Troubleshooting mylack of distance, receivng and transmitting.

WA4GCH "YOU push the point that playing with coax and placing it in the radiation part of the antenna system is as good as doing it right and making the coax act as it should"

Yet again you are lying to this board. I never once said these words nor anything like them. It is you seeing these words, making them up in your own mind, and proclaiming in public these words are mine. All I have done it try to convey to truck drivers in trucks like Mikes what He had done under His specific conditions to get His station talking with reasonable distance. In the model truck He drives there is no ground at the antenna mount, combined with close proximity of the antenna to conductive metal portions further interfering with conditions for His antenna. It is not possible for Him to tune the antenna and He has proven this over years trying every possible method which has been suggested. This includes one or more antennas used as counterpoising at the mount, wires to the frame, the door, and any other conceivable point He could find. What He did works and works well. It matters not what you believe. A man with experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument. He has found through trial that there is no way to tune the antenna mounted as seen in the photo He provided. Therefore everything you counter with is without meaning. You should stop making claims with your words stating to this forum they are mine. Again you resort to outright lies and dishonesty. Proof you have no ground upon which to stand. I would not build a house there if I were you.

Furthermore I am certain you have never bothered to go for free and study the works by W2DU so that you can gain an understanding of the concept in question. This sounds like laziness and arrogant pride to me. A closed mind is no mind at all. You instantly reply to posts spending no time in thought, spewing out whatever words you have on top of your mind. You are familiar with the verse about a fool and a multitude of words without thought and without wisdom I trust.

 

Looking at your installation picture, my educated guess is that you are indeed running a high SWR because the antenna is too close to the metal door and the mirror. On my T2000 I had to put the antenna on a standoff on the grab rail on the back of the sleeper. Mounted it as high as I could without it being taller than the trailer. With a 4' Firestick and a Cobra and 3 watts I could talk 5 to 6 miles forward and behind with no problem. I also had a homemade (I build all my amateur antennas) "bug catcher" antenna mounted on my the opposite side of the cab for my Kenwood TS440SAT (100 watt transmit) and worked the world on 20 and 80 meters mobile.

Try moving the antenna out into the clear as much as you can. Reflection from vertical surfaces will create all kinds of problems for you.

Good luck.

N5DAR (General Class Amateur Radio Operator since 1976)

 

I put a tuneable 4' firestick on the back of my cascadia I am driving.

I get out about 5 miles as well.

 

Two things, one Mike tried the rear idea. His company is quite picky complaining about blemishes on the finish where the coax runs along the side to the rear whipping in the wind. Yes they are that nit-picky about their trucks and no taping it didn't work either as then the complaints were about tape residue, since daily He must leave the truck taking His entire setup with Him. So on the rear mount idea, been there, done that. Plus they even complained about mounting one in back, they have an appearance policy as to where things are mounted meaning drivers are only allowed one in the mirror area. I agree, dweebs they must be but I assume the money and lack of better prospects in the area make it worthwhile. Second, as just stated by another above about 5 miles on a good day in quiet conditions and flat terrain was about what He encountered performance wise when going to the back to mount the antenna. He is doing double that or better with His current setup. He has a welder friend who is good with stainless, there is only so far out the peg can stick without excessive weakness for the weight of a long shaft Wilson, and it did not seem to help much. Every fiberglass type performed worse so He stuck with the Wilson. Basically He needed to be able to quickly mount the setup and hit the road each day, carrying the proper Torx driver for the mirror mount screws. Put it on quickly, go to work, take it off quickly head for home. His setup is fast, easy, works better than anything else He has tried. I really doubt anyone out here is ever going to convince Him otherwise about the setup because He is well pleased with performance. The only reason He posted His ideas here was to help other drivers nationwide working for the same company to solve the issues I am sure anyone driving this model truck is having. In another previous post mention had been made about bad coax connectors. Not at issue, trying many different cables including hand made ones by His tech friend rules out this consideration.

 

There are holes in the floorboard under the bunk specifically for wiring and hoses. I used one of those and brought the coax up without damage to the tractor. No issues.

Oops.....call me dummy. I didn't see the part where he slips seats. Sorry.

 

I believe I would be looking for a new company to drive for....lol

 

Take the time to read my post I NEVER said that ....
"
The only way to match an antenna to coax is to match the antenna to the coax NOT play with the coax to make the antenna work ..... YOU push the point that playing with coax and placing it in the radiation part of the antenna system is as good as doing it right and making the coax act as it should that is MOVE power from the radio to the radiator .... AKA antenna
"

 

A ferrite bead choke will stop most unwanted radiation from the coax. You can also coil the coax to make a choke. That's another story. Chokes normally will stop radiation and DC component from getting back into the radio. The latter is a real problem with unmatched dipoles and antenna tuners. Not a problem for you, but could help reduce radiation.

Google it.