Can someone guide me to a good quality hood mount antenna for my uniden bcd536?
Larsen NMO-150/450/800 is a popular model for scanner listeners.
As the name suggests, it works well on VHF High, UHF and 800MHz bands, although it will perform outside those.
About the only place this antenna won't work well is VHF Low, which usually requires a much longer antenna.
As for the mount…
Use an NMO mount, just make sure you seal the underside. Most NMO mounts are designed to mount through the roof where the cable connection is inside the dry interior of the vehicle. RTV type sealer, "liquid electrical tape" etc. are good options. Using these mounts unprotected on the outside of the vehicle will cause cable issues in the long term. Use name brand stuff if you can get it, Larsen, Laird, etc. Stay away from the low end Chinese stuff, like Browning, Tram, any name you cannot pronounce.
And the bracket…
Larsen TMB-34B is a good option, although there are others, including some "vehicle specific" models.
Depending on vehicle, there are some vehicle specific brackets that accept a standard NMO.
What type of vehicle is it?
Also, starting to see some "sealed" NMO mounts on the market. I've tried a few, but cant attest to their long term quality yet.
The NMO-HF mounts are a little better than the standard NMO's, but still not designed for exterior mounting where the under side is exposed.
However, I've done it on a UTV. I used marine grade heat shrink around where the coax enters the mount to help seal it it up a bit better. Will have to see how it lasts in the long term.
Excellent! Do you have manufacturer or vendor info on these? I'd like to add them to my reference book.heres two examples, while i wait for the pictures to load.