TRX-1: Stock TRX-1 Antenna

[shajoe44]

What frequency range does the stock antenna that comes with the TRX-1 scanner receive the best. I know it is supposed to work on all bands but was curious as to which ones were at the top of the list. Thanks

 

[JustLou]

Without doing any scientific tests on the stock antenna, it seems to work best on the UHF band in the 440-500MHz range. It works just OK on VHF 118-174MHz, and the 800MHz band.

 

[shajoe44]

That was kind of my feelings too, but just was asking in case someone knew anything different. Thanks

 

[DJ11DLN]

That was kind of my feelings too, but just was asking in case someone knew anything different. Thanks

All of the stock rubber ducks are just so-so at best. They're too much of a compromise so that they can get wide-band coverage. I played around with the one that came with my TRX-1 for a little while and saw the same thing you are seeing, then replaced it with one of the RS800 ducks I scored when they were in the process of folding up.

 

[jaspence]

Any antenna of that type is a compromise even if it is designed for only one frequency range. If you take a ham HT and connect it to a decent base antenna, it does far better even with the cable loss on the 4 or 5 watts the radio puts out. Part is due to antenna height, and part to the gain of a base antenna. This frs radio from Radio Shack RadioShack 14-Channel FRS Transceiver 2-Way Radio Model 21-1850 Mobile/Marine for sale online was far more efficient than any handheld FRS could ever hope to be. Even though it ran on 12 volts, the output was the same as a handheld, but with the transmitter and antenna directly connected and car roof for a ground plane it was actually useful.