biro@pipa.DEC (11/25/85)
I like to comment on the following: 1) Broadband Antennas for 60-900MHz 2) FRG-9600 performance 3) Cellular Telephone is easy 1) Broadband Antennas for 60-900MHz > I am considering the purchase of a Yaesu FRG-9600 and would like to hear > others thoughts on Broadband antennas for the 60-900MHz..... I have a FRG-9600 and one of the antennas I use is a inexpensive dis-cone, they range form $20 to $70 or so. It does cover the entire band, but as you go higher in freq the antenna pattern bends lower towards the horizon. If you want to use it for terrestrial communication you will be find, but if you want to monitor aircraft in the UHF area it will be poor. I find that my two meter beam at 50 ft. does a good job as an all band ant. It is so poorly design it receives in all directions so it works for the aircraft in the UHF bands.(also not to shabby for the cellular tele. band.) 2) FRG-9600 performance I have a FRG-9600 and I like it, it is a good communication receiver but a poor scanner, but with a simple computer interface and program you can easily overcome this problem. Its major electrical problem is blockage form nearby strong stations. I think that the R7000 will be a better unit, but it may have some of the bad features of the R71A, such as only being able to stop on a signal or stay on it for 5 sec. I really like stopping on a signal until the squelch has dropped for some time period. 3) Cellular Telephone is easy to track There seem to the idea that Cellular Telephone reception is difficult, expensive, and of a very short range without expensive equipment. This is not so, with my FRG-9600 using a two meter beam at 50 ft. I can receive Celular signals in about a 20 mile radius. I can easily follow the conversation as it switches by one of two different techniques. First the harder way but most always works. 1) Make a list of all the station you can receive, it is not to bad now as there are not many station, in my area I can receive about 30 units. Then scan these 30 until you find your station again - this is not as bad as it sounds as I find the station do not change that fast, maybe one change in two min. There design range is about 8 miles and at 60 mile_per_hour it could be in range for 8 min. or 2) If you just want the units in your local area, try setting the radio to WBMF and scan in 100KHz steps, local cell will be the only one that will stay in FM capture, and you can easily let the radio follow the cell this way. This works best when the band is not too crowded say less then 10 or so active cells, by plotting the person direction one can find the general location of the cells or visa versa. I have not spent much time doing this as it is not what I like to do in SWLing, but I do think people who have Cellular phone think they are secure and understand why the FEDs would like to monitor these as easily as the HF phones. 73's good SWLing John