dodge dakota with cap install

[TheTeZ]

Ok.... so my buddys got a .... 03 dakota or something like that.

he originally had a mag mount, which he gave away. then he got a Wilson silverload, and tried a few mounts, finally found one he liked, and we had working, it was hanging out around the mirror more or less on the driver side. today we were out there, i ended up helping him instead of working on my own, which i hope i can get to tomorrow.
Anyway!
he just got a cap, so we bolted a mirror mount type mount through the top of the cap between the cap and truck, so the entirety of the antenna is above the vehicle. but swrs are well above 3. i tried all kinds of grounding, grounding different things. and all kindsa stuff.

i was wondering if we went and ran some i dunno... 10 gauge wire like 6 strands from the antenna to the back of the cap if that may help. i figure its because their is no ground plane because its a fiberglass cap.

i moved the antenna around in my hand, and at diff spots (over the center of the CAB) the SWR's dropped and we could hear a decent amount.




so you think that will work?

it got dark so we never got to that.

[BushHog]

BUMP for a good question

[Turbo-T]

Yeah same here. i would think the roof would work as a ground plane.

[TheTeZ]

i thought so as well... but once we got it up and installed. and the swr's were horrible. i went .... "damn" i figured the fiberglass was giving it no ground plane.... i figured my idea MAY work when i held the antenna in my hand and moved it to the center of the cab and swr's went down.

im waiting for one of those antenna expert guys!

[drdx]

Try this. Get a 9 foot long piece of wire, #14 insulated or whatever you have. Connect one end of it to the mount and run the rest of it in as straight a line as possible towart the rear of the cap, and when you run out of room you can make it into an L or whatever. The other end does not need to be connected to anything, and in fact, tape off the bare end. This will offer it a tuned counterpoise, so what you will essentially have is an L dipole. That thing is starving for ground. You may need to trim or adjust the length, and if it is too long just fold it back onto itself, the counterpoise that is.

If you still do any grounding to the bed, you may need to run ground straps from the bed to the frame and use braid, not round wire.

-drdx

[TheTeZ]

k, just for a little update, i talked to drdx in the chat, im gonna try doing the 1 wire like he recommended. running the wire straight from the mount. .... when i see the truck again anyway.....

['Doc]

It ought'a work. It isn't all that hard to install antennas on non-metal structures, you just have to provide something that will act as the 'other half' of the antenna as grounding does. Aluminum works just as well as copper, iron, steel, platinum, gold, but diamonds don't work at all. Line that cap with metal foil, or several runs of wire. Make a connection to the 'ground' side of the mount and the antenna really can't tell what it's connected to, only if it's 'enough' or not. (The biggest problem with fiberglass is that making a good mechanical connection isn't always that easy. Fiberglass just isn't as 'sturdy' as metal in some ways, sort of.) And since fiberglass is 'invisible' to RF, putting that 'ground' under the fiberglass where it can't be seen (by people) works just fine. And, since fiberglass cap's are usually thincker than the average metal used for automotive bodies, getting a 'fixed' mount antenna to mount to it isn't practical, sort of. A larger hole with a metal backing plate that the antenna will mount to is one answer (just be sure to weather seal that hole). That metal plate also gives a handy place to make those 'ground' wire attachments too. Almost always some alternatives...
- 'Doc

By the way... Friends don't let friends drive Dodges!

[TheTeZ]

It ought'a work. It isn't all that hard to install antennas on non-metal structures, you just have to provide something that will act as the 'other half' of the antenna as grounding does. Aluminum works just as well as copper, iron, steel, platinum, gold, but diamonds don't work at all. Line that cap with metal foil, or several runs of wire. Make a connection to the 'ground' side of the mount and the antenna really can't tell what it's connected to, only if it's 'enough' or not. (The biggest problem with fiberglass is that making a good mechanical connection isn't always that easy. Fiberglass just isn't as 'sturdy' as metal in some ways, sort of.) And since fiberglass is 'invisible' to RF, putting that 'ground' under the fiberglass where it can't be seen (by people) works just fine. And, since fiberglass cap's are usually thincker than the average metal used for automotive bodies, getting a 'fixed' mount antenna to mount to it isn't practical, sort of. A larger hole with a metal backing plate that the antenna will mount to is one answer (just be sure to weather seal that hole). That metal plate also gives a handy place to make those 'ground' wire attachments too. Almost always some alternatives...
- 'Doc

By the way... Friends don't let friends drive Dodges!

Alright, thanks. i didnt know i could run it inside the cap. The mount is in a real nice place right now, nice and tight. Thanks for some more ideas and things to think about.

And i know.... but he had the dodge before i met him.... dont worry if and when it goes ill talk him out of another one.