2008 Ford Explorer basic mobile shack

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nc28478

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1. Pro 197
with 800 mhz stubby antenna
 

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szron

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Hate to be a party pooper but if those suction cups are the only things holding the scanner down then I see it as a major hazard in case of an accident. It's gonna go flyin'. I would suggest drilling, but if you don't want to leave permanent marks then 3M Heavy Duty mounting tape is the way to go. It's what I use and it sitting there pretty well.
 

jim202

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I would be more concerned with it blocking the visibility out the front right side.

Some law enforcement boys like putting tickets in your hand for blocking the view out the windshield.
 

03msc

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I typically don't chime in on posts when people have already voiced their opinion and given their input which is similar to mine but I have to say I agree with those saying this is potentially dangerous in an accident.

The advantages of having it mounted where it is are that you can see the display easily while driving and probably have good audio as the sound is reflected back to you off the windshield. I'm guessing, too, that there may not be any or many other places to mount the 197 in that Explorer.

But the concern voiced by others is valid - in an accident that can easily become a flying object that could cause injury when you and your passengers may not otherwise sustain injury. Someone posted that those two suction cups should be enough. Problem is I've had similar mounts holding GPS units before and they would fall off the windshield when just driving down the road. So...the question becomes do you trust them in a high impact crash?

I think most of us agree that it's best to err on the side of caution. So, in that regard, my advice is try to find another place to mount the scanner, if possible. While this location does have a few advantages, it also has at least one serious disadvantage and that is injury, potentially serious, in an accident.

It does look like a clean install with the wires covered, etc., and for that I give you props!
 

nc28478

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Thanks guys. I appreciate all the input.

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russellmaher

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The safety and visibility concerns have been covered, so let me just say that it looks good sitting in that spot.

If you do relocate it to another place in the vehicle, let us see that too.

Thanks for sharing.

Russell
 

Porkins

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It looks like you have it resting on the dashboard "cell phone tray" (don't know what its called). If you have a nonslip grip pad in the tray you could remove the grip pad and screw mount it down, then replace the pad when you uninstall the scanner to cover the holes.

Hopefully that post made sense.
 

tunnelmot

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It looks great.

To the OP, it looks great.
Better than some of the zip tie/fuse tap/cigarette lighter/bubble gum installs we've seen here before.(And there have been some seriously professional and proper installs here too)

Those look like professional grade plunger-type suction cups that are trusted for thousands of industrial/auto type applications. Why, whenever someone posts a pic of their windshield-mounted radio, does there have to be a barrage of warnings about "flying deadly projectile scanners"?
The are probably hundreds of thousands of radar detectors, diesel programmers, rear view camera monitors, OBD readers, and not to mention LED and strobe dash lights being sold and used every day by LEOs, FD's, tow trucks, and EMS personnel and the general public. When my kids were small, we had velcro mounted DVD players mounted to the headrests so they could catch up on the latest Spongebob episodes. These are all mounted by suction cup to windshields. Shoot, RAM has a whole system for mounting mobile devices, and suction cup window mounts are an integral part of that system. Have you felt the heft and seen the size of some of the LED/strobe dash and rear window warning systems out there? At least his radio is mounted. I have a Motorola Saber...sitting in a cupholder...loose...waiting to impale me.... Seriously. Have any of you driven to work with a scalding hot cup of coffee on your morning commute? Oh, the horrors...

If the OP ever gets in a situation where his scanner becomes a flying object of death(God forbid),I'm sure he has more to worry about. Yes, one post is sufficient to warn the possible newbie. We're trying to attract all we can to the hobby and the constant "flying scanner of death" gets old. Wal-Mart sticky back Velco=NO. Professional window mounts=YES.

My take? Would I personally mount it there? Probably not. Does it look and function well for the OP? Probably. He can see the display well, and didn't have to rework his dash/stereo/climate control to get his hobby mobile.

I say rock on and be safe.You mounted your radio on the same surface that Ford Motor Company thought that a glass, plastic, and metal filled heavy device known as a rear view mirror was appropriate...the front windshield.
 

quarterwave

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I have one of those mounts for a small, light dash cam. You can't hardly get it off if you unlatch it and try...I would think it would be fine. And, can't be any more dangerous than the GPS, iPhone cradles, XMs and iPod holders I see, let alone all the junk and the passenger and back seats. I think we all know our risks on the road.
 

WD4JKH

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The only thing I use a suction mount for is my Garmin nuvi GPS receiver that I keep on the bottom left corner of the windshield and use with my left hand. The problem was with heat and time it would eventually fall off and that area of the windshield was covered with "Garmin hickeys". I know that if you wet the suction cup before sticking it on it can hold better so the last time it fell, I wet the suction cup with super glue before I put it back up. Works great and I'm not worried about destroying it when time comes to get rid of it.

Another suction cup story. We had a bag of suction cups left over from lights that were permanently mounted so I took one out and stuck it in the middle of my forehead for a few minutes to get a few laughs. I got laughs alright, especially when I took it off and it left a big hickey right between my eyes. It took a week for that damn thing to fade out. Lesson learned...
 

nc28478

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This is why I like RR - you get honest opinions /even ones you may not agree with. But honest opinions.
The suction cups are the heavy duty lock in place kind that are locked to the mounting bracket with nuts and lock washers. The suction cups come down to bolt witch I ran through the holes of the mounting bracket.
I can pull on them and they are secure. My feelings are if an accident causes enough damages for the windshield to break ---- I have bigger problems.
Also it looks like it is on the dash but it is just hovering as to not scratch the dash.
I enjoy the pro 197 being visible vs looking down which is a distraction.

As far as not being able to see the Explorer has a large windshield and the drivers side is unobstructed.






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03msc

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This is why I like RR - you get honest opinions /even ones you may not agree with. But honest opinions.
The suction cups are the heavy duty lock in place kind that are locked to the mounting bracket with nuts and lock washers. The suction cups come down to bolt witch I ran through the holes of the mounting bracket.
I can pull on them and they are secure. My feelings are if an accident causes enough damages for the windshield to break ---- I have bigger problems.
Also it looks like it is on the dash but it is just hovering as to not scratch the dash.
I enjoy the pro 197 being visible vs looking down which is a distraction.

As far as not being able to see the Explorer has a large windshield and the drivers side is unobstructed.



Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

It's your vehicle, your install, and your head on the line and if you feel it's safe and secure then that's good. Yes, you get honest opinions here. Some people speak from experience, even experience with heavy-duty mounts, and are just trying to help or at least bring things to light to make sure you've thought them through. Hopefully all advice was given respectfully and taken as such.

As I said in my post earlier, the install does look very clean and I can definitely see the advantages, which you mention, of having it mounted up in easy sight.
 

nc28478

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lindsay34654

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One other issue

If you happen to run through a state that does not allow scanners in mobiles or you do not have a valid ham license or both the last thing you will have to worry about is getting hit in the head from the radio. and over time with the heat on the windshield the cups do loose moisture and do come off. I have had cops stop me just to hassle me about having one in my car just to hassle me.
 
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