# Bought my Scanner - Working on Antenna



## YuccaFlatsRanch (May 3, 2004)

Got a like new Radio Shack "PRO-2052" 1000 memory trunking desktop scanner on Ebay for $72.50. Should be here by Sat. or next Tuesday. would be fun to have it set up by New Years Eve. That might provide interesting listening. Now I need to find the appropriate antenna. In the antenna dept. I assume that living on a high hill helps. What do you all think of these antennas??

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BIG-SNOOP-D...621?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item336ff68b6d

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RF-KING-TB-...434?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eba2d502a

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Meter-VHF...676?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c2254bf7c

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Deluxe-Disc...353?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item519c5b0389

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Discone-Ham...004?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4160b32f34

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JETSTREAM-J...621?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2317fded0d


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## BillHoo (Mar 16, 2005)

I found the best scanner antenna I ever had was made from a 7 foot length of stereo wire soldered onto an RCA plug. On the scanner, I removed the stock antenna and put on BNC to RCA adapter.

With that I could hear everything in nearly the whole state - which became a problem because there's only a handful of police and fire frequencies, which are normally separated by geographic designations. With a powerful antenna as mine  I started to get overlap of municipalities and it got confusing.

My setup was also great for picking up cordless phone conversations and baby monitors in the 43 mHz range within a half mile - back before digital scrambling.

I used to get into such mischief!

Once, I was listening in on the local scumbag, teenaged drug dealer that I knew in high school. He had paid his supplier with a personal check! He immediately called the bank (in days before online banking) and had a little trouble with his password, so he called customer service and had them reset his account password over the phone. (I copied the numbers down - hehehe!)

He then proceeded to transfer a large sum of money from his savings to his checking account.

After he finished and hung up, I went to a payphone (when they still had those in my town) called the 800 number to the bank, put in his account and password and I transferred the large sum back from his checking to his savings! Then I cancelled his overdraft protection.

I'm sure his supplier was not happy to have received a bounced check!

Yea, I was a weird kid in my teen years.


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## radiofish (Mar 30, 2007)

YuccaFlatsRanch said:


> Got a like new Radio Shack "PRO-2052" 1000 memory trunking desktop scanner on Ebay for $72.50. Should be here by Sat. or next Tuesday. would be fun to have it set up by New Years Eve. That might provide interesting listening. Now I need to find the appropriate antenna. In the antenna dept. I assume that living on a high hill helps. What do you all think of these antennas??
> 
> 
> 
> ...


*This is an interesting antenna I found. I would myself go for this one, due to enhanced 50 MHz (6 meters) transmit ability with the large vertical radiator on the top of it..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/discone-out...708?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cc02bc4fc*

For some of the antennas listed above (such as the 2 meter copper pipe antenna), I should have photos and directions on how to make them in the 'sticky' topic - getting started in ham radio thread at the top of S&EP.


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## Gary in ohio (May 11, 2002)

In the mean time a old school (non amplified) TV antenna works wonders for a scanner.


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## YuccaFlatsRanch (May 3, 2004)

In the range of possible antennas, I have been told I can have at no cost, other than taking it down, a 60 +/- foot tall triangular antenna tower that has a large concrete base and is supported by 3 large steel poles in the ground each with 3 guy wires to the triangular mast. What is something like that worth?? I would feel like I should at least reimburse the lady something for letting me take it down and reuse it. Unfortunately the tower is just embedded in the concrete so it will need to be cut off with a torch at the base to get it down. I also have to figure out how to get it down with out it bisecting her house. There is what appears to be a TV antenna at the top that will be smashed on impact with the ground. I also wonder what depth hole would be needed to be dug at my home for mounting the base of the antenna. My best guess would be to hire a guy with a crane to support it in taking it down and moving it and for re-erecting it at my house.


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## YuccaFlatsRanch (May 3, 2004)

Interesting that you should give me approx which fittings to get at RatShack because - the semi-trained monkeys they have working at our local RatShack don't know SQUAT other than cell phones and electronic toys. The absolute only antennas they sell are CB antennas for which they carry ZERO CB RADIOS. Go Figure.

BTW Radiofish - I found the scanner on your recommendation.


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## YuccaFlatsRanch (May 3, 2004)

Radiofish - I like to listen up and down the SW1-3 bands on my CCradioSW at night. Would connecting to this antenna help in those freq ranges??


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## YuccaFlatsRanch (May 3, 2004)

In the world of Ham radio - how does one know what freq that people are talking on?? Is there some kind of meter that monitors the spectrum and lets you know what Freq someone is talking on?? Or is it hit and miss by listening??


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## radiofish (Mar 30, 2007)

lots of questions...

If the tower is/ close to a "Rohn 25 series" triangular lite-duty then it is worth oh, $100 or more dollars depending on how much rust, if the guy wires are in good shape, if it has the top rotor mount/ thrust bearing, is there an antenna rotor, etc.. You will need to get new guy wire anchors, clamps, hardware for it..

To take one of those down, if it is not all rusted togeather, then using a climbing belt / gin pole, and ground help is the way to take one down. Or if a crane is lowering it to the ground, after you take a torch and cut off the legs.

One can get a commercial base (buried) section, or take and mount 6 to eight feet deep with a cage of re-bar around the section to be buried in concrete. Look up the engineering specs for base sections and concrete needed for towers. Towers and rotors are rated by the 'wind load' of the antenna systems that are mounted on them.. Look at HRO (ham radio outlet) or AES (amateur radio supply) catalogs on line - at their towers for sale, to see what is required to keep them up in the air.

Myself up here, I use the old school TV push-up 1 and 1/2 inch in diameter masts to mount my VHF/ UHF antennas. That is up to a height of 30 feet above ground. Lot cheaper than a tower, and easier to get a small wind load antenna up in the air.

The above antennas would not work for the SW1 to SW3 CCrane SW radio. Way to small/ short in the required wave length/ physical dimensions for the 1.8 MHz to 30.0 MHz (shortwave) spectrum. 

Here is a link to way more than you ever wanted to know about scanner and shortwave antennas, coaxial cable connectors, etc....

http://www.ac6v.com/antprojects.htm

and for just 'shortwave antennas'

http://ac6v.com/swl.htm#ANT

The big fancy high dollar shortwave and amateur radios have built in 'spectrum analyizers' built in. That will show you adjacent stations as to distance from the center frequency and amplitude/ strength of the signal to the sides. 

With the PRO-2052 scanner you can set the upper and lower search frequencies, and it will do a constant search for any activity within those limits. Then you can save any activity detected, to a dedicated bank of memories


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## radiofish (Mar 30, 2007)

YuccaFlatsRanch said:


> In the world of Ham radio - how does one know what freq that people are talking on?? Is there some kind of meter that monitors the spectrum and lets you know what Freq someone is talking on?? Or is it hit and miss by listening??


Well if listening with your scanner to VHF/ UHF frequencies - then ham radio repeaters and frequency allocations are published. Do a search for ham radio repeaters for your area to see what is available. Repeaters are highly regulated and coordinated to reduce interference! Plus the point to point simplex frequencies allocated in the band plans for each ham band 50 MHz, 144 MHz, 222 MHz, 440 MHz, 903 MHz, 1,296 MHz, etc... 

Now for the HF or (shortwave) ham bands - it is hit or miss by listening to the frequency allocations. It is kind of like fishing, you never know what conditions will be like at different times of the day, depending on where you listening.


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## nathan104 (Nov 16, 2007)

So are you able to just turn this thing on and it will pick up and tune to local signals like police, fire, etc? Or do you turn to a channel, listen, then turn to another channel to listen to it?


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## YuccaFlatsRanch (May 3, 2004)

Take my answer with a grain of salt - i.e. LIMITED Experience. Once you program in the applicable Frequencies the scanner scans them for a broadcast and then locks on that broadcast. When the broadcast is terminated it continues on scanning the Freq until more broadcast. Not sure how it will be set to "discover" unprogrammed Freq broadcast, but I am sure it will or I will soon find out. Radiofish can correct me if I am wrong and shed better light on the subject.


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## YuccaFlatsRanch (May 3, 2004)

Radiofish - on the tower it doesn't have much rust and it is HEAVY DUTY. I'd bet the tower weighs in the neighborhood of 1000 pounds if it weighs an ounce. The sides of the triangles shape are about 18 inches on a side and the large metal at each of the corners of the triangle are approx an inch in diameter, with half inch crossbars at angles up each side. As for drilling 4-5 feet into the ground where I live - that is almost impossible unless I were to get the electrical or phone company to come out and drill that big and deep of a hole in our limestone rock. The cost of that might just be cost prohibitive - maybe a better idea is to join our local Radio Club and see if I can trade it to someone for a used radio. I am just guessing that the tower is 60 feet, it might be as high as 80 feet - it's hard to tell with minimal reference points to judge it from. An established Radio guy just might be better able to use it than I can. The next meeting of the club is the first Thursday of January and I think I need to attend.


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## radiofish (Mar 30, 2007)

YFR - it sounds more like a Rohn 45 series (heavy duty) tower. But there are guy wires, so it is not self supporting.

Here is a web site I found on someone that raised a Rohn 25 series of tower with antennas attached.. The tower usually comes in 10 feet sections, so using a pair of binoculars, from the ground you can count the sections in order to see how tall it is..

http://drdave1.tripod.com/Amateur_Radio/amateur_radio.html

More on tower safety and specs..

http://www.championradio.com/

http://www.ustower.com/

http://www.ko4bb.com/ham_radio/Tower/index.php



OK, lets see about the previous scanner question, by nathan104..

Once the radio's memories are programmed with frequencies for police, fire, etc.. it starts going thru the memories stored until a signal is found. The scanning speed depends on the radio.. 

Then depending on the delay set (15, 30 seconds, or end of transmission) it will stay there for so long. Only then will it start searching the stored memories again. Or the radio can be put into a search mode between two fixed frequencies (high and low), and when something is heard, it will stop there - one must push a button or two/ or write down the frequency when something is found. The time delay can be set seperately, for every memory in the radio (on most models).

The PRO-2052 scanner will let you know if you input a frequency - that is already stored in another memory.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> Not sure how it will be set to "discover" unprogrammed Freq broadcast,


You put it in "search " mode and set an upper and lower frequency limit.
It scans all frequencies within that range.
It will stop when it picks up a signal


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## Gary in ohio (May 11, 2002)

nathan104 said:


> So are you able to just turn this thing on and it will pick up and tune to local signals like police, fire, etc? Or do you turn to a channel, listen, then turn to another channel to listen to it?


Most scanner don't have any frequencies programmed from the factory. You need to program it for your area. There are a few now that use GPS and download local freq, but these tend to be higher priced units.


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## YuccaFlatsRanch (May 3, 2004)

Radiofish - I will go and check out the antenna tower today. Maybe I can find a nameplate or whatever on it so I know what it is. Either way it is BIG and it is TALL. Maybe leave it alone until I decide whether to really get into this Ham Radio thing. It's been standing in place for approx 20 years already. The lady who owns the property and the tower is afraid it will attract lightning to her house. As I said, other established Radio people may have a better use for it than I do, and we might be able to work out a trade. The lady in question said that I was free to take down the antenna if I had a use for it. As I said, she would like it taken down. She is a friend and I think if I do make a trade, I should compensate her at least something for it. I may be able to get you a picture of it which I can post.


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