DIY antenna solution for fiberglass cabs

Great concept,easy enough to rig up and all

BUT! The old school freight hauler was doing this same thing 20 yrs ago
(just not exactly as described)

 

Sometimes the old ideas are well worth bringing back up! Its interesting how modern circumstances bring back alternate ideas.

 

hard to figure how all those old ABF/Roadway hands figured it out without a ham ticket . . . . . . .

 

I believe they call it a "counter poise". Tried in on a new Cascadia with a bracket I made. I removed the passenger side stock 3ft ant. and put my bracket on. 4.5ft Francis on both ends. Ran my own coax thru the passenger door. It didn't work any better, or have any better SWR than the factory set up (3:1). Of course I couldn't get to the factory coax to unscrew it from the factory mount, but it should have just provided a better ground effect. Anyway, this may save somebody else the time of trying it this way.

 

So, my first question is would this setup still get better range if it were mounted behind the cab, but using a long top antenna that got up maybe 6 inches to a foot above the trailer?

My second question is, could you use two regular one sided brackets and mount them side by side touching with one shorted, and still get the same effect? I've never seen a double sided bracket like in the picture.

 

My third question is, would this work if already using a co-phase setup?

And finally (for now), does this eliminate the need for an electrical ground to the chassis/frame?

 

Nother one: could you use a T fitting on the lower side with the cable on the 90 and the other antenna on the downward side? Eliminates the second hole and the custom bracket.

 

That will work right there,good job!