Advice for Antenna and Mount for Uniden BCD996P2

[Xavier911]

Hello everyone, I got a Unifen BCD996P2 radio, but I need a mobile car antenna (review the one below) for the scanner. I’m unsure what type of antenna and mount to get for it, that’ll work best. If anyone can help, that will be great. Thank you!

Possible Antenna: Laird Connectivity Multi Band Mobile VHF/UHF/700/800

 

[mmckenna]

Is this the antenna you are looking at?

Wide Spectrum Antenna 136-174/380-520/760-870 MHz Laird Connectivity WPD136M6C

Commercial, heavy duty vehicular antenna, Multi Band Mobile VHF/UHF/700/800, 136-174/380-520/760-870 MHz, 100 Watts, Whip Length 20"

theantennafarm.com

If so, those are overpriced and butt ugly. The base is rather large diameter, almost to the point of being comical. They were one of the first multiband antennas that hit the market for the new multiband transceivers.

There are better and less expensive options:
I've been running some EM Wave antennas for a while now, but not this specific one. EM Wave makes nice stuff and I suspect this one would be a good performer:

EM Wave EM-M43002 - Triple Band Mobile Antennas

Tri-Band 150-162/450-490/763-870 MHz IP67 Rated Roof Mount Antenna

theantennafarm.com

I've been running this antenna on my work truck on both VHF and 800MHz, and it works well. The base is much smaller and that puts the spring closer to the vehicle roof. I've run up some gnarly site access roads and it's twanged a heck of a lot of tree branches with no issues. I also did a review on these a while back where I swept them on an antenna analyzer. It's been a really good antenna:

Larsen NMO150/450/758 Tri-band Mobile Antenna covers 150-174, 430-520 & 750-870, 100 Watts, Length 16.5 in, NMO Mount, Spring Base, Solid Black

Larsen NMO150/450/758 Tri-band Mobile Antenna covers 150-174, 430-520 & 750-870, 100 Watts, Length 16.5 in, NMO Mount

theantennafarm.com

There's a lot of scanner listeners running this antenna, and it gets consistently good reviews. It doesn't have a spring at the base, however.

Tri-Band 150-165, 450-470 & 806-940 MHz Mobile Two Way Radio Antenna Scanner

Tri-band antenna covers 150-165, 450-470 & 806-940, 100 Watts, Whip Length 16.5"

theantennafarm.com

There's no way I'd spend $110 bucks for that Laird monstrosity. There's better antennas on the market that will last a lot longer and do less damage to your vehicle if you hit a low branch.

As for mounting it, if you are willing to spend that much on an antenna, I suspect you are taking the performance of your radio seriously. If that is the case, then the right way to do this is a permanent NMO mount dead center in the roof of your vehicle. That'll work for any of the above antenna (even that God-awful Laird). That will give any of the antennas an ideal ground plane under the antenna and give you the best performance you can get.

Popping a hole in the roof of your vehicle is a big decision, I get it. Not everyone is up to it. But once you do your first, you'll realize why so many of us suggest it. It's a 'no corners cut' setup, and it'll give you the best performance. Any other installation will be a compromise.
If you don't have the tools, knowledge, or skills to do it yourself, there are likely local radio shops around you that would do the install for you. It really is worth it.

If permanent install just isn't an option (I get it…) then give us an idea of what your budget is, what you skill level is, and what kind of vehicle you drive and we can give you some suggestions.

 

[mmckenna]

Here ya' go:

Larsen Multi-Band antennas

I ordered two Larsen multi-band antennas recently to try out for a project at work. NMO-150/450/758SF NMO-150/450/800SF I brought them home from work along with my Agilent spectrum analyzer with tracking generator so I could sweep them on my truck. Antenna mount is a Larsen NMO-HF installed...

forums.radioreference.com

 

[Xavier911]

Is this the antenna you are looking at?

Wide Spectrum Antenna 136-174/380-520/760-870 MHz Laird Connectivity WPD136M6C

Commercial, heavy duty vehicular antenna, Multi Band Mobile VHF/UHF/700/800, 136-174/380-520/760-870 MHz, 100 Watts, Whip Length 20"

theantennafarm.com

If so, those are overpriced and butt ugly. The base is rather large diameter, almost to the point of being comical. They were one of the first multiband antennas that hit the market for the new multiband transceivers.

There are better and less expensive options:
I've been running some EM Wave antennas for a while now, but not this specific one. EM Wave makes nice stuff and I suspect this one would be a good performer:

EM Wave EM-M43002 - Triple Band Mobile Antennas

Tri-Band 150-162/450-490/763-870 MHz IP67 Rated Roof Mount Antenna

theantennafarm.com

I've been running this antenna on my work truck on both VHF and 800MHz, and it works well. The base is much smaller and that puts the spring closer to the vehicle roof. I've run up some gnarly site access roads and it's twanged a heck of a lot of tree branches with no issues. I also did a review on these a while back where I swept them on an antenna analyzer. It's been a really good antenna:

Larsen NMO150/450/758 Tri-band Mobile Antenna covers 150-174, 430-520 & 750-870, 100 Watts, Length 16.5 in, NMO Mount, Spring Base, Solid Black

Larsen NMO150/450/758 Tri-band Mobile Antenna covers 150-174, 430-520 & 750-870, 100 Watts, Length 16.5 in, NMO Mount

theantennafarm.com

There's a lot of scanner listeners running this antenna, and it gets consistently good reviews. It doesn't have a spring at the base, however.

Tri-Band 150-165, 450-470 & 806-940 MHz Mobile Two Way Radio Antenna Scanner

Tri-band antenna covers 150-165, 450-470 & 806-940, 100 Watts, Whip Length 16.5"

theantennafarm.com

There's no way I'd spend $110 bucks for that Laird monstrosity. There's better antennas on the market that will last a lot longer and do less damage to your vehicle if you hit a low branch.

As for mounting it, if you are willing to spend that much on an antenna, I suspect you are taking the performance of your radio seriously. If that is the case, then the right way to do this is a permanent NMO mount dead center in the roof of your vehicle. That'll work for any of the above antenna (even that God-awful Laird). That will give any of the antennas an ideal ground plane under the antenna and give you the best performance you can get.

Popping a hole in the roof of your vehicle is a big decision, I get it. Not everyone is up to it. But once you do your first, you'll realize why so many of us suggest it. It's a 'no corners cut' setup, and it'll give you the best performance. Any other installation will be a compromise.
If you don't have the tools, knowledge, or skills to do it yourself, there are likely local radio shops around you that would do the install for you. It really is worth it.

If permanent install just isn't an option (I get it…) then give us an idea of what your budget is, what you skill level is, and what kind of vehicle you drive and we can give you some suggestions.

I really do appreciate the time to let me know about the Laird. After hearing you and others about it, with your suggestions on the Larsen antennas, that is most likely my best bet. I read the reviews and they’re outstanding with them. You like it as well. I’m going to thoroughly look through it and gonna order some soon. Thanks again’

 

[mmckenna]

Happy to help.
Shop around, as the prices can be all over the place. www.theantennafarm.com usually has good pricing.

 

[Xavier911]

One question, if I may ask. I’m new to this stuff, so if I get the Larsen antenna that you provided, the NMO mount that I would need are the options of drill or magnetic (or the others)? Also, are all the NMO mounts the same? Thank you again!

 

[Xavier911]

Happy to help.
Shop around, as the prices can be all over the place. www.theantennafarm.com usually has good pricing.

Adding on to my previous comment - is this one mount for the antenna you provided? Or if you know any other better ones, it would be great, preferably BNC adaps. Thanks! Larsen NMOKHFUDBNI

 

[mmckenna]

One question, if I may ask. I’m new to this stuff, so if I get the Larsen antenna that you provided, the NMO mount that I would need are the options of drill or magnetic (or the others)? Also, are all the NMO mounts the same? Thank you again!

You could do permanent mount, magnetic mount, trunk lip bracket, fender bracket, mirror bracket, lots of options.

Just remember, at some point you will need to get the coaxial cable inside the vehicle and to the radio. While the non-permanent style mounts may seem like a good idea, they do come with some drawbacks. Coaxial cable getting pinched in doors/windows will eventually get damaged. Trunk lip mounts will damage the paint and usually require the mount being put in a less than ideal location. Magnetic mounts can, in some instances, damage the paint. The exposed underside of the NMO mounts are designed to be mounted inside the vehicle were it is dry and protected, fender brackets do not provide this. You also will want to still provide a good even ground plane under the antenna, which may be difficult with some mounts.

All NMO mounts from reputable manufacturers are 99.99% compatible. There can be some very slight differences in the height of the center button depending on how it's installed that can sometimes make itself a problem. That's almost always solved by using the right mount for the job.

If you are going to go through all this work to do a proper install, don't cut corners by purchasing the Chinese brand mounts. Stick with the known name brands: Larsen, Laird, PCTel/Maxrad. From my experience, you should avoid Tram, Browning, Bingfu, and most of the amateur radio oriented brands. While you may save a dollar or two on these, you'll pay down the road. Some of them have poorly installed connectors.

Adding on to my previous comment - is this one mount for the antenna you provided? Or if you know any other better ones, it would be great, preferably BNC adaps. Thanks! Larsen NMOKHFUDBNI

That would work for a permanent installation.