2010 Freightliner Cascadia antenna solutions

That is pretty much my results as well using a similar mount. I don't have any grounds run because I slip seat with a different truck every week so it isn't practical to run grounds. I would still like to see someone with a assigned truck run a new coax from the factory mount with a new antenna like a "Skip Shooter" and see what the results would be.

 

I finally mounted my antenna on my headache rack and seems to be a lot better. I am going to bring my set meter in Sunday when I head back out for the week. I didn't run any grounds but I will if I need to

 

I hope it works for you.........I think since you have flattop you will be in good shape.....fingers crossed!

 

Well i finally mounted a 4' firestic to the bar on the back of the truck. Still high swr. The only meter i have is the one on the cb ( 29nw) . The meter on the cb reads over 3. Can it be that far off?

 

yes. take it to a cb shop and get it checked.

 

I have a question for one of you guys running a late model Cascadia condo:

How far off the ground is the horizontal bar the air hoses hang from behind the cab?

 

Don't know for sure. I'm 6-2 and when standing on the cat walk it hits me about chest high if memory serves me correctly. That would have to be 9 - 10 feet I would think.

 

About 9.5 ft. My 5.5 ft. Francis is mounted to it, and it sticks up about 14 ft. total. Yes, it's been whacked a few times, but it works so much better than a 5 ft., I'll just have to replace it when it gets totaled. I run a daycab, but I measured a sleeper that was parked in the yard, and it was within 2 inches.

 

Thanks for the answers. I was hoping to be able to run a Hamstick back there, but at 7', I will be hitting a bit too much. I suppose I could go up a bit and run the 3' "shorty" sticks.

I am seriously tempted to just get a 6' whip, mount it on a spring, and let the tuner take care of it. Wonder how long it will last... not like there's anything to break!

 

If you have the room under the bar, here's a solution to put on an actual "tuned ground" by making yourself a vertical dipole. Put whatever will fit for vertical clearance on top, and whatever fits on the bottom. And it'll actually work better if it's some distance from metallic structures on the truck, so it works well on "plastic cabs".
Even if the whips are physically different lengths, as long as they're both made for the same band, the whole lash-up should present a pretty decent 50 ohm load. Plus, you won't have the losses inherent in a matchbox to contend with, unless you try to make a 20 meter antenna pair work on 11 meters, etc.
Here's a link to the thread I posted awhile back:
http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...diy-antenna-solution-for-fiberglass-cabs.html

Hope it'll help folks out in this thread, too.
73,
Handlebar