satellite radio antenna mounting locations on freightliner cascadia

Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by corneileous, Jan 12, 2010.

  1. corneileous

    corneileous Road Train Member

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    Nov 19, 2009
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    Just wondering where you fellow cascadia drivers have found a suitable mounting location for an xm antenna and still get descent reception. So far, all I've been able to find is either the mirror mount on the top of the passenger door or a place I found on the passenger side of the wiper cowl but either place only has so-so reception when I go south. Do them monster-sized satellite antennas they sell in truckstops work better despite having to be mounted to the highest point of the vehicle like the ones that come with the radio do? I'm using the stock magnetic one now, always have been even on my car and it worked great but that was only cuz it didn't have this ginormous sleeper roof blocking its view from the satellite. I think mine would work way better I'd I could for one, be able to get it up there and two, find a place to mount it to since everywhere I've found is all fiberglass
     
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  3. lovesthedrive

    lovesthedrive R.I.P.

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    If you have enough wire, why not mount it to the Qualcom receiver mount on the back of the cab?
     
    rabbiporkchop Thanks this.
  4. jeepskate99

    jeepskate99 Road Train Member

    I put mine on the dash and it works.
     
    Lowlite Thanks this.
  5. corneileous

    corneileous Road Train Member

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    I thought about that but as I mentioned, I don't know how I'm gonna get up there without a ladder and for two, I don't know if the wire is long enough and even if it is, how to get it into the cab simple enough without havin to get all McGyver on it.

    To the person that said their antenna is on the dash;
    You must have a better antenna cuz mine is mounted outside the cab in virtually the same place and if I'm traveling north or west, the display on the radio spends a lot of time displaying the words "no signal". Does that aftermarket antenna I mentioned in my opening post work better regardless of where its mounted?
     
    Wwe sucks Thanks this.
  6. walleye

    walleye Road Train Member

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    Can't you just run it out the passenger door and through it on the roof??
     
  7. BrainHurtz

    BrainHurtz Light Load Member

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    Jun 24, 2008
    Terre Haute, In
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    Just like mag mount ham radio and CB antennas the satellite radio antenna works best when mounted on a nice big metal ground plane. Unlike ham and CB antennas though I haven't seen any off the shelf satellite radio antennas designed to work without a ground plane.

    Maybe somebody else has seen one?
     
  8. Palazon

    Palazon Road Train Member

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    I use an after market antenna for $30 at Pilot. Looks like a small baton and mounts to the mirror. Good reception (Pacific NW) everywhere except tight mountains.
     
    rabbiporkchop Thanks this.
  9. striker

    striker Road Train Member

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    Denver, Co
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    there are a couple of options, are you using just the little mouse like antenna? if so, get some heavy duty double sided sticky tape and put it top of your mirror (use some zip ties to hold the wire to the bracket. Typically the wire is about 25' long so you should have many different options.

    the other thing would be that you can run the wire and antenna up and onto the roof and attach it there with the tape as well
     
  10. corneileous

    corneileous Road Train Member

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    Well, I think I solved the problem... We were fortunate to grab breakfast this morning at a truckstop and very close by was a Home Depot. Got some stuff, and it worked....

    Bought a 2 foot stick of 5/16 all thread, some nuts and washers, and a "T" steel plate. Bent the long part out 90 degrees, mounted it to the mirror mount just above the passenger window and bolted the all-thread to it and used an extra fish-eye mirror mount bracket to the top that I had rollin around in the tool box to use as a magnetic base . Wrapped the all-thread with some electrical tape so the threads didnt cut into the insulation on the wire, wrapped the wire around the all-thread and routed the wiring into the cab.

    Thanks for all the suggestions, tho....
     
  11. frago

    frago Light Load Member

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    NW Iowa
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    Bit of an older post, but I just got a cascadia and ran through these probs trying to get XM reception.

    What I found by accident was a metal plate at a Flying J , and mounts to the CB Antenna at the base via a hole. You screw the antenna through it and it gives a metal plate to mount the little magnet antenna to. I put it on the passenger side and it doesnt receive worth a ####, so I moved it to the drivers side and it works perfect. I get reception is all directions of travel now and even on thick tree lined roads.

    Best of luck to anyone.
     
    tech10171968 Thanks this.
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