yagi pointed in the general direction of the towers... just keep tweaking the antenna for strongest signal....
WX9RLT
Top Dawg
Make sure the antenna is on the outside of the window.
Friend of mine uses a J-pole, and brags about the reception he gets.
I would recommend using the ANALYZE feature as well.
wtp
Member
what you might not see...
some houses used what was called solar ply for roof plywood.
it had one face covered with aluminium foil, not good to get radio waves in the house.
then inside the walls a rigid insulation board with two sides of foil were used.
again, great to save on energy costs, but they reflect radio waves.
if your window looks like a mirror, it has metal in it VERY small particles of metal.
and you can figure out how good it is for radio/energy/heat reflection.
could you try the antenna outside the window for a few minutes to check reception ?
some houses used what was called solar ply for roof plywood.
it had one face covered with aluminium foil, not good to get radio waves in the house.
then inside the walls a rigid insulation board with two sides of foil were used.
again, great to save on energy costs, but they reflect radio waves.
if your window looks like a mirror, it has metal in it VERY small particles of metal.
and you can figure out how good it is for radio/energy/heat reflection.
could you try the antenna outside the window for a few minutes to check reception ?
rf_patriot200
Active Member
I know you said you can't stick anything outside, but a cheap and dirty idea is IF you don't have Double pane windows, then a Glass mount mobile scanner antenna would work much better. I think Scannermaster.com still markets some.
I built a 1/4 wave ground plane, mounted it to the top of a wood dowl rod, and zip-tied the dowl to a lighting fixture. That solved the problem of getting a simulcast system not that far away from me. You can also pick up a small Yagi antenna from Amazon if you have a way to mount it.
Rt169Radio
Member
Would this possibility help? I have the handheld version of this antenna and it works really well.
REMTRONIX 800 MHz FLEX BNC Antenna | Scanner Master
REMTRONIX 800 MHz FLEX BNC Antenna
www.scannermaster.com
trentbob
Silent Key W3BUX
I think that's a good antenna, but the original poster could also try the BNC 7-800 model that was once the RS 800 and just get a right angle adapter.Would this possibility help? I have the handheld version of this antenna and it works really well.
REMTRONIX 800 MHz FLEX BNC Antenna | Scanner Master
REMTRONIX 800 MHz FLEX BNC Antennawww.scannermaster.com
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