17 freighliner cascadia evolution

Mine came with a Cobra, the range from factory was about 400 yards.
I mounted a Wilson 2000 antenna out back of the sleeper on the grab rail, I drilled a hole behind the panel where the sleeper belts mount on the wall above the bed to run the cable.
I now have been able to have a confirmed conversation at two miles.
I just did it myself.

 

you can still see them but can't even hear them, that's just messed up.

Yeah, defiantly want to avoid the stock coax.

 

400 yards I would question whether or not there even was an antenna integrated into the cab. Just the other week I hooked up to factory antenna ( 2016 Cascadia ) until I could get some new coax, and going across I 10 in Louisiana early morning I was able to hear a base station about 7 miles away, and talked to another driver ( barely ) about 3 to 4 miles ahead of me, so my guess is thats about as good as it will get.

 

I would of stayed hookup to factory antenna and at least try it for one day of driving, but the SWR readings on channel 40, 20, and 1 were between 2.5 and 3.0 and that is just too high, heck I get annoyed if for some reason the SWR goes above a 2.0.

 

My set up is fine according to both my analyzers but cause there is no or very little metal on the cab for signal reflect you dont get range from truck to truck..Now totally different with skip,i get a cpl thou miles all the time...I live in eastern canada and have talked clearly to florida,texas, Georgia and Louisiana...Now if another trucker get more than 5 or so mi away,i get squat...
I may never find a solution but im tryin and i have had some help from guys here so something will turn up for these plastic trucks.

 

That could be their radio and not yours. Most of them out there are junk.

 

Yep. I gave a guy a radio check yesterday on the circle highway around downtown Indianapolis. He seemed very happy he was reading me at an S9.....from 4 miles away.

 

He was happy that he was receiving you at a S9, or that you received him at a S9? Did you happen to ask what kind of truck he was in and what kind of antenna setup he had. Its my understanding that receive is not affected by lack of ground plane, that would probably explain why I was able to hear a base station 7 miles away but could only talk 3 miles with Cascadia factory antenna.

 

Im well aware it could be the radio of the other side..So far i have not been chatting to anyone past 5 or so miles truck to truck..Mind you i have talked to a fella who daid he was about 90ish mi away and a base station who was around 30ish away..