Setting up a CB antenna in a daycab 2017 Cascadia.

Well guys, just in case any of you were curious, this is what the factory antenna mounts look like on these Cascadias. It’s bolted to the upside-down pyramid-shaped aluminum plate that’s underneath that black plastic outer cover that is bolted to the cab via 3 torx-head bolts. Oh, and whether or not it’s actually needed, there’s also a rubber gasket that goes between the mount itself and that upside down pyramid shaped plate.

And well, other than the RG58 cable that they have connected together that comes from both cab-mounted antennas into one PL-259 connector that connects to the input side of the diplexer behind the instrument cluster when, if I’m not mistaken, for a proper co-phase cable setup for dual antennas, should be 70 ohm RG59 cable and the best of luck trying to get a good SWR going through that diplexer that separates the frequencies between where the CB goes and the AM/FM radio is, the antenna mount is a problem within itself because if I’m not mistaken, the part of the mount that the coax cable screws onto, should be grounded to the chassis, correct? And the part on top where the antenna threads into, is not supposed to be grounded to the chassis, correct?

Well, even if you got rid of that little rubber gasket that goes between the mount(see picture) and the mounting plate, even where the cable connects to this thing is not grounded to that outer part. Verified it with my multi-meter.

 

Well, that may just be a Walmart thing but on this truck, they are definitely set up in a co-phase-like configuration because like I said in my opening post, the coax cables that come from both antennas are basically soldered together into one PL 259 connector that screws into the diplexer box that’s behind the instrument cluster.

Maybe on my old 2009 Cascadia that I drove back in my CR England days, might’ve been like that but most definitely on this truck, both antennas pick up both the AM/FM radio stations and the CB frequencies and it’s that little box behind the instrument cluster that separates them with a cable going to the AM/FM radio, and the other cable that goes up there where the CB goes.