vhf/uhf booster 15- 2507 ?

[usnasa]

hello does anyone know anything about boosting the signal from your antenna i curently have a discone about 15 - 20 feet up from the ground but really cant go any higher can someone recommend something to boost the strenght of my antenna i am trying to target the vhf/ uhf frequiences does anything about this from radio shack cat # 15 -2507 ? anyhelp would be great thanks

 

[Al42]

Depending on what scanner you hook that up to, it may do what you want, it may give you nothing but amplified noise or it may overload the scanner.

 

[safetyobc]

You could get the GRE PreAmp. Dunno how well it works but supposedly it is designed for scanners. There is a base model and a mobile type model. Not sure where you get the base type model but the mobile model is at http://www.greamerica.com/scanner.html

 

[philkoz]

For what it's worth, I hooked up a Channel master 3044 4-output amp and have had excellent results. I use a Wilson Yagi 8-element and a discone in the attic, running thru a duplexer into the amp. It helped enormously with Detroit's 800 system, and also greatly improved my NOAA weather reception. (I live in a fringe area, so I need all the help I can get). It's not the most optimum set-up, but I live in a condo, and outdoor mounting isn't a real option.

 

[kb2vxa]

I Usnasa and readers,

The only place an amp does any good is at the antenna end where it will shove more signal down the coax and not amplify crap picked up BY the coax. If you live out in a rural area with no nearby transmitters or noise sources an amp may buy you better reception but if you live in an RF rich environment like most of us do (you'd be surprised how many licenses are in this one horse town) you're buying trouble.

We hams have a saying for VHF/UHF work, "height is might", so get your antenna up as high as practical and use a high quality, low loss coax. Another thing we know about amps (preamps actually) is that they're great for weak signal work such as long haul SSB, satellite and moon bounce but practically useless for FM due to the limiting characteristics of an FM receiver. The difference is ours include sharp cutoff bandpass filters that reduce or eliminate interference from out of band signals. Those "DC to light wave" preamps intended for TV and scanners can't make the same boast so often they're plagued with intermod and other unwanted crap.

 

[LarrySC]

Your need is not an amp. Its an antenna with GAIN. If you monitor VHF/UHF there is an antenna at this site with 2db gain VHF and 3df gain UHF. The secret to good signal is to start at the antenna with an antenna that has gain. The discone is a flattop "aircraft" ant and some years ago Radio Shack started selling this style for scanners. The discone is you step up from a wet kite string. Google, search for more info, and study.