Antenna & NMO Mounts for Uniden / Bearcat 800 Mhz Police Scanners
Posted by Michael Crudele on
What antenna do we recommend for 800 MHz Uniden / Bearcat Police Scanners? First of all, let’s define what the 800 MHz police scanner band really is. Public safety radio systems, such as those used by police, firefighters and emergency medical technicians, operate in several portions of the 800 MHz band, which consists of spectrum at 806-824 MHz paired with spectrum at 851-869 MHz.
So, any antenna for the purpose of monitoring these bands should operate from 806-869 Mhz. That is why we recommend using the Laird B7603 antenna. The B7603 is 5/8 wave, loaded base coil antenna that operates from 760-870 MHz. The antenna is less than 10 inches tall, and has a standard NMO base.
Please note that NMO mounts are sold separately. Most people choose magnetic mounts for temporary roof mounting or for home use (ex: putting on a filing cabinet). Either way, you should have at least 1x1 feet of metallic “ground plane” to mount on for maximum range.
Finally, when choosing an NMO mount, you’ll also have to know the connector you require. Typically Uniden / Bearcat scanners (console or hand-held) use either type BNC or type UHF, I have included suggestions for both below.
- For ONLY 800 mhz public safety, we suggest using the Laird B7603 antenna
- For the Mag Mount with BNC, we recommend the RNMOM-195-SBM-B-12I-ST
- For the Mag Mount with UHF (PL259) we recommend the RNMOM-195-SUM-B-12I-ST