2014 freightliner cascadia; mirror mount or behind cab???

[mty pocketz]

I now have a 2014 freightliner cascadia with the crappy built in roof antenna. I've seen some older posts about cascadia mounts, but wanted to see if anybody has anything new to add.

I've seen the mirror mounts for $30, but someone suggested I get a "sidewinder" mount that somehow mounts to the back of the sleeper and sticks out the side so that the antenna is mounted on the driver side back of sleeper. It seems to me that that would give to much reflection from my truck and trailer(drybox/ van).

I'm also curious as to how much performance I'mgoing to lose with my 5' Everhardt if i mount it on the mirror, since it will have to be angled forward a little bc of reflection and will be about 2' lower than on my international.

[silvereagle1]

Not a truck driver but to me an antenna just belongs on the mirror. It just looks right!

[mty pocketz]

So you think it would look more cute mounted to the mirror?

I'm just looking at cost vs performance. The mirror mount would be easier but I've been told by some folks that they don't seem to ground well. We'll see....

[silvereagle1]

Newer trucks may be made different than a few years back. I notice a lot of them have what appears to be plastic mirrors instead of the old style metal frame mirrors. T600 for example. probably isn't a wrong place to mount it. I just like the looks of the twin antenna mirror mounted on a tractor. but then again I'm a fan favorite of the cab over too. My favorite tractor is a white freightliner cabover. if I ever strike it rich I'd get one and restore it. Just old school I guess duke.

[mty pocketz]

I agree. My freightliner has the plastic mirrors and built in antenna which is apparently in the headliner/roof.

[ltdoc]

The whole idea is that whatever antenna you decide on, the metal of your vehicle makes up the 'other half' of the antenna. Making that attachment to that metal is the basic idea. You can't have too much for that 'other half' but you can definitely have too little. That's the idea behind all that 'grounding'. It helps the higher you can get an antenna. On top of the tractor is better than lower, if it's practical. If it's not practical then you just do the best you can. It also helps to have the longest/tallest antenna you can use. There are 'catches' to that, but longer is better till it get's ridiculous. (Nine feet, or a 1/4 wave. Any more is sort of wasted.)
You can make almost anything 'work' if you want to bad enough...
- 'Doc

[silvereagle1]

Found you an antenna

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[wjm1129]

I slipseat in a Cascadia and use a C type mirror mount and a 102 inch whip with a Wilson 5 inch riser and a 3 ft piece of fuel hose on the bottom of the antenna, I also have a piece of heavy nylon string running from the antenna to the fender mirror support to keep the antenna from banging into the cab, it also keeps it upright at 65 mph. The swr is as follows: ch 1 1.1 ch 20 1.05 ch 40 needle barely moves. This probably a bit directional but it works. I get good reports from other cb users with my barefoot Uniden BC 880.

[rbodenbender]

the cheapest way is to get the mirror bracket and mount the antenna there. there are 2 or 3 mounts for the cascadia. here are the images...........

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[silvereagle1]

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That looks like a good mount to me.

[ltdoc]

Antennas would rather be on top of metal than beside metal and don't like being under metal at all. How/where you mount an antenna is more a matter of what's practical for you, rather than the 'best' place you can put one. If you've got a choice, behind the cab isn't the 'best' place at all, one'a them 'beside metal' thingys. One of the best places to put an antenna on a Semi-tractor is out there on it's nose. It'd be away from things, sort of unobstructed, and probably wouldn't hit stuff. Ever seen one out on that 'nose' before? Neither have I...
- 'Doc

[mickeyrat]

Have had good rx/tx with the bird perch style shown above.
+ have it mounted passenger side with the antenna cable routed through the door hinge untouched and through the firewall in an unused grommet ( at least our trucks its unused) , that comes out about 3 inches off the floor pan , behind a removable panel. It looked too tight with stuff to run in-dash to radio, so I ran it up alongside the dash to the dash well and across. 12ft cable was sufficient.

[Voyager1968]

One of the best places to put an antenna on a Semi-tractor is out there on it's nose. It'd be away from things, sort of unobstructed, and probably wouldn't hit stuff. Ever seen one out on that 'nose' before? Neither have I...
- 'Doc

The is a tri-axle dump truck driver here where I live that runs a 102" whip mounted to the front bumper of a Mack CL700.

[halfwatt959]

The Cascadia is a tricky one. Due to the fiberglass mirror arms and the air ride cab its hard to get a good ground and decent swr readings. You may have to run a ground wire. If it has a headache rack behind the cab I would sugest trying there.

[craig_sez]

Seeing the cascadia has its ant built into the roof that means its a horizontal correct??
Been thinking....I know nothing about building antennas but how does this sound to you guys..

Get a length of copper plumbing line and wrap 102 inches of copper wire around it..Makeing sure the wire doesnt unwind itself what ever way you think it will work(electrical tape or something..)

Find a way to connect a coax to it and mount it to the very top of the cab on back,goin from side to side....Make a cpl brackets to ground and attach it to cab itself by useing flairing mount bolts..
That way the ant is up at the highest point of the cab but still below the 13'6" height limit..

Think of it as if you buy 1 ant and lay it on its side across the width of the truck..

Im sure someone can expand on that idea or kill it all together..Im just thinking up ideas here and have no ant background to say that this will or will not work..

[nate_dog_]

Hey mpt pockets I drive a 2014 Volvo I tried the mirror mount on it but only was getting out about 2 miles. So I mounted one on the bar behind the cab that the spring for the pig tail and air lines hang from. Mine is about 12 " below the top of the cab so had to add a 18" extension to get the coil on my 78 Browning antenna above the cab and then adjust the wip. Also had to lay it back about 15 degrees to stay below 14' . running my Stryker 447 talking 10 to 12 miles now. Also added lmr 240 ultraflex about 21' swr about 1.2 make sure you get it grounded good. hope this helps.

[-357Mag]

Seeing the cascadia has its ant built into the roof that means its a horizontal correct??
Been thinking....I know nothing about building antennas but how does this sound to you guys..

Get a length of copper plumbing line and wrap 102 inches of copper wire around it..Makeing sure the wire doesnt unwind itself what ever way you think it will work(electrical tape or something..)

Find a way to connect a coax to it and mount it to the very top of the cab on back,goin from side to side....Make a cpl brackets to ground and attach it to cab itself by useing flairing mount bolts..
That way the ant is up at the highest point of the cab but still below the 13'6" height limit..

Think of it as if you buy 1 ant and lay it on its side across the width of the truck..

Im sure someone can expand on that idea or kill it all together..Im just thinking up ideas here and have no ant background to say that this will or will not work..

You would never get a match below 50:1 Fiberglas does not a Ground plane make. With a design change by using 2 4" firesticks to make a dipole you might be able to pull it off & make it work

[craig_sez]

Back of the cab aint fibreglass...Use a cpl of the existing mounts for the cab extenders to mount a ground wire from..

Im just bounceing stuff at ya all..Trying to figure out what im gonna do ahead of time cause company is getting new trucks and they might be cascadias

[nate_dog_]

As far as antennas Frances, Everest, and skipshooter all work well on fiberglass trucks but make sure they are over 5' and on the back. Just my experience. Good luck

-- Wednesday, 08 October 2014, 15:05 PM --

Sorry that should have been everhart.

[craig_sez]

Hey mpt pockets I drive a 2014 Volvo I tried the mirror mount on it but only was getting out about 2 miles. So I mounted one on the bar behind the cab that the spring for the pig tail and air lines hang from. Mine is about 12 " below the top of the cab so had to add a 18" extension to get the coil on my 78 Browning antenna above the cab and then adjust the wip. Also had to lay it back about 15 degrees to stay below 14' . running my Stryker 447 talking 10 to 12 miles now. Also added lmr 240 ultraflex about 21' swr about 1.2 make sure you get it grounded good. hope this helps.

Must be pullin a flat bed are ya..If you were pullin a box i dont know how your gettin 10-12 miles with all that deflection..Then again you did say your coil is above the roof..Im pretty sure that with 14 ft height on my volvo i would be hitting every damn overpass in maine and the odd one in ny..
Post a pic,lemmie see what ya got done...Just cant see how i can get the coils of my predator to that hight and still tune it without taken every 747 outta the sky..lol.