Stryker SR-955HP Install In Kenworth T680

Discussion in 'CB Radio Forum' started by N3TD3ViL, May 30, 2022.

  1. N3TD3ViL

    N3TD3ViL Bobtail Member

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    Before being issued my truck, I had already decided that I wanted a Stryker radio and purchased one as soon as I found the model I wanted.

    As anyone knows who has been inside a T680, the CB slot will not accommodate anything larger than a small Cobra, such as the Stryker SR-447HPC. It was unbeknownst to me so upon discovering this I was quite dismayed. My employer will not allow any cutting or drilling so I was perplexed about what to do, short of spending several hundred more dollars on a smaller radio.

    Someone else suggested that I remove the center sunvisor and use the existing screws and holes to mount the radio. So, I removed the center sun visor only to discover the holes were farther apart than the entire width of my CB mounting bracket.

    While rolling up I-95 NB through Florence, SC on Saturday, I stopped at JB’s CB Shop next to the Petro and they were able to come up with a solution.

    Using an 11” piece of aluminum flat bar of 1/8” thick and self tapping screws the radio bracket was screwed down to the aluminum flat bar, and then the excess screw length was cut off so it wouldn’t be scarring the headliner. Once that was complete, the radio was mounted in place of the center sun visor. I used small zip ties to bunch up the cabling and keep it neat.

    When I get home in a couple weeks I will have the coax cut down to about 24” so that I don’t have a wad of cabling crammed into the CB slot. It isn’t hurting anything but I’m a stickler for details and sloppiness like that bothers me.

    I also got the Stryker SR-A10 antenna mounted and I couldn’t be happier.

    I’m pushing 80w with a 1.3 SWR using a single 10” shaft. I tried using the additional 10” to see if it would lower the SWR a little more but it actually raised it a little so I removed it.

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  3. Timin770

    Timin770 Road Train Member

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    Looks good. If I were you I'd save the existing coax and have your desired 24" cable produced separately. Just in case ;-)
     
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  4. N3TD3ViL

    N3TD3ViL Bobtail Member

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    That is a good suggestion and I will take your advice.

    I have no idea what kind of coax was used when the factory wired the truck but I’d I had my way about it, it would be stripped out and replaced with the best available. My transmit & receive are great but I tend to follow the idea of buy once, cry once. So, I like to do things right.

    Be that as it may, I’ll buy good coax to make the 24” length from. I realize it won’t make a difference but it looks better and makes me feel better as well.

    Thanks for the suggestion!
     
  5. Oxbow

    Oxbow Road Train Member

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    How will you get from your radio to the antenna with only 2' of coax?
     
  6. N3TD3ViL

    N3TD3ViL Bobtail Member

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    Ha ha ha!

    The 2’ of coax will replace the 18’ of excess coax that i have coiled up and crammed into the cb slot above where my radio is mounted.
     
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  7. Ridgeline

    Ridgeline Road Train Member

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    Wonder if you pulled new coax, if not, maybe leave it alone and just run new coax to the antenna, it is more likely multiplexed with the radio.
     
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  8. N3TD3ViL

    N3TD3ViL Bobtail Member

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    I would love to pull the coax and run a new coax from the radio to the antenna but I wouldn’t know the first thing about doing that and seeing as how this is a company truck, I would be worried that I might break something and then my employer would be sorely pissed off.

    I suppose I can look up how to run new coax from the mirror to the radio and if it isn’t too difficult and I could do it myself somewhere.
     
  9. Oxbow

    Oxbow Road Train Member

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    I'm confused, but I do not own any trucks with with multiplex wiring. There must be a coax connection into the multiplex? And if so, it would seem that 18' from that connection to the radio is nuts.

    Maybe this goes back to the whole discussion of coax length.
     
  10. N3TD3ViL

    N3TD3ViL Bobtail Member

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    By no means am I an expert on the topic. However, a single length of coax runs from my driver mirror and a single piece of coax runs from the passenger mirror into the cab where they are joined by splitter and then connected to the back of the radio.

    I opted for a single phase (one antenna) connection rather than co-phase because I got better SWR readings by using a single antenna on my driver mirror than using both antennas.

    regarding coax links, everything I have read from multiple sources as stated there is no correlation between coax length and a low SWR. Therefore, a single 9’ length of premium RG8x coax from the driver mirror to the radio should work great.

    When I get time to make the change I will report my findings here but it will probably be a couple of weeks at least.
     
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  11. Ridgeline

    Ridgeline Road Train Member

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    Ok I get it, but here is the thing … if the coax is hidden … leave it alone.

    why?

    because if the system has a bonding problem (rf ground), right now you are getting a good reading for an swr, then there may be some common mode current action going on that is masking the rf ground issues you may have and you won’t get the swr down below 2.5:1 after the cut.,
     
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