"Bob Parnass" wrote in message
news
On Sat, 15 Jan 2005 11:16:21 +0000, Chuck wrote:

I bought a BC 220 XLT, with the rubber antenna that came with it,
several
years ago at the NASCAR track to hear the races.
....
I have had 2 other scanners in the past, and they were able to get a
good 30
miles minimum and normally much more.

Are you using a freshly charged battery pack?
Are you still getting the same amount of use in between charges?

Check the antenna and the antenna jack for a bad connection.
Make sure the antenna's center pin is still intact.
Inspect the center contact in the antenna jack to see if it
has expanded and is no longer making good contact.


Thanks for the suggestions...

I have already checked the antenna connections. They are ok.

As far as the battery charges, I have 2 batteries (I need to buy 2 more).
One doesn't last very long, so I stopped using it. The other will last about
3 or 4 hours. They used to last a good 12 hours. But, I have been keeping
the scanner plugged into A/C most of the time lately. The batteries are old
anyway.