Hey Chris,
Thanks for the note. The BNC to SO-239 did wonders (BTW, I bought it from a Radio Shack that's going out of business). Not yet sure how i compares with the R8, but I did hear SRS last night, WQGY 434 on 25910 kHz, the OTR unid with an excellent signal (not surprising to me), etc. I love the ability to be able to see the band.
Have a great evening!
Andrew