FederalQ said:
Hello, I have a RadioShack Pro-97 right now and there are a few cities that are a bit far away (50 minutes by car) and I cannot hear them with my scanner. I have just ordered a Yaesu VX-170 radio...it is a 5 watt radio...if it has more "receive wattage" is there a chance that I will be able to hear the departments I cannot hear right now with my scanner? Thanks!
This is probably a question you should have asked BEFORE you spent your money. The Yaesu should have a better reciever than a scanner since it's dedicated to VHF so you may be able to hear them as long as they are on VHF. The only thing is that being a handheld, it is mainly designed for communicating on local repeaters, not long range reception.
I'd say your money would have been better spent on a good (preferably outdoor) antenna. Assuming they are using a repeater system, 50 miles isn't really too far to hear VHF even on your scanner as long as you have a decent antenna, especially if you use a directional antenna and aim it toward the signal you want to hear.
Another thing to consider is the location of the transmitter. The city could be 50 miles from you, but they may use a repeater that's another 20 miles away, so you might really be trying to listen to something thats 70-75 miles away.
And I also have never heard of receive wattage. "5 watts" is referring to the transmit power of the radio, which you can't use unless you have a ham radio license.