BCD436HP/BCD536HP: Vehicle mounting

[JK96]

I'm about to take the plunge on a 436, but I'm curious if anyone has a suggestion on the best way to mount it in my truck when on the road. Thoughts?

 

[jonwienke]

RAM mount, no question.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/2NBJVGJ2UNPEI/ref=cm_wl_list_o_18?

 

[JK96]

Wow, pretty pricey. Is it really worth the cost?

 

[captainmax1]

Check out LIDO. This is what I use.
Mounts for Icom, Kenwood, Yaesu, Wouxon, Alinco, Bao Fen

 

[Jay911]

I got a ProClip USA mount for my dash, which mounts without any hardware. This is the one for my truck - you can get them for any make/model. To the front of that, I screwed a spare mic hangup clip, and I just slot the 436's belt clip button into the mic clip's channel. Been working for a couple of years like that.

 

[ShyFlyer]

I've used ProClip products to mount my GPS and Cell Phone. Excellent products. They didn't have a mounting solution for my 436 that I liked for my vehicle, so I went with a RAM mount.

 

[KE5MC]

Wow, pretty pricey. Is it really worth the cost?

They are built like a tank. Pictures are deceiving. Your location suggest you might be able to find a marine supply store close by. They are popular on boats for mounting all kinds of electronics. Bounding across the waves the ram mount will likely be the last thing to brake.

 

[JK96]

They are built like a tank. Pictures are deceiving. Your location suggest you might be able to find a marine supply store close by. They are popular on boats for mounting all kinds of electronics. Bounding across the waves the ram mount will likely be the last thing to brake.

Very true. Getting a chance to see any of them firsthand before buying is always a plus, so thanks for that tip on where to find them. Certainly costlier than I anticipated, but it is what it is. Glad I now have a good starting point and a few different ones to compare.

 

[jonwienke]

Wow, pretty pricey. Is it really worth the cost?

Absolutely. The system is modular--you buy the pieces you need for a particular application. For example, to mount to your windshield, you'd get the finger grip, a double-socket arm, the suction cup base, and the 2x1.7" ball base. The ball base attaches to the back of the finger grip, and the arm connects between the ball base and the suction cup.

The one in my truck is screwed to the center console, and the console has cracked around the mount screws, but the mount itself is perfectly intact, and the scanner has never popped out of the mount even driving on rough unpaved trails.

 

[pinballwiz86]

The LIDO mount that clips to your passenger seat's seat bolt is pretty slick. That is how I mount a Yaesu FTM400XDR touch screen ham radio.

 

[jonwienke]

https://forums.radioreference.com/a...7d1487855977-just-got-436-wp_20170223_001.jpg

https://forums.radioreference.com/a...6d1487855940-just-got-436-wp_20170223_003.jpg

Suction cup RAM mount on kitcken counter...

 

[JK96]

Thanks all. Slightly off topic now, I've read a few times about replacing the stock antenna. Any reasonably priced replacements any of you recommend?

 

[awd]

If you're willing to give up a cupholder space, I use this for my BCD325P2:

https://www.amazon.com/Macally-Adju...NH3Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1492903792&sr=8-3

It's a cup holder cell phone mount. I took the belt clip off the back of my 325 and this guy works just fine. It's pretty easy to zip tie the cables together so you (the driver) don't see any cables behind the scanner. Although my setup is somewhere between temporary and permanent (as far as how cables are zip tied and routed), so I'm not sure if this would work for you. But the mount isn't very expensive.

 

[JK96]

I did see those, but my cupholder is pretty crappy. Might use something like that for the wife's car though.

 

[jonwienke]

Thanks all. Slightly off topic now, I've read a few times about replacing the stock antenna. Any reasonably priced replacements any of you recommend?

Diamond RH77CA. Works great on VHF and UHF 400-500MHz and 700-800MHz. It's one of the better all-around portable antennas.