2022 Mack Anthem how-to

Finding zero helpful posts here, or anywhere else on the interwebs for that matter, I decided to create one.

I found the main questions asked and either not answered well, or not at all, are:

Q: Can I use the factory CB antennas?
A: Yes, but you don't want to do that if you plan to talk more than a mile or so. The factory setup multiplexes the CB antennas to serve everything: CB, FM/AM, even the TV. It actually works great for the latter two. CB not so much. I had SWR approaching 2.0 and crappy range. Works, but not ideal. The solution is: install a dedicated mast for the CB. For what it's worth, the AM/FM and TV still work great with the left mast disconnected. I like my TV and listen to broadcast radio at times, so that was a win for me.

Q: How do you get inside the overhead console to run wires?
A: You don't. You can remove the dome light switch panel and have an opening near the A-pillar you can stick your hand in, even an arm if you aren't XXL sized. Getting to the CB box is a fishing expedition, but not all that difficult.

Q: How do you get inside the mirrors to get at the antenna mount?
A: Funny you should ask. Turns out, since these OTR Macks are now a Volvo with red paint on the engine, the mirrors are Volvo rip-offs. There are 6 plastic clips that you can release by using a long thin flathead screw driver. Push/tilt the mirrors to see and release them from the glass side. You do have to remove the antenna mast so the hole in the cover will lift over the lug. Use a backup wrench on the lug or you'll end up unthreading everything a bit prematurely and possibly miss seeing how it goes together.



Now for the fun stuff. The factory antenna cable routes as follows:
1. up the mirror bracket and into the top of the door
2. down the upper door frame to where the door electric harness is
3. routes with the harness but not inside it, to the door frame
4. Up the A-pillar into the overhead console
5. Across the overhead console to the CB radio box

Pulling the cable is a bit easier than it appears. There were a few tight spots.



Where the cable goes in, the hole is small. The problem is, it's puckered inward. This makes it very difficult to fit anything in there that isn't bendy. Like a terminal. That mirror bracket is no joke tough. You won't bend that hole out with a screwdriver. The electric harness passes under that hole, so even a little cutting or grinding tool on a Dremel would be somewhat tedious and risky.

Other observations: there is a factory ground strap bonding the mirror bracket to the door, which is pretty sweet. The tab holding the antenna mount is surprisingly standard. A Wilson 3/8" lug fits it perfectly. However, the lug itself is about an inch too short. It needs to poke up above the mirror cover enough to get a wrench on it. I reinstalled my cover with the antenna installed, but I was cringing bending the plastic into place to get the top two tabs in their slots. Next time that cover comes off, I'll have a longer (3" ought to do) lug to install too. Here's a before and after. First is the factory lug loosened up, second is the Wilson mount in it's place.





In hindsight, I would have been way better off to use a solder-on PL-259 and just be working with a cut cable end. I was using a Wilson cable that has a screw on PL-259 on one end, but still has a fitting on the end, albeit a small one. Even that is really too big and makes running the cable a lot more difficult. I ended up pulling that end off later, not on purpose.

The next restriction is where the swing away through bolt goes through the mirror bracket. The small Wilson end barely fits, and you have to dig it out with a pick. A cut end would have been easy-peasy. To get from the mirror to the door, take out the two top bolts and loosen the bottom bolts. I removed a trip cover under the top one thinking I could access the cable there, but it was not necessary since the cable goes straight into the door. With a cut cable end, I could have pushed the cable up the mirror bracket without cutting off the factory end and pulling it with the old cable, possibly even leaving the old cable in place. Not sure.



The rest is just a matter of pushing the cable and fishing it out of the next spot. Down the door frame was straightforward, because gravity. Pulling the grommets made getting the cable out of the door then aiming and pushing the cable up the A-pillar go pretty smooth.

Inside the overhead was a little awkward. The factory cable is clipped to a harness. The space to reach the opening in the back of the CB box was too difficult to get at. Fishing around, I was able to pull it up through the hole in the plastic where the radio clamp goes. There's more than enough room to pull through there and not risk cutting or bending the cable too much.

I used the same hole in the CB box to push an 8 awg stranded power cable back the other way. 8 awg is overkill, but that's how I roll. 12awg would have been adequate and easier to handle. I chose 8 in case I ever decide to roof mount my 200W RCI. For now I'm sticking with a normal size radio but will have current capacity if I change my mind.

Power then goes back down the A-pillar to emerge under the dash where the aux power and ELD stuff goes. Removing the kick panel made it easier to pull the wire out of the wall. Then through a grommet on the firewall and down to the battery box.

Separately, I added two bonding/ground straps on the door hinges. Just because. Upon a trial assembly, I had SWR up near 2.0. I took the mount apart (again) and dressed up the mating surfaces, as well as the mirror mount tab, with a small flat file. Turns out rubbing with sandpaper the first time didn't make a clean enough connection. Final reading was 1.3 SWR on 19. Should be good to go. I'll post a follow up with any discoveries as I get out on the road and use it.

Hope that helps the next person contemplating this work on a late model Anthem.

 

It's not as bad as it looks. I go overboard at times to do a clean install and over-engineer on stuff like this. It usually pays off. This time for sure. There just isn't a clean way to shortcut a path from the mirror to the overhead console without 3 ft of wire hanging all over the place. The narrative is less a how-to and more a summary of what you get into doing it, and possible traps. Which is the main reason I look for u-tube videos when I set out to do something like this.

I still need to get the ends on my power wire and complete the job. I got a high amp quick disconnect for the radio end, and a fuse holder + 3/8 ring terminals for the battery end. Getting over the door frame and up the A-pillar was a LOT easier than I expected. I had my fish tape just in case, but never had to use it. The cable was a Wilson mini-8 that I picked up at a truckstop for an earlier rig job attempt. It's stiff enough to push through a tight space, at the expense of being a bit fatter than the regular mini-8 that Mack used.

 

It's been a couple weeks and I've been through a few things.

I'm still chasing a random RF hash that comes on for around 5 minutes at a time, up to S5 or 7 at it's worst, then disappears. Weird part is, I can switch one channel up or down and it vanishes. Usually RF noise isn't that precise. I've tried turning off my refrigerator and refrigerator cooler while it's making noise for no effect. Turned off the inverter, since there's nothing I really need powered up while driving, and that had no effect. Headlights on or off don't matter. I'll continue picking at it and maybe stumble on a solution.

That said, I did find some noisy stuff that has improved overall use. I was not aware how noisy battery chargers that plug into ac current can be. I have two in the truck, one for charging vape batteries (18650) the other for my Ryobi leaf blower batteries. I'm currently swapping to Milwaukee tools, but expect their charger is just as noisy. I got a usb powered charger for the vape batteries and will just turn the bigger tool battery charger off when driving.

A weird discovery was noise from the interior light in my Walmart microwave oven. I don't use it much, mainly it serves as a bread box. One day I left the radio on while getting ready to make a sandwich and got a bunch of noise when the microwave door was open and the light came on. Close the door and it went back quiet. Weird. I did not try it with the oven running, since I usually don't do that while driving. Since I ruled out the refrigerators, I'll just kill the inverter when driving to rule out everything else in order to try further narrowing it down.

I did have a minor incident, lost the passenger side antenna mast on some kind of construction related signage that must've been sticking out. Weird because the mirror and the cab were untouched, the antenna mounting about 6" inboard of the outer edge of the mirror. Anywhoo, the 5' skip shooter on the factory mount stud that side (1/4" or 6mm) broke off like it was made of butter. I fixed that up last week with a new standard 3/8" stud mount (like I used on the driver side CB antenna) and also installed 2" long couplers from Walcott for better fit through the mirror covers. While I was in there cleaning up mounting surfaces, I spied that little ground strap you can see in the pictures in my OP. And recalled I had never unscrewed it, and correctly guessed no paint was scraped off behind it. The only connection is through the bolt threads. So I took those off both sides and exposed more metal for a better connection. Testing in the parking lot, I'm still getting 1.2 SWR on 19, 1.0 on 1 and 1.5 on 40. The nail on the tip is pushed all the way in, so no more shortening possible.

I'll give that a try for a few weeks and post a follow up if any more discoveries are made.

 

You were posting while I was composing mine LOL.

The coax I bought was 18' as well. Some folks believe it matters, I'm not one of them. That's how long it came. I maybe have an extra foot or two stuffed under the radio cubby in the overhead. It was coincidentally about the right length for the run.

The chief problem I had with going under the overhead with the antenna wire was that it crosses the track for my windshield curtain, and I do swing the visor over to the side at times too. I had mine rigged like you describe before doing what's in this thread, and it was driving me nuts. I guess unless you exited the cable out the back of the overhead somehow and tucked the antenna wire up close to the windshield? I don't recall seeing a slick way to do that and not create the conflict with the curtain and visor. Not saying it can't be done neatly, I just didn't explore it further once I set my mind to using the factory path.

The way I've done it, everything appears completely stock with the exception of those fat 5' skip shooter masts. Not even a clamp on mirror mount. It's all mounted where the stock stuff goes. No exposed wire zip tied or otherwise strung anywhere I need to conceal or camouflage it. Having done that now, I could do it again just as easy that way, as the sub-par improvisation job I did in the first place.

 

I like the extra room up front so use the windshield curtains. I have a dog traveling with me, so there's that too. I keep her water and food dishes up front. Mine is a '22 also, just spec'd for OTR reefer. So low ground clearance and skirts/fairings with a roof cap. I'll have to grab a picture with the new masts next time I get it washed. I'm in between washes now and the last trip was a salty one LOL. A 5 foot mast in the factory mounts puts the tips at about 13-2. Definitely have to watch for tree branches more carefully on that side when running down an alley or the like.