Cascadia behind sleeper antenna

[marketmerlin]

I have a 9" predator 10k on the bar on the back of the sleeper. I pull a van so it sticks up about 3-4" or so over the trailer and surprised me that I only had a 1.2:1 swr on my dosy and old radio shack meter. I do still wonder if there are any better set ups. As far as range. I run a lot of hills in KY so about 3 miles away I was still putting 7-9 on a drivers meter then one of us would drop off a hill and it would be a 1. Have any of ya tried a set up like mine with a dry van? Would be neat to see what the rf pattern looks like with my setup

 

[222DBFL]

With that setup you seem to have it nailed down. You aren't going to gain anything trying to get the VSWR reading down from 1.2:1. That is a darn good reading and most struggle to get that with a regular setup shoot. If it's working, leave it alone, as far as signal or distance goes, you are getting out just fine if you are running a stock 4 watt cb radio. With hills your signal is going to dip and come up as you go out of line of site from whoever you are talking to. I would leave the antenna where it is and roll with it as it seems as though it's working fine!

 

[marketmerlin]

Cool... actually I'm running one of those maxlog m-8800 v8 radios with the variable power turned up on it.. only had it a couple days now.. I was running a Uniden 980 before it and talked from Dayton OH to Shreveport LA on 37 lsb last week bone stock... haven't really herd any skip since I got the Maxlog in the truck

 

[marketmerlin]

I thought for future reference some people would like to know a little more... its a predator 10 K competition with the 9" shaft. Coax is about 25 foot of normal mini 8 I routed through the truck on the drivers side and out the drivers side, side box door. I do have some LMR 240 I haven't routed yet. When I do run it I plan on routing it on the passenger side to keep it away from the A/C and electrical stuff in the bunk. Drill a small hole in the floor then solder the end

 

[skip searcher]

I'm also thinking of purchasing a predator 10 k antenna for my bird perch on the drivers mirror , I'm thinking of the 22 inch shaft it would be about 12 foot so good for 13. 6 I'm also driving a 2012 freightliner cascadia . Any opinion on those Antennas would be Apreciated

 

[rabbiporkchop]

I have a 9" predator 10k on the bar on the back of the sleeper. I pull a van so it sticks up about 3-4" or so over the trailer and surprised me that I only had a 1.2:1 swr on my dosy and old radio shack meter. I do still wonder if there are any better set ups. As far as range. I run a lot of hills in KY so about 3 miles away I was still putting 7-9 on a drivers meter then one of us would drop off a hill and it would be a 1. Have any of ya tried a set up like mine with a dry van? Would be neat to see what the rf pattern looks like with my setup

This is the closest I have been to driving a Cascadia and would run the same antenna on a Cascadia.


3309 by rabbiporkchop on WorldwideDX Radio Forum

 

[fourstringburn]

You should run that antenna on a bird perch that's made specifically for the Cascadia on that particular truck. Those particular brackets will mount the base of the antenna just under 6 ft. off the ground so antenna length won't be a problem. I have seen drivers use a 102" whip with that mount but the overall height exceeds 14 ft.

You should run the longest shaft available to get the coil more in line of a center loading antenna. If you increase the lower shaft length, theoretically the whip on top will need to be shortened to retune the antenna so the overall length after re-tuning shouldn't vary much, if any.

You shouldn't run an antenna behind the cab especially if you are pulling a van or reefer. An exception is on a flatbed, car hauler, or tanker. The reason is your are surrounding too much of the antenna around the metal trailer and the cab causing reflections with the antennas radiating patterns even though the tip of the antenna is exposed.

Like any antenna, base or mobile, get it up in the air and as far away from being next to metal objects as possible except metal directly underneath the antenna which is fine and can act as a ground plane effect. Also don't do that "Bull horn thing" It may look cool, but your antenna radiation pattern suffers. Keep the antenna straight up and vertical. When you angle the antenna, your antenna polarization is neither vertical or horizontal.

I ran predator 10K antennas before and I thought they worked well and have a good bandwidth for what I used it for at the time.

 

[Slowmover]

1. Okay, it’s old, but . . . .

I’ve had a pair of tractors where the FACTORY antenna mount was on the back of the sleeper.

1). 2018 International Pro-star condo (Penske); a pair

2). 2017 & 2019 Peterbilt 579 mid-roof with a single.

All fitted with antennas that did not reach the top of the tractor.

In each case, a SKIPSHOOTER brand top load antenna was installed that cleared the van trailer roof by 4-6”

I occasionally bumped something, but in over 100k Miles never broke any. Antennas were on a

A). PRO-COMM JBC-404 5” SS spring; and a,

B). TOP GUN TEC ultra HD SS antenna stud

(Both from BOBS CB; fast shipping and great service).

These were brand new trucks, so no damage to coax from previous drivers.

With another driver following me on IH40E across OK into AR with the Pete for over an hour, the reception was very good until he was 1.5-miles behind. (Kicked in the amp to compensate).

On another day, I was following two other drivers conversing while on IH30E from Texarkana into Arkansas and had no trouble hearing or being heard by them when a mile marker check them 3-5/miles ahead.

I was running a Uniden 880 with an RM Italy KL203 plus a West Mountain Radio ClearSpeaker (digital noise filtration).

Let’s say that without the help of that gear one is reduced in TX & RX.

Other company drivers tell me that range with the factory Pete setup plus an ordinary 4W CB is a mile or a mile + 1/2.

Get a Skipshooter that will clear the roof. Spring & that extra strong stud.
Make plans to use mirror mounts. Again, BOBS CB has mirror bracket mounts (not stupid bird perch) that will handle sizable antennas for old or new model Cascadia. Order 7’ Skipshooters.

I was backed in at Amarillo one morning and another of our drivers had a “big radio” with a Predator 10k on the sleeper mount. Whip DID get above trailer according to him (we were bobtail; about 100-yards apart; tractors aimed same direction and the otherwise same plane, so to speak.

Yeah, he was blowing me up. Until the guard shack called him in and he drove the 200-yards to the road and turned 90-degrees. And he disappeared.

That antenna design ain’t worth beans for the mount location.

TOP LOAD antenna design. Skipshooter brand.

Back of the sleeper will get you by until you have the other gear & supplies assembled to mount to Cascadia mirror brackets.

On my last Cascadia (new model) if I could hear them, THEY COULD HEAR ME.​

.

 

[Slowmover]

No idea how to eliminate unwanted strike thru lines, ha!

 

[fourstringburn]

Back of the sleeper will get you by until you have the other gear & supplies assembled to mount to Cascadia mirror brackets.

Behind the cab if you're pulling a van/reefer is the least desirable place for an antenna.

I have a 2019 Int'l LT with factory antennas behind the cab. CB reception and transmit is hampered but better than nothing. The antennas are also too close together so there is some phase cancellation going on.

Our company doesn't allows us to make major alterations after some drivers got caught drilling holes and other stupid things so I have to live with it.

I also have my HF screwdriver antenna mounted behind the cab too but off towards the side fairings. It works but not as good as my last truck when I had old style mirror post brackets.

Their are no mirror posts on the LT trucks. Our Pete's have just a single gumdrop above the top corner of the cab.

Our Kenworth's still have mirror posts where you can change out coax and I could run separate coax to my HF antenna and have the CB on the other side.

I'm looking to get a Kenworth next.

 

[Slowmover]

Before my “come to Jesus” moment I’d drive anything. An International, even a Freightliner.

Now it’s Peterbilt or nothing.

Above is a 2018 ProStar I drove till the trans grenaded after two weeks.

Sitting at Coors in Golden, I swapped out the factory sticks for

Pro Comm Quad Wrap

that I’d had on a 2018 T880 KW.

I could actually hear IH70 from 2-miles away!

Was a tanker yanker in that alternate past. They were a nice choice for the mirror arms.

Couldn’t hurt to try some Skipshooters that’ll get above the trailer roof. It’s a distinct improvement with my single sleeper-back mount.

Or just try the Quads. Use those 3.5” copper boiler floats with a blinding shine. Pull every leg at the company about the magical performance.

.

 

[Slowmover]

The Freightliner setup

 

[skip searcher]

Twin Antennas how do they work for you

 

[Slowmover]

That setup: Galaxy 99v2 + RM Italy KL203p plus those 7’ Skipshooters (and 8-AWG power from distribution panel main feed with BUSS termination fuses) thru a WEST MOUNTAIN RADIO CLEARSPEAKER. A Wilson co-phased harness.

If I could hear them, they could hear me. Ran from near Clovis, NM to points east and north. High plains to prairie. Talked skip a few times. Was heavy that spring into summer. Still tinkering (left that job for better). Next job was bonding. Had done little.

You can see the PVC collars a few of us were trying. Fierce crosswinds cause these antennas to move around a lot. I’ve not found stress marks near base ferrules.

One of the guys came up with using a drilled Lucite “plate” attached to the visor with a pair of purposed vise-grips from a slip-seater setup. I hadn’t gotten that far.

One things certain, I’d be VERY surprised at anyone doing as well or better with a Predator or Wilson 5000 or similar. The Skipshooter is easily their daddy in this application. (And better than the hard-to-find 6’ Firestiks I started with).

The WM speaker with DSP is the other big thing. See those threads.



An early version. UNIDEN BC20 speaker. Palomar Coax Filter. MFJ 945 tuner. RK56 Microphone.

Never a lack of drama out there:


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[Slowmover]

Twin Antennas how do they work for you

Most of that rig transferred to the 579 Peterbilts I’ve driven since.