Would raising antenna help?

[tbharper]

I have a Scantenna 25 ft up in the air. I am using 30 ft RG6 Quad Shield Coax cable into a two way splitter that have both 15 ft runs to each scanner Grecom Psr 300 & 400. I live in Lafayette Tennessee the county is Macon .

My problem is I am trying to listen to Red Boling Springs ,TN which is also in Macon county about 15 miles away and i get a lot of static. I hear Lafayette great and the county freqs great but them way to much static. I can hear all other surrounding Counties and Cities in them great also with out static Sumner Co,Trousdale Co and Allen Co Kentucky.

My Question is Would raising the antenna another 5 to 10 ft help ? Maybe some of you have better suggestions to help .

 

[GKolo]

Try a pre amp, It has a noticeable increase in signal for me.

 

[tbharper]

What pre amp are you using?

 

[ridgescan]

My answer to you is that if at all possible, get up there and try it. I was up on that roof dozens of times trying to find that sweet spot and finally found it. I also raised mine from 5' to 10' which really didn't make as much of a difference as where the antenna was placed on the roof. Mine is mounted on a tripod and my roof is flat so I was able to scoot it to different spots up there and I learned moving it even 5-7' made a huge difference on uhf and up. Ultimately, I wound up at a point on the roof compromising between max signals and available anchor point of a tripod leg to iron aerator pipe. Who knows-in your case it may happen too, but I know that mounting locations can be very limited and safety is paramount and can kill the whole idea. My roof is peachy here because I'm top floor, roof access is just outside my livingroom sliding glass door, and the roof is flat.

 

[GKolo]

Scientific Atlanta Pre Amp with 12db of gain.

 

[ridgescan]

Scientific Atlanta Pre Amp with 12db of gain.

do you have the model# so we can google it? Thanks
also can you tell us how well it improved your signals in which bands and is there any frontend overload with it, and where is it mounted?

 

[popnokick]

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Diiferent approach: the Scantenna is an omnidirectional antenna and you write that you have it split between two scanners. Can you add a small directional antenna to your mast, such as a yagi, and point it toward Red Boling Springs? Install a new coax line from that antenna to one of the scanners. Leave the Scantenna on the other scanner, but take the splitter off and connect directly to Scantenna. End result is that you'll improve reception on both scanners without needing a splitter or preamp.

 

[GKolo]

95% of what i listen to is VHF in the 154 to 155 area and MilAir 250 to 300mhz area
The model on the drop gap amplifier
731553a
51 to 1000 mhz it provides 12db of gain

 

[ridgescan]

95% of what i listen to is VHF in the 154 to 155 area and MilAir 250 to 300mhz area
The model on the drop gap amplifier
731553a
51 to 1000 mhz it provides 12db of gain

I tried that # it got no results. So i did my own digging around-man hard to find reliable info on that unit.
Can you please give your own experience as to signal improvement and where did you mount yours-is it closer to the antenna outside, or is it inside near the scanner?
I am under the impression it will amplify all the RF noise around you as well as your desired signal-am I right? Sorry for the 20 questions-but you have me curious about this amp thing now. If it is a good thing, I may use it myself.

 

[GKolo]

PM me with your email address and i will send you a pic

 

[ridgescan]

ok I kinda don't get why you won't answer though. It would sure help the OP too.

 

[GKolo]

Sorry in the middle of cleaning a radio.
I am guessing it is a 5 to 10% improvement in my signal here.
I use a Diamond discone up 24 feet, a 50 foot length of RG6 Quad, into the PreAmp and then 2 jumpers up into the radio that are about 30 inches long.

Does that help ?

 

[ridgescan]

Sorry in the middle of cleaning a radio.
I am guessing it is a 5 to 10% improvement in my signal here.
I use a Diamond discone up 24 feet, a 50 foot length of RG6 Quad, into the PreAmp and then 2 jumpers up into the radio that are about 30 inches long.

Does that help ?

Yes that helps. I presume the noise then isn't an issue or you would have said so. Thanks.

 

[LordJ]

Ditch the two-way splitter, plug directly into the single run of coax. Check your results..

 

[GKolo]

I dont have any noise on my VHF stuff, On occasion i get some on the MilAir stuff.

 

[ridgescan]

cool appreciate the info

 

[zz0468]

I am under the impression it will amplify all the RF noise around you as well as your desired signal-am I right? Sorry for the 20 questions-but you have me curious about this amp thing now. If it is a good thing, I may use it myself.

Noise figure on those is 3-4 db, which is pretty mediocre for a preamp. Since drop amps are designed to work with fairly high levels, a super good NF isn't important. If you're trying to really dig weak signals out of the noise, that isn't the device for the job. It'll probably do fine if signals are a bit hissy and you want the hiss to go away.

 

[GKolo]

Drop Amp

See if this pic helps ?

 

[ridgescan]

Noise figure on those is 3-4 db, which is pretty mediocre for a preamp. Since drop amps are designed to work with fairly high levels, a super good NF isn't important. If you're trying to really dig weak signals out of the noise, that isn't the device for the job. It'll probably do fine if signals are a bit hissy and you want the hiss to go away.

right I saw you floating around RR and was hoping you'd pop in here your answer helps because i get that hissing, depending on conditions, in uhf with the desired agencies south of me past 15 miles. However, knowing that my bc785d is overload-prone, is why I pressed Gkolo for more on this amp. Thanks zz

See if this pic helps ?

yes it does G because my main concern was whether I would have to run power up to the roof for it, which I wasn't digging too much. Thanks.

 

[GKolo]

I have another Pre Amp that i used before i got this one, It only has 1 outlet on it and 15 db of gain. I tried putting it out on the mast and it didnt make my signal any better and the wife had a fit about the extension cord, So i did it this way and it works. Just need shorter jumpers into the radio to give it a cleaner look.