Help setting up a antenna for digital scanner. Im lost here guys

[blackbeltrk]

Hello I'm trying to put together a out door antenna for my new radio shack pro 106 digital scanner. Here is what i have already I'm using rg 8/u cable with a pl 259 connector going straight to the antenna and bnc on the other end. I have a base antenna on a 10 ft pole on my house. So I'm guessing its 20-30 ft high . And it is grounded using a 10 ft grounding pole and 8ga grounding wire. I cant say I'm really happy with this setup i was hoping freqs would come in better. And i was hoping to get better range.

So I'm trying to put something new together that will blow this setup away.
What I'm trying to listen to is low freq such as 159. 453. 154. 155 ect. I also want to listen to the new digital trunked freq at 850. 868. also p25 my local fire and police use both digital and older FM
this is a link to my local FD and pd I'm trying to get

St. Joseph County, Indiana (IN) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Elkhart County, Indiana (IN) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

what i was thinking of getting was some LMR - 400 50ft cable and a 25-1300 MHz antenna. But I'm not really sure what I'm doing so that is where i need help. I'm looking for the best that can get, i need to know what type of cable and the type of connector's i should use also what type of antenna i should buy. And some links would be a great help. I'm confused here and not sure what i need to buy. To get all these freqs in the best i can. Also i hear of all these diff connector's such as pl - 259 and N type connector what is better to use and whats the difference between N type and pl 259?
Any help would be great thanks alot !

[Stealth Stalker]

We really need a lot more information. You tell us what kind of coax you have, but not what kind of antenna you have. You don't even tell us what kind of antenna you're thinking about getting. We can't tell you how to improve until we know what you have.

You also tell us who you are trying to listen to, but not where you are trying to listen from. If we don't know how far away you are, we have no idea what kind of performance you need. If you live in those communities you're listening to, you shouldn't need a roof antenna at all.

Whatever connectors you use is dictated 100 percent by what kind of connectors are on your devices. Some antennae have a connector for a PL-259. Some have an N connector. If you have the wrong kind, you can get an inline adaptor, but it is best to just have the right connector to begin with to minimise loss.

While LMR400 is definitely fine coax, and better than RG-8/U, it's not really a significant concern at under about 75 or more feet. It would not be worth it to replace it if you don't have to, until you go around 100 feet.

[blackbeltrk]

Well im listening from Elkhart,IN im trying to listen to South Bend PD which is prob 25 miles away from my location. Im also trying to listen to mishawaka PD which is p 25 and their only 10 miles away from my location. From my location mishawaka PD will cut in and out.(Its alot better at night time) But if i drive 3 miles down the road i can pick them up useing the rubber duckie antenna the unit came with. Im not really sure what type antenna i have i know it is a hustler name brand. It has 3 bars going down and above that are 3 bars. it does NOT have a whip. its mounted on a U bolt on a 10 feet pole on my house roof.
The antenna i was thinking about getting was this one here
WBD-40 Discone Base Antenna

over all i just want the best performance i can get. So i was thinking of getting the wbd_40 and LMR -400 from scannermaster.com In doing this i was hoping to have a range of 30 miles to 60 miles for high freqs such as 855, 865 ect. Also about the connector again is their any performance difference between N type vs Pl- 259 connector or is it the same performance ? thanks alot for the help .

[Stealth Stalker]

There are more factors to consider than antenna. If terrain is your problem, no antenna is going to compensate for a lack of height. I can receive 300 miles to my south. I can barely receive 30 miles to my north because of a line of 50 foot trees right next to my house. If you are in hilly or wooded terrain, you may be out of luck without a tower.

800mhz is a hard signal to pull in at distances. I have a P25 system ten miles to the east of me, and I get them very choppy, even with a $300 dollar antenna 25 feet in the air. The 800 trunk system 15 miles to the west of me is variable from clear to unreadable, depending on time of day. Until I get above the trees, I'm out of luck.

The discone you're looking at is a very good performer. Depending on what exactly the problem is, it may be all you need. However, a wideband antenna like that is always a compromise. When you try to be all things to all people, you don't do any one thing particularly well (much like the Escort 9500, but I digress). If 800mhz is your primary concern or weakness, I would find an 800mhz specific antenna to use for those systems. The performance difference is massive.

[blackbeltrk]

If i was it get a out door antenna for 800 mhz could i still pick up older fm 155.156. 453 ect? or would that antenna only be good for 800 mhz ?

[blackbeltrk]

I do have tons of high tree in my area in fact my antenna is kinda under a tree . I dont like it this way but i dont really have a chioce of the matter. Would you happen to have a suggestion on a good 800 mhz out door antenna ?

[Stealth Stalker]

I have a 5db 800mhz antenna on my car hooked up to four scanners. Those scanners primarily monitor only 800mhz systems, but there are a few 150 and 450-460mhz systems mixed in there too. The performance it gets on those lower frequencies is actually quite impressive. Certainly good enough. Whether it works good enough for you is something only you will be able to know. If you are having no problems receiving those frequencies right now, then you probably won't receive them much less using an 800 antenna.

Band specific antennae are a little harder to find, as they are mostly for professional two-way application, not scanners. The Comtelco (Maxrad) BSL, XL, and S series antennae are among the best bets.

Scanner Antenna Source - Vertical Antennas

I'm fixin to put one of those up myself.

N connectors are much less lossy than the PL-259. Te difference is probably not noticeable in most applications, and it's probably not worth changing them out. But if you have the choice from the beginning, for both your antenna and coax, I'd go with the N.

[blackbeltrk]

This is the antenna i have now here Hustler DCX discone base antenna

Here is a list of sites of antenna's im considering getting one of them could you please tell me which one would be the best performer for my application again im trying to listen to 155 mhz, 156 mhz ,453mhz (865 mhz Indiana safe t 800/900) which is local and comes in great right now ) (858 mhz P 25 mishawaka which is on and off somtimes it cuts out. Somtimes it wont , alot better at night time) my two hardest locations to pick up are south bend,IN which is 453. FM 25 miles away and mishwaka p 25 10 - 15 miles away . which one do you think would be the best performer? again thanks for all your help you have been great to me!! and make this site really come out .



Diamond D-130J Discone Antenna


Laird Y8066 Yagi Base Antenna


http://www.rfwiz.com/Comtelco/ComtelcoBase4.htm
Comtelco BSL SERIES HEAVY DUTY BASE STATION ANTENNAS
800/900MHz 6.5dBd Gain, 64" $242.00 or Dual Band VHF/UHF Unity Gain 96" $275.00



WBD-40 Discone Base Antenna

Again thanks so much ! Ryan .

[Stealth Stalker]

I wish there was a black and white answer for you, but it is really situationally specific. Again, it is possible that no antenna is going to do what you want it to do unless you add thirty feet of height to it. On the other hand, it is also quite possible that a simple antenna change will make all the difference in the world. I just don't want you spending $200 dollars on an antenna and then blaming it on me when it doesn't work. Without me actually being there to listen to what you are hearing and studying the terrain, this is all just theoretical speculation based upon experience and the information you have given me. Pleas bear that in mind.

The Diamond discone is generally considered the gold standard of wideband scanner antennae. I have never heard of any enthusiast unhappy with it's performance or construction. If any scanner antenna is going to do the job for you, it should. I have no experience with the WBD-40, but I would expect it to be of similar performance, give or take.

A Yagi is a directional antenna. It pretty much only picks up in the direction in which it is pointed. If, for instance, you live thirty miles south of town, and everything you want to hear is either right under you or directly north of you, a Yagi is an excellent way to go. If you live in the middle between two areas you want to monitor, then a Yagi is not a suitable option. But for distant 450 or 800 mhz systems, it may sometimes be your only option.

Scannermaster has an 800mhz omni that is excellent:

Laird FG8246 Omni Base Antenna

I'm betting it would pull in your digital and 800 systems perfectly, while still giving you quite acceptable performance on 150 and 450. That has been my experience. But again, only if the 150 and 450 systems are already coming in loud and clear.

I guess the question is, would you say that 150 and 450 are extremely strong and clear now? And would you say that 800 is extremely weak now? If neither are extreme, then I would go with the Diamond. If both are extreme, then I would go with the Laird omni.

Of course, the hardcore approach would be separate antennae for separate scanners, scanning separate systems. Hell, I have a dozen scanners running off of three antennae at any given time in my house, and there are still systems I am not getting as well as I would like. Nothing but a 50 foot tower is going to change that.

Good luck!

[thx1138]

To effectively answer this a site survey is needed and directions/distance of the intended transmitting stations needs to be known. I haven't done this for scanners but I have for HDTV reception. If you are looking to experiment on the cheap, try these ideas:

1. More height-do you have line of sight to the stations? Are you clear of buildings and trees?

2. A quality Low Noise Pre-amp coupled to your exisiting omni antenna. A Low noise figure is critical. The LNA sets the overall performance for the system. Installed as close to the antenna as possible. Consider a quality TV pre-amp. Typical vhf/uhf noise figure is around 3db. Channel master 7777 would be one to consider.

3. Use TV Yagis. You can buy seperate VHF and UHF specific yagis. You will need to point them the transmitters. You get a lot of gain, and it also suppresses noise. you will need to combine the signals into a splitter. Warren and-or Stark electronics carry a variety of antennas to consider. Most are very reasonably priced. Again get a band specific yagi, avoid the wideband antenna covering from 30MHz to 800MHz.

I'd try these first before I spend hundreds of dollars