Mike445
Member
you know that was my initial plan. I just hate to put a hole in the roof. However...I DO think that is the best way to go. I’ll have to get another Larsen tri band with spring.
Mike
HELP-Antenna for enclosed aluminum trailer!
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you know that was my initial plan. I just hate to put a hole in the roof. However...I DO think that is the best way to go. I’ll have to get another Larsen tri band with spring.
Mike
prcguy
Member
From my point of view as a radio and camping person, that roof is a dream come true. My trailer is all fiberglass with zero ground plane. If your roof was 13ft off the ground where antennas would snag things and be difficult to remove it would be a different conversation.
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Mike445
Member
yup you’re right. I’ll bite the bullet and drill in!
mike
ra7850
Member
This might help for a side mount, maybe you can adapt from this.
As well as this
As well as this
Amazon.com: Rugged Radios NMO-SC Suction Cup Antenna Mount with Swivel Base by Scosche: GPS & Navigation
Amazon.com: Rugged Radios NMO-SC Suction Cup Antenna Mount with Swivel Base by Scosche: GPS & Navigation
www.amazon.com
Mike445
Member
That suction cup mount is very cool!!!!
Mike
ra7850
Member
I bought it for traveling while in hotels.
Mike445
Member
It’s perfect! I have never seen that before for an NMO mount
ra7850
Member
Me either, RadioShack used to have one that had 2 small suctions cups and a bnc mount, I'm sure the cable was cheap but it worked until the 1 of the suction cups broke off. Then it was useless, as it became top heavy and turned from vertical to down.
Mike445
Member
I had that Radio Shack one years ago! It’s probably still in the basement in Canada somewhere!
Mike
slowmover
Active Member
(Ignore strike thru)
I’ve an all-aluminum travel trailer with multiple roof penetrations and it hasn’t leaked in 31-years. Double-shell with aluminum-bow ribs.
While I’m not the first owner, this isn’t unusual. Airplanes and boats aren’t allowed to leak. You’re not re-inventing the wheel thru investigation. I use marine cable glands for some work, and other solutions for other things.
The problem with wood-frame trailers is that the walls flex at different rhythms (frequencies) without being tied together top AND bottom. It’s usually the bottom part of the equation.
Thus, it’s the wall/roof join that starts to fail. Moisture (not quite “water”) is admitted.
Where you plan to sit and use the radio is a more important decision, as coax & power runs should be short; should be removeable as a harness (disconnects); and the location is amenable to a second set of penetrations for remote antennas.
Some of mine go from my dinette and out onto the roof thru the refrigerator vent (sidewall vents are inefficient for convection). Others go thru the floor & bellypan.
Who knows, I might cut a half-dozen more. (Repairs to patch aren’t a big deal aesthetically when it’s roof or belly).
Gizmos mounted to the sides of vehicles are just as likely to get ripped off by a tree branch.
A manual layover mount on the roof you could reach using a telescoping ladder means the world is your oyster.
There are specialty sealants for aluminum (don’t use silicone), and once you’ve a few of those, worries are over. (Make your own gaskets, etc).
Go to the Inland RV website and buy any and all of the Adhesives & Sealants.
My trailer is 5005-Anodized, and what the AS guys use is good enough (with their cheaper, thinner aluminum).
WEST MARINE paper catalog a good reference. Where I found cable glands (and more).
.
I’ve an all-aluminum travel trailer with multiple roof penetrations and it hasn’t leaked in 31-years. Double-shell with aluminum-bow ribs.
While I’m not the first owner, this isn’t unusual. Airplanes and boats aren’t allowed to leak. You’re not re-inventing the wheel thru investigation. I use marine cable glands for some work, and other solutions for other things.
The problem with wood-frame trailers is that the walls flex at different rhythms (frequencies) without being tied together top AND bottom. It’s usually the bottom part of the equation.
Thus, it’s the wall/roof join that starts to fail. Moisture (not quite “water”) is admitted.
Where you plan to sit and use the radio
Some of mine go from my dinette and out onto the roof thru the refrigerator vent (sidewall vents are inefficient for convection). Others go thru the floor & bellypan.
Who knows, I might cut a half-dozen more. (Repairs to patch aren’t a big deal aesthetically when it’s roof or belly).
Gizmos mounted to the sides of vehicles are just as likely to get ripped off by a tree branch.
A manual layover mount on the roof you could reach using a telescoping ladder means the world is your oyster.
There are specialty sealants for aluminum (don’t use silicone), and once you’ve a few of those, worries are over. (Make your own gaskets, etc).
Go to the Inland RV website and buy any and all of the Adhesives & Sealants.
My trailer is 5005-Anodized, and what the AS guys use is good enough (with their cheaper, thinner aluminum).
WEST MARINE paper catalog a good reference. Where I found cable glands (and more).
.
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