[Cavy]

I'm thinking about mounting a uniden bearcat police scanner in my 97 tbird. im thinkin it would go best where the ashtray and cig. lighter is. im just not quite sure how i would mount it. this scanner is shaped like a cb radio, it is not a handheld. any help is appreciated. also if you have any good placed to mount it let me know...thanks

 

[_95badbird]

pic of said scanner?

 

[Cavy]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Uniden-Bearcat-...4QQihZ019QQcategoryZ40980QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Sgeise]

Don't forget, mounting a scanner in your car is quite illegal in a few states. Can't do it here in Fl unless you're a licensed HAM radio operator.

 

[Nativedetroiter]

Why would he need to be a ham operator qualified, if he can only scan and not talk? I however would be illegal then with my CB?

 

[Rolling-Thunder]

Sqeise is right.

It's illegal in New York, unless you have the right credentials.

397. EQUIPPING MOTOR VEHICLES WITH RADIO RECEIVING SETS CAPABLE OF
RECEIVING SIGNALS ON THE FREQUENCIES ALLOCATED FOR POLICE USE.

A person, not a police officer or peace officer, acting pursuant to
his special duties, who equips a motor vehicle with a radio receiving
set capable of receiving signals on the frequencies allocated for
police use or knowingly uses a motor vehicle so equipped or who in
any way knowingly interferes with the transmission of radio messages
by the police without having first secured a permit to do so from the
person authorized to issue such a permit by the local governing body
or board of the city, town or village in which such person resides,
or where such person resides outside of a city, or village in a
county having a county police department by the board of supervisors
of such county, is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not
exceeding one thousand dollars, or imprisonment not exceeding six
months, or both. Nothing in this section contained shall be
construed to apply to any person who holds a valid amateur radio
operator's license issued by the federal communications commission
and who operates a duly licensed portable mobile transmitter and in
connection therewith a receiver or receiving set on frequencies
exclusively allocated by the federal communications commission to
duly licensed radio amateurs.

.

 

[Cavy]

one of my uncles is a federal agent, another is a states attorney, and im friends with a few cops and they all said it is not illegal in illinois. so im gonna trust em

 

[Rolling-Thunder]

http://www.fordyce.org/scanning/scanning_info/scanlaws.html





.

 

[Cavy]

Point Proven....thanks

 

[cougar_guy04]

IIRC, in Illinois, they're only illegal in "commercial vehicles" . . . at least I think there's a sign to that effect on the roads into IL.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Ok, now that we've ironed that out how does he put it in?

 

[Cavy]

YEA...you guys kind of get off subject pretty easy

 

[girdnerg]

According to this site, it's smaller than a Single DIN radio, so it should fit in that spot if it's not too deep. You will just have to get inventive with the face plate. They also sell a universal mount and screws for it, so that tells me you can at least screw something to the side.

I'd pull the ashtray and cig lighter just to see if there is enough room. Then get some angle brackets and see what you have to do to hold it in place. Hobby stores should carry the plastic to make a face plate to cover the rest of the hole.

You could also try it in the armrest storage, but then you'd have to have an external speaker or have the thing open all the time. Plus side would be you could close it and then it would be hidden.

Same for the glove box.

Don't some of the MN12s have a storage cubby that goes it that spot? Might be easy to adapt also.

Rob

 

[Trunk Monkey]

You might mount it where the coin tray is under the radio. Although you may wish for a more stealthy location - like inside the armrest storage. If a cop pulls you over and sees that you're guarenteed a ticket not just for what he stopped you for but for everything else he can think of.

 

[basskid]

firescout's bca 350a is located vertically inside the center console under teh arm rest. The small speaker we installed is located underneath the cover where the ashtray used to be on teh center console. Kinda hard to understand without a pic, so you might want to pm him with and ask for a pic.

 

[Mark M. TCCoA VP]

A ham can even have equipment to transmit over those frequencies but of cause that would be illegal. CQ CQ CQDX

 

[Sgeise]

Why would he need to be a ham operator qualified, if he can only scan and not talk? I however would be illegal then with my CB?

I personally don't know WHY some states have these laws. They just do.

HAM radio has a large following, with a group that represents them, I suspect these states have had the HAMS sucessfully lobby their lawmakers for the exception.

 

[Mark M. TCCoA VP]

Because we are special people

 

[ben_cline]

I would think there would be a way to mount a board in there with something like pipe wrap/plumber's tape over it, and a couple L-brackets at the back, so you could slide it right in and it would be secure. Then maybe put some sort of hinged door over it, to keep it covered. Maybe put a magnet on the back of the panel, and inside your dash if you have it open upward, so it could stay open when you want it to. You could make it out of ABS plastic, and maybe put a plexiglass window where your display is, so you can only see it from your seat, and anyone peering from outside wouldn't see it if it was on. Hook it up to an accessory wire so it only comes on when your car is on.

 

[Cavy]

i ended up putting my hvac in place of the ashtray and put the scanner in place of the hvac and made a faceplate out of abs plastic. i also added a window mount antenna... i couldnt put the scanner in the bottom hole because it looked like the amp for the radio was in the way...what do ya think?