Exercise in hopelessness
Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 7:13 pm
Just ran across a 'help me' post on RadioReference that indicates, as we all know, some folks just aren't cut out to be allowed to touch radios. 
Feller was asking how to get an SWR meter to work, as he was trying to connect it at the antenna, and then the scanner, to see the signal loss. It was explained to him that SWR meters are for measurement of transmitter losses, not received low power signals.
Turns out, he's trying to listen to 800 MHz signals. He ran (because the shack is all that's available in his area, he says) 157 feet of RS cable to an outside antenna. What kind of cable, you ask? Why, RG-58, of course.
Needless to say, his signal at the scanner end of the cable was... low.
My suggestion was that if he has to have that long run, to switch to RG-6 tv coax, and put one of RS's 10db bullet amps at the antenna. He'll still have a bit of loss, but the better antenna location should make it up, hopefully. Otherwise it's spend lots of money, and get real cable, like LMR-400 or something.
Feller was asking how to get an SWR meter to work, as he was trying to connect it at the antenna, and then the scanner, to see the signal loss. It was explained to him that SWR meters are for measurement of transmitter losses, not received low power signals.
Turns out, he's trying to listen to 800 MHz signals. He ran (because the shack is all that's available in his area, he says) 157 feet of RS cable to an outside antenna. What kind of cable, you ask? Why, RG-58, of course.
Needless to say, his signal at the scanner end of the cable was... low.
My suggestion was that if he has to have that long run, to switch to RG-6 tv coax, and put one of RS's 10db bullet amps at the antenna. He'll still have a bit of loss, but the better antenna location should make it up, hopefully. Otherwise it's spend lots of money, and get real cable, like LMR-400 or something.