Where to mount VHF/UHF and HF antennas on Cybnertruck?

ituner-HF

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I need to mount my VHF/UHF ham antenna, mag-mount is out of the question and glass coupling antennas suck (rf-wise) on Cybertruck windshileds with a lot of Alu content. Also, clip-on concept is gone for the Cybertruck body, IMHO. Where the heck can I mount an antenna that is fed by a coax cable? Drilling 3mm thick steel? Oh no. Any suggestions?
Tesla Cybertruck Where to mount VHF/UHF and HF antennas on Cybnertruck? 1632279386578
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Quicksilver

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I was thinking the same thing about my CB radio from my trucking days.
Modern trucks and cars have very little space to mount a full size CB or ham radio.
My CB has not been in a truck since 2002 when I hung up my truck driving spurs.
I also have a 500 watt "kicker" (linear amplifier) mounted on my Cobra CB that allowed me to cut through the normal CB clutter.
It has to be hard wired to a high voltage fused wire to keep from overheating stock wiring.
Will the CT have some auxiliary high voltage 12 volt outlets that could be used for winches or other high draw accessories or jump start an ICE vehicle?
Normally CB antennas on Commercial Vehicles are mounted on the mirrors with the coax coming in through the weather stripping around the wing window. Many new Class Eight trucks come with the CB antennas and coax wiring already installed and a compartment to mount the radio in.
On pickup trucks we mounted them to the metal bumpers, roll bars or the bed of the truck itself.
Since the CT doesn't have a typical pickup bumper finding a place to mount an antenna is going to be a challenge.
This may be a moot point for me considering most of the new breed of truck drivers don't use CB's and a lot of them barely speak English anyway.
 

Ogre

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I need to mount my VHF/UHF ham antenna, mag-mount is out of the question and glass coupling antennas suck (rf-wise) on Cybertruck windshileds with a lot of Alu content. Also, clip-on concept is gone for the Cybertruck body, IMHO. Where the heck can I mount an antenna that is fed by a coax cable? Drilling 3mm thick steel? Oh no. Any suggestions?
1632279386578.png
I hadn't thought about this before, but getting things like this from the cabin to the vault is going to be damned near impossible. Maybe there will be some way to go under the dash and into the frunk?

Alternatively there are a couple of little black triangular panels in front of the drivers and passenger windows, maybe through there? Oops looked closer at this photo and those are windows too.

Whatever you do... don't try drilling a hole in the floor and running it underneath the truck!!!
 
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ituner-HF

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I hadn't thought about this before, but getting things like this from the cabin to the vault is going to be damned near impossible. Maybe there will be some way to go under the dash and into the frunk?

Alternatively there are a couple of little black triangular panels in front of the drivers and passenger windows, maybe through there? Oops looked closer at this photo and those are windows too.

Whatever you do... don't try drilling a hole in the floor and running it underneath the truck!!!
e.

Thinking Cybertruck might be semi-submersible, I am thinking of penetrating (with a drill, oh, no!) this area... Dunno about how one can fish a cable that route. :( Thanks, KN6KEZ

Tesla Cybertruck Where to mount VHF/UHF and HF antennas on Cybnertruck? Screen Shot 2021-09-21 at 8.07.45 PM
 

Ogre

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I am guessing there will be access opportunities, even if a drill is still needed, through the side sail compartments. Guessing, no actual knowledge.
Oh, that's a good call!
 


Ogre

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Side sail doors are mysterious in terms of sealing/opening/closing. My guess is that there will be a big surprise in that compartment, mostly electric-related.
This is the big problem with trying to plan for a car nobody has driven. We haven’t even seen them actually open the sail pillar doors yet. For all we know the frunk, sail pillars, and under vault storage don’t work at all on the prototype. (This is my assumption actually)
 

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As a radiodummy I would try to use entire body of CT as an antenna. Or at least some lids/covers insulated from the main body.
Also the metal strip, connected to the cable inside, could be tape insulated on both sides and attached with double sided tape passing outside under the lid of the frank or side compartments.
After all antennas always look ugly.
 

ajdelange

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Not a dumb idea at all. You are talking about a "slot antenna" in which is slot is cut out of a conducting sheet and the sheet driven appropriately. The radiation pattern is the same as that of a metal structure of the same shape as the slot.
 
 




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