Wideband Receivers

Status
Not open for further replies.

delta_p

Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2007
Messages
135
Is there a major difference between the receive capability of a scanner reciever vs. some of the more expensive wideband receivers out there? Hooked up to a good series of antenna is something like a VR-5000, IC-8500, or AOR5000 much better in recieving than a GRE 500 Uniden 396/996?


PP
 

mciupa

Database Admin
Moderator
Joined
Nov 5, 2002
Messages
8,301
I would think so. You can probably have a signal with full "quieting" in those high end receivers.
I guess a good way to compare would be to monitor Aviation UHF and see the difference.

But, on the other hand, only the scanners will work with trunking systems effectively.
 

RKG

Member
Joined
May 23, 2005
Messages
1,096
Location
Boston, MA
The simple answer to your stated question is "Yes," though if you get into the details, nothing is really so simple.

All FM receivers start with something called the "front end." The function of the "front end" is to narrow the segment of the spectrum that is fed into the next stage, which is a series of superheterodyne stages the function of which is to convert the frequency of interest into the single frequency that your receiver is truly capable of decoding (which is usually 455 KHz).

The "front end" consists of a series of wide-band amplifiers and pass-band filters. Obviously, in order to have a wide range of capability, either (a) you have to have a front-end whose band-pass is so wide and so shallow as to provide zip selectivity (a common problem with inexpensive radios) or (b) you have to have a bunch of different front ends, which are switched into or out of the circuit depending on the selected frequency of interest.

An ICOM R7000, for instance, four separate front ends, each of which contains some pretty sophisticated BPFs that are themselves somewhat tunable. The result is pretty good sensitivity and selectivity while preserving a decent bandwidth. The downside is that the radio occupies more than a cubic foot of space, weighs more than 20 pounds, and costs a lot of money.
 

delta_p

Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2007
Messages
135
Thanks,
Helps explain the cost and size of some of those units.

PP
 

delta_p

Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2007
Messages
135
N8IAA said:
Go to http://www.universal-radio.com and look under wide band receivers. You can compare prices, sizes, and specifications for those radios.
Larry

yes, I went there and looked. I was mainly interested in what I would getting in terms of performance at that cost vs. a $500 scanner for listening which was also explained.

Thanks,

PP
 

Turbo68

Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2005
Messages
878
Location
East Devonport,Tasmania,Australia
I been in the scnning hobby for 30 years and i am not an expert when it comes to the technical side of radios but and got enough radios to say that unless u get the right antenna & cable for receiving u are not going to get good reception no matter wheter u have a scanner or a receiver,however some radios will work well with different antennas and others will not.

ALINCO-DJX2000
2 AOR-3000A/AOR-8200MK3
ETON-E5 HF PORTABLE
GRE-PSR500
ICOM-R3/ICOM-R5/ICOM-R20/ICOM-PCR1000/ICOM-PCR1500/ICOM-R2500/ICOMR9000
ICOM-R9500/ICOM-92AD D-STAR
JRC NRD-545
RADIO SHACK-PRO96
REALISTIC-PRO2035
UNIDEN-246/UNIDEN-396/UNIDEN-780/UNIDEN-996
YAESU-VX7R/YAESU-FT8800R/YAESU-VR500/YAESU-VR5000
 

zz0468

QRT
Banned
Joined
Feb 6, 2007
Messages
6,034
mciupa said:
I would think so. You can probably have a signal with full "quieting" in those high end receivers.

We need to demand that the scanner manufacturers use lower phase noise synthesizers in their scanners. That's why you can never seem to get "full quieting" even on a strong signal.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top