Bill Crocker ...

^ I'm considering putting up a good antenna, to go with my
^ new BC796D scanner. It seems many of the scanner antennas
^ on the market are made very poorly, and don't hold up over
^ time, and weather. Has anyone spent the big bucks ...

You don't need to spend big bucks on a receive-only antenna. Try putting
several lengths of wire on the end of the coax, one length for each band you
intend to receive, and run that up your mast or lay it on your roof. I
receive all VHF bands very nicely with a horizontal antenna (a Windom,
actually) strung across my living room.

Frank