MR8100: UNIDEN BC-AT1 Antenna (MR-8100)

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

I have an MR-8100 mobile scanner (30-900 MHz) and the manual specifically recommends a UNIDEN BC-AT1 Antenna for best performance. I have never seen one of these even after a lengthy web search. Has anyone any information about it or alternate part number?

 

[K4EET]

It couldn’t be this easy, could it?

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

It couldn’t be this easy, could it?

View attachment 124496

Weird that that is the search result.

It is a mobile scanner that was sold to public safety, LAPD, CHP, etc., so I expect that it is some sort of NMO mounted antenna. The radio has a pigtail BNC so a back of scanner type antenna is unlikely to be what was used in a patrol car.

 

[N4KVL]

This is clearly not the silly telescopic antenna that most scanners come with as K4EET has linked, and definietely not "That easy". The BC-AT1 mentioned in the user manual was meant to be installed via NMO. I'd definitely like to see what a 29-956 antenna meant for public safety looked like in 1989.

 

[K4EET]

Weird that that is the search result.

It is a mobile scanner that was sold to public safety, LAPD, CHP, etc., so I expect that it is some sort of NMO mounted antenna. The radio has a pigtail BNC so a back of scanner type antenna is unlikely to be what was used in a patrol car.

LOL 😂…

I didn’t think it would be that easy…

I’ll ask around to some of my radio shop contacts from the mid to late 1980s and see if any of them can point us in the right direction.

Another source might be the Way Back Machine (Internet Archive: Digital Library of Free & Borrowable Books, Movies, Music & Wayback Machine). They may have captured the part number on a webpage that leads to some real solid information.

Cheers! Dave K4EET

 

[mc48]

I have two 8100's I purchased new back in the day and I don't recall anyone ever selling any antennas to go with them. They were ideal for mobile use with the large PC programmable display.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

LOL 😂…

I didn’t think it would be that easy…

I’ll ask around to some of my radio shop contacts from the mid to late 1980s and see if any of them can point us in the right direction.

Another source might be the Way Back Machine (Internet Archive: Digital Library of Free & Borrowable Books, Movies, Music & Wayback Machine). They may have captured the part number on a webpage that leads to some real solid information.

Cheers! Dave K4EET

I tried the Wayback machine and Mail Archives, no joy.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

I guess we will never know what this Uniden Unicorn antenna looks like.

I am open for suggestions for wideband scanner antennas that use NMO mount.

 

[Citywide173]

Antennas in the order of performance that I have been impressed by, best to least best:

Antenna Specialists MON-R series (with or without the 800 choke, and not the guttermount) if you can find one

Compactenna scanner antenna

Austin Spectra (have to follow the directions on putting the antenna on or the performance will suffer)

Larsen NMO 150/450/800

I have tried others, but these are the best in my opinion.

 

[dispatch235]

So I checked some of my old Bearcat owner manuals to see if I could find any reference to a mobile antenna and several models from the 90's made reference to a AT-001 for mobile use...and it pictured the suction cup antenna that you stuck on the inside of the windshield... basically a piece of thin coax with the shield stripped off at the end with the suction cups attached to it...my old BC760XLT had one with it, hardly a stellar performer lol. An older 590 manual referred to a mobile antenna as an AT-1 option but didn't have a picture; they were used often in patrol vehicles in MO back in the day.

AT001 Universal All Band On Glass Window Mount Motorola Plug Scanner Antenna w/BNC adapter - NOS

UNIDEN AT001 Universal All Band On Glass Window Mount Motorola Plug Scanner Antenna with BNC adapter Replacement Part

www.rfwiz.com

 

[ur20v]

Probably another one of those products they intended on introducing but it just never happened...

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

I could forgo any 800 MHz coverage in my selection.

So I checked some of my old Bearcat owner manuals to see if I could find any reference to a mobile antenna and several models from the 90's made reference to a AT-001 for mobile use...and it pictured the suction cup antenna that you stuck on the inside of the windshield... basically a piece of thin coax with the shield stripped off at the end with the suction cups attached to it...my old BC760XLT had one with it, hardly a stellar performer lol. An older 590 manual referred to a mobile antenna as an AT-1 option but didn't have a picture; they were used often in patrol vehicles in MO back in the day.

AT001 Universal All Band On Glass Window Mount Motorola Plug Scanner Antenna w/BNC adapter - NOS

UNIDEN AT001 Universal All Band On Glass Window Mount Motorola Plug Scanner Antenna with BNC adapter Replacement Part

www.rfwiz.com

I saw that antenna in my search as well. But if you look above at N4KVL's post, it shows a paragraph describing a "center roof mounted" antenna. If only someone had a catalog from back in the 90's....

 

[donc13]

I guess we will never know what this Uniden Unicorn antenna looks like.

I am open for suggestions for wideband scanner antennas that use NMO mount.

Larson Tri-Band NMO150/450/800

I have used them for years, superb antenna

 

[Citywide173]

Probably another one of those products they intended on introducing but it just never happened...

They introduced it and brought it to market. I remember it coming with a scanner I purchased. Maybe my 895 or 785?

 

[mc48]

I think I bought one of my 8100's from scanner world, so if someone has an old catalog from there. I did find the Field Operation Guide that came with the 8100.

 

[JANFINE]

I have an MR-8100 mobile scanner (30-900 MHz) and the manual specifically recommends a UNIDEN BC-AT1 Antenna for best performance. I have never seen one of these even after a lengthy web search. Has anyone any information about it or alternate part number?

When do you think it would be time to retire a scanner? More than 30 years. Hope that is not your newest scanner.

 

[missradio]

Technical Information on the UNIDEN Scanning Mobile Receiver model MR8100 (repeater-builder.com)

 

[mc48]

When do you think it would be time to retire a scanner? More than 30 years. Hope that is not your newest scanner.

What does it matter if it's old, if it still works? I use radios older than that that work as good as when they were new.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

When do you think it would be time to retire a scanner? More than 30 years. Hope that is not your newest scanner.

Nope it is not my newest scanner/receiver. I have a Uniden BCD536HP and I have an IC-R9000 from same era as the MR8100. The Uniden is parked on a trucked system because it is a PITA to tune conventionally. The 9000 and 8100 have far better sound and ergonomics. Why retire them?

 

[Cary]

From my experience in using an MR8100 mobile in the 80's, you may find that optimal operation is NOT using the high performing antenna. The MR8100 suffered from front end overload that made such a mess that it was useless. Speaking with a representative of Tally, who was a distributor of the scanner at the time, cell phone systems (at that period, were much lower in frequency, 800 mhz-900mhz being the worst culprit.) especially were getting into the scanner and rendering it useless. He provided a filter that "cut-off" signals above 800mhz. The result was a vast improvement in reception. At that time, I didn't need to hear above 800mhz on the MR8100. As a desktop scanner without the filter, I used a telescoping antenna similar to:



It worked fine without the filter at the reduced signal levels.