Does anyone have a scanner mounted in a late-model truck?

Hello All,

I'm drooling over newer trucks, and considering how I would mount a scanner in them. You can't really replace the stereo headunit, as they have baked a bunch of vehicle functionality onto the screen. A floor mount isn't really a thing anymore, as only the base model trucks come with a front bench seat (and I'm not a base-model kind of guy...).

Has anyone come up the a clever mounting solution for a scanner in their truck? I have not bought one yet, but I've looked at the 3 major brands. Each seems to have pluses and minuses, but I know I'll want a scanner in whichever one I get.

I listen to the scanner practically all the time, so I'm hoping for a location that's easy to get to.

Scanner mount

If you haven't looked within this forum already, you may get some ideas here:

https://forums.radioreference.com/pictures-your-shack-mobile-setup/

I buy a new truck about every 18 to 36 months and I have adapted to the different interiors by selecting a scanner with a remote head which is small to mount anywhere. ( I've selected a Whistler 1098 when they were on clearance at $319 Prior to that I had a HomePatrol2 which I didn't really care for, mostly volume issues, radio worked fine.

I'm a Chevy guy so I unstap a piece of plastic under the dash near the center hump by twisting and popping out a couple of dowl like ends. (Snaps right back in when you want to return it to normal.

Within the 10-12" of space there is about a 4 inch flat spot where you can put in a custom bracket.
I used about a four inch piece of metal to attach to the truck then attached a scanner bracket to the section of the smaller bracket protruding from the dash.

Don't have pictures or would include them.. Haven't done the install in my new truck yey, still considering configurations. That's half the fun !!

You could use a handheld scanner, but whichever you use then there's the ANTENNA which will make a world of difference. Don't be scared...DRILL A HOLE lol
Good Luck

I use a 436 in a RAM finger grip, it's about the size of a remote head and performs better than the Whistlers.

I'm take a look through that forum. Thanks!

I have a relatively complete radio setup in my '13 Jeep, but I put my 536 there by removing the factory stereo. I've mounted a discone antenna on the passenger side of the hood. I also have mobile hf with a screwdriver antenna, a cb for trail runs, and a 2m/70cm radio in the Jeep.

The truck wouldn't go off road, so I'd only be putting the scanner and a 2m/70cm radio in there.

Does your Whistler support GPS-tagging systems for road trips? I really enjoy that my 536 with GPS puck changes what I'm listening to based on my location as I drive around without me having to mess with it.

The trouble with the newer trucks seems to be a location to mount the head unit. Removing the factory radio on the new trucks seem to not be a good option since you use the screen on the stereo to change the air conditioner settings. There seems to be a few companies making mounting hardware (targeted at cops) but those enclosures seem to assume that you get the bench seat in the truck, then remove the middle seat to replace it with radios. I'm not sure I want to go that way as it might be a bit too "whacker" for my tastes.

Antennas seem to be pretty straightforward. I'll drill a few holes in a fiberglass bed shell for NMO mounts and back the shell with a metallic screen bonded to the frame to get a reasonable ground plane.

Whistlers don't do GPS. The 436 does.

Headliner is an option depending on the overhead

kb7gjy said:

Headliner is an option depending on the overhead

Click to expand...

I always buy a shelfit rack for my pu's you take the sunvisors off attach the shelf to the visor mounts
then attach the visor back to the shelf

mount all kinds of radio gear on or under the shelfit

go to jcwhitney.com and do a search for shelf-it or rifle-it

kbod9633 said:

I always buy a shelfit rack for my pu's you take the sunvisors off attach the shelf to the visor mounts
then attach the visor back to the shelf

mount all kinds of radio gear on or under the shelfit

go to jcwhitney.com and do a search for shelf-it or rifle-it

Click to expand...

I've got one in my Jeep Cherokee, with a CB on it. Couldn't find another option and ended up with it. It's awful driving west in the evening though.

But I didn't mount the sunvisors back on because they were going to be down too low.

Knoxradio said:

But I didn't mount the sunvisors back on because they were going to be down too low.

Click to expand...

do what i have done in the past also take shelf out have about a 6-8 inch wide piece of limo black window tint put across top of windshield then put shelf back on without visors

limo black tint also keeps people outside seeing whats mounted on shelf and keeps heat from the sun off those items too

find out what the law is in your state about how far you can come down tennessee is 8inchs
indiana is 10

Here's my work in progress - a BCD996P2 and Motorola CDM1250 in the center console of my 2013 F-150 Lariat:





The center console is a less than ideal location, but as I lamented in another thread, Ford likes center console sifters in the higher trim level trucks, and that leaves not a whole lot for radio install options. I'll be posting a complete install thread in the Shack Photos Forum soon.

My 2013 Lariat setup is nearly identical, though radios are rotated 90 degrees and I have a 536 scanner. I use a "de-commissioned" iPhone in a charging cradle mounted on the dash, using a vehicle specific bracket (Pro-fit). The iPhone is connected to the 536 via the siren app.

I've seen posts for later model Fords that have the auto vehicle shutdown at traffic lights for fuel economy. So additional device is needed to keep the scanner powered during this phase, because otherwise the scanner re-boots every time the vehicle re-starts.

kbod9633 said:

I always buy a shelfit rack for my pu's you take the sunvisors off attach the shelf to the visor mounts
then attach the visor back to the shelf

mount all kinds of radio gear on or under the shelfit

go to jcwhitney.com and do a search for shelf-it or rifle-it

Click to expand...

That's pretty cool. What is the shelf made of? I'd want the radio bolted down in case of an accident.

Edit to add: apparently they don't fit F-150/ Ram 1500s/ or Silverados made after 2010
http://www.vdpusa.com/truck/shelf-it.php