The REMtronix 842 Antenna Review

[Nascar18]

Garys,
Give the Remtronics REM-830B 700/800 MHz Base Angle BNC a shot!!

I finally did a review on the Remtronics REM-830B. I think it's a great scanner antenna. The base angle let's you use the scanner anywhere. I have been using the scanner in my CX-5 in the door panel and angle the antenna up and the reception in the door panel is excellent. The antenna is a little thicker then the Remtronics REM 800.

 

[trentbob]

So the 830 would be the adjustable right angle antenna I guess for portable or base use and adaptable to the HP 1 and 2.

Tailgater911- RIP also known as JD started this thread for the 842... I must say after using it regularly after it was released it's a reasonably good so called "tri-band" antenna. It is long secondary to the nature of its coverage. It resonates the best on vhf high and falls a little short on 7-800 MHz but not that much if you're near a strong system. Holds it's own on UHF. I miss JD.

 

[garys]

I use mine on my 325P2 when I move it away from my desk. It works pretty well on 800 and UHF, so it covers all of what I want to hear locally. I'm going to Austin later this week, but I'll probably just bring my SDS100 with the RS version of the 820 as I'm not going out of the immediate area.

 

[philkoz]

A quick question about the 842s, does it fit on the SDS100 as is, or does it require an sma female to male connector, or trimming off some of the rubber to expose more of the connector ? I've checked several websites that carry them. I found 1 that said it will only work on the 436hp, a few that say it will work as-is, and 1 that said it fits the SDS100 "with an sma connector".

 

[Icanhearit]

as is, I'm an owner

 

[philkoz]

Thanks !! It's really hard to tell by the pics I've seen if the connector is long enough to work. So what's your opinion of it ?

 

[Icanhearit]

Most of my simulcast are in 700Mhz band, the 842s is 800-900mhz optimized. while my 810s is 700-900Mhz, so 810s should pickup 700mhz better

In reality both are better than the stock one (not by big margin) . In terms of P25, 842s is better in the room facing the tower(s) with better signals. it also result in with higher db gain. 810s is somehow less good (P25 voice observes more clippings) in that room, but is better in the room facing away from any tower (basically to the ocean - bay actually) with weaker signal.

842s is triband, 810s is for 700-900mhz only per spec, however I find it not bad and comparable to 842s on airband (120-13x Mhz) and 400Mhz band. 820s should be the same as 810s with o-ring

YMMV, depending on location etc.

Click my profile and see my other post, if portability is not your main concern, the cheap, leaf HDTV antenna seems super good, I'd say better.

 

[trentbob]

The 842s fits perfectly on the sds100 but does not have the O-ring so technically it doesn't match the water resistance that the original marine radio carcass maintained and who cares.

If you use it on a 436 there is a small Gap at the bottom of the antenna that can be easily fixed with little rubber O-rings that you can get at Home Depot... They are for aesthetic value only as it works just fine with a little Gap at the bottom of the antenna.

 

[philkoz]

Thanks guys ! I ordered 1 a few days ago. I'm already using the 810s with the radio. Just looking for something to help a little with VHF. I'm located pretty close to the closest simulcast tower, and actually have pretty good luck throughout most of the county with just a stubby 800 antenna, so I'm not too worried about signal or decoding issues. Thanks again !

 

[mistermightymoose]

A quick question about the 842s, does it fit on the SDS100 as is, or does it require an sma female to male connector, or trimming off some of the rubber to expose more of the connector ? I've checked several websites that carry them. I found 1 that said it will only work on the 436hp, a few that say it will work as-is, and 1 that said it fits the SDS100 "with an sma connector".

The antenna fits the SDS100 without requiring any modifications or adapters.

 

[Ensnared]

Anecdotal analysis, best one I've owned.

 

[anowal01]

Trying to decide between an 820 and an 842 for an SDS100. The primary system I intend to monitor with the SDS100 is a 700 MHz P25 Simulcast. However, there are a couple of towns within the area that don't use the trunked system and are on VHF hi. So I find myself in a bit of a quandry. It seems like the 820 is the better choice for the "more diffiicult" 700 simulcast, but am I going to be sacrificing too much of the VHF hi reception? Which is the right tradeoff here?

 

[trentbob]

Trying to decide between an 820 and an 842 for an SDS100. The primary system I intend to monitor with the SDS100 is a 700 MHz P25 Simulcast. However, there are a couple of towns within the area that don't use the trunked system and are on VHF hi. So I find myself in a bit of a quandry. It seems like the 820 is the better choice for the "more diffiicult" 700 simulcast, but am I going to be sacrificing too much of the VHF hi reception? Which is the right tradeoff here?

The 820 is a great antenna for your 700 MHz simulcast system. It also works okay on UHF but it is awful on VHF High. If you are going to listen to any of the VHF High then you go with the 842. It will give you overall coverage and is better than the stock antenna on 7-800 MHz.

 

[kmartin]

May be a dumb question but what if you use a bnc t connector with 2 BNC L connectors and hook the 820 to one of the L connectors and the 824 to the other ? Could that help 700MHz reception while monitoring Vhf signals ? Kind of like a u pattern ?

 

[kmartin]

I meant the 820 and 842

 

[trentbob]

Not a dumb question. You're going to find the results very mixed and unpredictable. It's never a good idea to use a t connector with two different antennas because you don't know how much of the signal from one antenna is going into the radio or the "other" antenna. It might work okay in 1 range but badly in another range, again very unpredictable..

It's also a lot of hardware that's going to put a tremendous strain on the antenna connection itself. In a portable application you are one wrong move from a very traumatic accident LOL

 

[kmartin]

That makes sense
Thanks Trentbob

 

[MichaelC34]

Recently, Raj Gounder of Remtronix, Inc., sent me the REM-842 antenna to test and evaluate. In the package were 2 rubber duck antennas - the 842b (BNC) and the 842s (SMA). I tested both on my Uniden SDS100 and BCT125AT at home on the front porch and mobile around Greene and Montgomery counties.

I compared first with the Remtronix 800mhz. Darke county, to the north about 25+ miles, and the town of Greenville within Darke county are my fav dx targets. Both Remtronix antennas easily picked up the Ohio MARCS simulcast with no problem. A little static but nothing to write home about. I tested both antennas on both radios with and without adapters and the 842b/s ran neck and neck with the Remtronix 800mhz duck on the Ohio MARCS system (I accessed the nearest site to the county line) The 842b/s picked up local business and vhf ham repeaters, some kind of courier/delivery mobile conversations, and city workers on the 125AT that the SDS combinations did not hear. I've often heard it said in these forums that the SDS100 does not bode well with vhf, airband, etc. I think I just proved it to myself. I guess I never really noticed because the vhf/uhf I listen to is fairly close (Fairfield Mall, Beavercreek) and I've never had a problem with that.

The Remtronix 842b/s is a very flexible 8-inch rubber duck with a black end cap on it. (the antenna is .5" longer with BNC connection) Sturdy and well-built, it does not feel like a cheap rubber duck at all. The 842 has a 6+db gain over standard antennas. This triband antenna covers the 136-174, 420-470, and 800-900mhz bands. It is optimized for these bands as well as being vertically polarized and omni directional. Engineered and constructed in Japan, the Remtronix 842 is as good as its 800mhz formidable predecessor, the Remtronix '800', and even better on the vhf/uhf bands. A very well rounded antenna from a reputable source, the Remtronix 842 is a solid performer with all of the attributes of the Remtronix 800mhz antenna and then some. I have my sma model hooked up to the SDS100 here on my desk and it might just stay there.

I've often wondered when an antenna would come along to nudge the Remtronix 800mhz from its lofty perch as the undisputed King of the Rubber Duck. Leave it to Remtronix to outdo themselves. Only they would know the recipe for reception

Well said brotha! Getting one of these my self!

 

[dazza0768]

I actually compared alot of antennas to this 842s as I just purchased it.
I was actually quite disappointed.
The stock uniden USDS100 antenna, comet sma-3, 820s and a couple of motorolla actually works better and out performs the 842s on all spectrums.
It works but just not great! It's a real shame the stock antenna actually has the upper hand.

 

[MichaelC34]

I actually compared alot of antennas to this 842s as I just purchased it.
I was actually quite disappointed.
The stock uniden USDS100 antenna, comet sma-3, 820s and a couple of motorolla actually works better and out performs the 842s on all spectrums.
It works but just not great! It's a real shame the stock antenna actually has the upper hand.

Yeah but your talking about the 842s i use a BCD325P2 with a BNC and I definitely notice a difference in performance and optimized reception. At my work i usually dont pick up much with the stock antenna with REMTRONIX everything seems better and I have noticed it picks up channels stock antenna would not normally pick up. At least thats I have noticed so far definitely happy with it.