800 MHz digital trunking antenna

While my attic-mounted 1980's-vintage Radio Shack scanner antenna works well for VHF/UHF it doesn't bring in reliable signals for the local 800 MHz multi-site digital trunked system on my RadioShack Pro-197 digital scanner. I believe there are five different transmitting sites, so I needed a directional antenna to null out the simulcast distortion and improve the radio's decoding. I picked up this GSM yagi antenna for a few dollars on Amazon. It's meant to be used to boost cell phone signals but works great on trunked radio frequencies; it has 11 dB of gain and works in the 800-900 MHz range...

Here's a link to a similar item on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/XHTECH-824-960MHz-Outdoor-Antenna-Booster/dp/B014CU9JYQ/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=900+mhz+gsm+antenna&qid=1585081448&sr=8-9

or search for "900 MHz GSM yagi" on ebay or Amazon - you should be able to find something similar for about $20.

It has an N-type connector so I got an N to BNC adapter and feed the signal to the Pro-197 with an RG6 GE UltraPro quad shield coax. I mounted the antenna to the underside of a bookshelf with a single screw so it could pivot in an arc, allowing me to aim it exactly at the closest transmitter. On most days my Pro-197 reports 99% decode quality.

If you suffer from simulcast distortion (as evidenced by poor audio) on your digital system there are lots of resources on the net with recommendations for reducing the problem; here are a few:

http://www.scannermasterblog.com/the-digital-blues-or-why-does-my-local-digital-system-sound-like/

https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Simulcast_digital_distortion

My new lineup

Since retiring, I have some more time to play with radios and specifically scanners. A lot has changed in the past 5 years in our area, as the previous analog public safety trunked radio systems have combined into a county-wide digital P25 Phase I multisite system. This meant getting new digital scanners and working through the programming/setup challenges. I think I finally have everything sorted out:

• I've dedicated a Pro-197 to monitoring the main digital trunking site

• A Pro-651 is programmed for the local University site

These sites are linked but generally carry different talkgroups. 

• I also have a Pro-668 (upgraded by Whistler) that I use to monitor the local DMR Motorola Connect Plus (TRBO) system that carries taxi and towing services. 

• I use other analog scanners (including the Pro-2006) to monitor the local ham repeaters (I'm an amateur extra class), conventional public service, NOAA weather and air band traffic 

EDA-UG2802 Drop Amp put into service

Since I have more scanners now, I needed a way to distribute the signal from my attic scanner antenna to them all. I looked at some of the "professional" distribution amps like the Stridsberg MCA208M  but thought that was too pricey. Going back to Radioreference.com I saw that people still recommend the EDA-UG2X02 drop amps as an inexpensive alternative, so I picked up an 8-port model EDA-UG2802 and power supply on ebay for a few dollars. I think it works well on VHF low/high and UHF signals.

Still interest in these computer-controlled scanners

It's been nearly 5 years since my last post on this blog; since I've retired I have more time to spend playing with scanners so I've unpacked my radios and set them up again. I'm anxious to get the Pro-2006 running again and see what I can still do with it.

A Pro-2006 with the OS-456 board recently sold in 2018 for $157... https://www.ebay.com/itm/Realistic-Pro-2006-w-full-os456-Control-Board-by-Optoelectronics/182988806921?hash=item2a9afb9b09:g:A1EAAOSwYxBaRoGO

 A Pro-2035 with OS-535 board recently sold for $197... https://www.ebay.com/itm/Realistic-Pro-2035-With-OptoElectronics-OS-535-Computer-Control-Board/182873663506?hash=item2a941ea812:g:EmIAAOSwyi9Z-8h1

 A Pro-2006 with an HB-232 interface sold for just $76... https://www.ebay.com/itm/Realistic-PRO-2006-Scanner-with-HB-232-Interface/173069030113?hash=item284bb7d2e1:g:UZUAAOSwnw9aSom5

Bare Pro-2006 scanners go anywhere from $70-100, so the premium for the Optoscan board seems to be about $50-75. Looks like there is still interest in computer controlling these scanners.