BCD536HP on dash of vehicle?

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scannerman200

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If I mount my 536hp on the car, will the sun and heat hurt it since it has the metal or whatever the material is? I will be using very strong pieces of velcro
 

ShyFlyer

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I wouldn't mount it there with velcro. Even the strongest velcro can come "unglued" because of the heat, then you have a really nasty projectile in a crash.

Further, I'd check on your location's laws on obstructions. Some areas are very particular (to put it mildly) on objects obstructing a driver's view out the front windshield.
 

eaf1956

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I wouldn't put it anywhere it is hit with direct sunlight. Or visible for that matter, who wants their radio stolen.
 

SCPD

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If the airbag goes off you may have a scanner in your face,I wouldnt!
Any accident or sudden stops could make the scanner go flying.
You will also damage the LCD temporarily or permanently.
It may go blank and turn white,I have done this with an LCD.
 

wbswetnam

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If I were you, I'd mount the radio someplace down low (passenger side floor, for example), then use an old smart phone as a remote head. Load the Siren app onto the smart phone (it's a free download), and use the AP mode of the wi-fi to link between the smart phone and the scanner. Then you can mount the smart phone anyplace you like on the dash. Personally, I use an old Galaxy S2 phone I bought five years ago, it works great as a remote head for the BCD536.
 
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SCPD

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Uniden should have made a remote head for the 436/536hp like the 396/996xt's had,would have been alot easier....The smartphone app was a good idea,but not practical.
 

ofd8001

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I've used the "decommissioned" smartphone app for my scanner ever since the app came out with decent results. The only downside is that since I'm using an external amplified speaker, the scanner still has to be in reach to control volume.

I believe some additional tweaking of the app is needed.

Uniden didn't seel a whole lot of the remote heads, so that's probably the reason they shifted gears toward the smartphone being the remote head.

(I've also used the remote head with the 996XT and prefer the smartphone setup. I found it easier to mount a smartphone holder/charger than the remote head due to space limitations and as such can see the smartphone better than the remote head).
 
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Ensnared

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Dash Mount No More

I once initiated one of my bright ideas to mount my RS 2042 on the dash in Houston, Texas. It took less than thirty minutes to melt the case. I underestimated the power of the Houston sun and believed that RS made a heat-resistant plastic case like my Passport Max 2 radar detector. It still sits on the windshield mount without melting. Of course, this depends on where you live and how far the dash is from the windshield, I would guess.
 

troymail

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In my brief experience with the 536 on the dash, I found it incredibly hard (more than normal) to see the display in various settings - bright sunny days, glare - and that's before we get to my "getting old eyes" trying to see the x36 displays even under less intense conditions.
 

MTS2000des

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I once initiated one of my bright ideas to mount my RS 2042 on the dash in Houston, Texas. It took less than thirty minutes to melt the case. I underestimated the power of the Houston sun and believed that RS made a heat-resistant plastic case like my Passport Max 2 radar detector. It still sits on the windshield mount without melting. Of course, this depends on where you live and how far the dash is from the windshield, I would guess.

This isn't surprising. The dashboard of a car can easily get close to 200 degrees on a summer day with windows rolled up. It is the last place I would put anything electronic.
 

nosoup4u

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I had a BCD996T on my dash for a while, during the summer the screen would get completely dark and would be unreadable until it cooled down.
 

JD21960

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BCD536HP on dash?!

Our chitty hands out tickets$ for too many religious beads or anything hanging from the rear-view mirror AND one guy got a ticket for having too many old city stickers on his windshield too and went to the Chicago news to complain about it. Obstructed view *allegedly* I can't fathom a tabletop scanner sitting up there and having any Police just ignore it. States are always looking for creative ways to fill the coffers.
 

Ensnared

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Cheap Plastic

This isn't surprising. The dashboard of a car can easily get close to 200 degrees on a summer day with windows rolled up. It is the last place I would put anything electronic.

Yes, I was fully aware of the heat factor in Houston, but I never believed that it would happen so quickly. I had been driving with the air-conditioning on from Waco to Houston. I think it was SATAN. LOL.

Again, it was a rather stupid act. I have profited from this experience; however, again, my Passport Max 2 would handle it, for a while. I have left it mounted on the dash in the Central Texas heat by accident, it still smokes the cops and has no internal damage. So, spending a little bit more might protect you from stupid mistakes that I, unfortunately, make from time to time, not twice. Had that been a RS or cheaper model, I am sure that the detector would have baked.

Now, I have an even better story. I carry my 436HP on one of those large suction cup holders that extends, found at many truck stops. I always dismount this and take it inside. Next to this, I had a K40 CB microphone hanging from the rear view mirror. I walked out one afternoon and found the outer vinyl sheath falling off. In TDCJ-ID, they would sometimes mix boiling hot cooking oil and honey to pitch on one another. The skin tends to slough off.

Solution? I went to my CB shop in Missouri City and had him install a steel cable for the microphone cord. It still sits in the hot sun. Problem solved.
 
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darkness975

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I would not mount a scanner in a car. The sun is surprisingly damaging not to mention the temperature swings (amplified if your vehicle is parked outside).

I also have a radar detector like Ensnared (the Beltronics v940 to be exact). It is mounted permanently to the dashboard since the whole suction cup mounted to the windshield thing is a joke in my opinion.

Supposedly the detector is resistant to the effects of the sun and what not but I take precautions with it. I cover it with a hat (or with a sun shield which also protects the car dash) in the summer sun. Even in the winter I throw a hat over it.

My friend has his mounted the same way mine is and he does not use any of these precautions with his and it still works fine but still not worth the risk in my opinion.

TL;DR I would not mount your scanner in a vehicle. It is not worth the risk of damage by the elements (especially the sun).
 
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