How cold is too cold?

[NWI_Scanner_Guy]

Hope this is the right forum, since my question does sort of involve mobile installation.

Got me a new BCT15X for Christmas, so I'm giving some thought to putting my PRO-163 (which I hate) in my car. Not sure where I'd put it seeing as there isn't much mounting space in a 2005 Neon.

Anyway, my question is how well do scanners handle cold temperatures? Living in the Chicagoland area, it can get pretty cold, especially at night. I've never permanently installed a scanner in my car before, and I wouldn't want to start my car up some morning only to find out the scanner died of exposure (not that it would be a big loss).

Any comments / tips / suggestion on protecting it from the cold will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[gewecke]

The thing that doesn't like the cold the most would be your LCD display *liquid* crystal displays tend to be very faint and sluggish if they work at all.
My suggestion would be to leave the scanner or devices with lcd's alone til the vehicle warms up to at 30deg inside or so, then turn it on. :wink:

73,
n9zas

 

[k3cfc]

Your right about the display but turning on the device will let the lights warm the display. i have an hr 2510 and a uniden bc895 xlt i use all the time.

K3CFC

 

[Inssomniak]

Yes it wont hurt the LCD display, it just might be slow and have poor contrast until it warms up.

LCD displays have been used in cars for years now more than ever as speedos and odometers, Navigation systems, backup cameras, etc..

 

[W2NJS]

The Chicago cold will not permanently harm the radios, but it may keep them from working right until the ambient temperature goes up to the freezing point. Compared to years ago this is no longer the real probblem that it once was. I had a Clegg FM27B that was absolutely dead in freezing temperatures, but the radio I now have in the car (an APX 7500) works fine regardless of the cold.

 

[awattam]

There should be a way to tag or even create a forum just for questions on here that are simply great questions to ask. Maybe we could have a star rating system. This is one of those questions. I keep my scanner (hand held) indoors in winter as I am afraid that it will get frozen in the car.

 

[JnglMassiv]

As mentioned, the main problem will be a pokey display. It is less likely that you may notice a small change in audio tone from the speaker, too.
The main point, though, is that these are minor and temporary performance issues rather than risk of damage. Very few devices can be damaged by even extreme cold. That frosty UPS truck is loaded with electronics that are going to be just fine. Same with the unpressurized hold on a cargo jet.

 

[N9JIG]

I have had a batch of radios in my car, all with LCD displays for years in the Chicago area. As with the others expect a sluggish display but no other issues. No long-term issues have manifested themselves either.

 

[gewecke]

Also some microphone cables don't like being flexed in extreme cold!

73,
n9zas

 

[KD2DLL]

There should be a way to tag or even create a forum just for questions on here that are simply great questions to ask. Maybe we could have a star rating system. This is one of those questions. I keep my scanner (hand held) indoors in winter as I am afraid that it will get frozen in the car.

Well there is a way to rate a forum based on 5 stars already. Its at the very top of the first post. Ill add 5 stars to this now as it is a very good topic.

 

[W9WSS]

I have had a batch of radios in my car, all with LCD displays for years in the Chicago area. As with the others expect a sluggish display but no other issues. No long-term issues have manifested themselves either.

Same here; No problems ever with Motorola mobiles, and the Uniden and GRE scanner's have worked from 100+ down to -20 below with never an issue at all. Same with wife's car using GRE PSR600.

 

[NWI_Scanner_Guy]

Thanks everyone for your replies. It's good to know there will be no major issues with the cold. Now I just have to figure out where to install the thing. I hope to have it installed by next weekend.

 

[N9JIG]

While the cold might not be harmful to the radios directly, it can still be an issue. I left a can of pop in the cup holder overnight and when I came out for work the next day (after it was down to 4 degrees F.) it had exploded and there was frozen soda pop all over the interior, including encrusting the scanners, both the CD and DVD drive openings, Nav screen, dashboard and seats.

I was thinking of pulling into the garage to thaw up the frozen crud but then decided it was better to leave it frozen and cleaning it before it defrosted. Luckily it was still bitter cold when I discovered it and I forgot to use the remote start...

Moral: Don't forget pop cans in the car in a Chicago winter.

 

[NWI_Scanner_Guy]

While the cold might not be harmful to the radios directly, it can still be an issue. I left a can of pop in the cup holder overnight and when I came out for work the next day (after it was down to 4 degrees F.) it had exploded and there was frozen soda pop all over the interior, including encrusting the scanners, both the CD and DVD drive openings, Nav screen, dashboard and seats.

I was thinking of pulling into the garage to thaw up the frozen crud but then decided it was better to leave it frozen and cleaning it before it defrosted. Luckily it was still bitter cold when I discovered it and I forgot to use the remote start...

Moral: Don't forget pop cans in the car in a Chicago winter.

Thankfully I haven't done that.....yet. With the amount of pop I consume, especially in my car, it's probably inevitable that it happens. Hopefully I'll have my scanner(s) positioned away from the cup holders.

Now I just have to decide which scanner to install in my car. Picked up a Uniden BC355C from a friend a couple of days ago with the thought of using it instead of the PRO-163 in my car. Since I really only want to listen to PD / FD / EMS while in the car, and none of the local systems are trunked, I figure the 355C would do okay. Besides, it's a lot smaller than the 163 and "should be" an easier install.

 

[N9JIG]

You might want to consider a digital scanner, especially now that CFD has gone digital for dispatch ops and the amount of local SC21 traffic increasing.

Uniden's BCD996XT or the older BCD996T will work well for either, and you can use the RH96 Remote Head to save forward room. If you can fit a full sized radio in the space you can save some money and get the GRE PSR600 or RadioShack equivalent for less money.

Stop by today's CARMA Meeting if you want to see a couple BCD996XT's with RH96 heads in action.

 

[NWI_Scanner_Guy]

You might want to consider a digital scanner, especially now that CFD has gone digital for dispatch ops and the amount of local SC21 traffic increasing.

Uniden's BCD996XT or the older BCD996T will work well for either, and you can use the RH96 Remote Head to save forward room. If you can fit a full sized radio in the space you can save some money and get the GRE PSR600 or RadioShack equivalent for less money.

Stop by today's CARMA Meeting if you want to see a couple BCD996XT's with RH96 heads in action.

More interested in south suburban stuff than Chicago when out and about in my car. I'm pretty sure the 355C or the 163 will do just fine.

Not sure why, but I never really cared all that much for listening to CFD before they went digital, and haven't even programmed the new digital freqs into my 800 since the switchover.