Pics of the new style Qualcomm Antenna

[highway]

Ok, I know at one time there was another thread here somewhere that brought up the discussion of the new style Qualcomm antenna, and the best pic I could supply was this one from the ground of the back of my 2012 Pete that had one on it hiding up in the roof fairing.

Well, a couple weeks ago, I started a new job and doing orientation, it dawned on me to get some pictures of the antennas they had for the Qualcomm training units in the orientation room. The days of the old round dome are gone, they are square and flat now.

[Custom Hearse]

I need to add a mount to the ProStar, but the antenna I had was the round dome.

[Danno]

What are the dimensions?

[martinfan5]

I wonder why they change it them from being round?

Now to try and make these in scale

Edited March 4, 2014 by martinfan5

[highway]

What are the dimensions?

666!

I honestly don't know, I didn't have my ruler in my back pocket, just my phone in my front pocket and just happened to remember that the subject had come up and it was an opportunity to get a pic of them off the truck.

A rough (and hopefully close enough for rivet counters) guess is about 8 inches square and 3 inches high not including the hump sticking up in the middle. I'll check when I go back to the yard tomorrow, I think they may have one or two training units there too, and see if I remember my ruler and get exact measurements if they have any off the trucks there.

I wonder why they change it them from being round?

Now to try and make these in scale

Not really sure Jonathan, but I do know that they operate through 3G cell signals now, not a satellite signal like older Qualcomm units used.

Also, as a side note, the unit most commonly hooked up to these new antennas is called the MCP200, and this is what the unit in the truck looks like on the home screen.

It also has onboard navigation, and this is what the nav screen looks like.

I will also remember to take some better pics (I was quickly taking them as I was cleaning out the unit I was driving at the time after a worker's comp injury and the company was on it's way to pick up the truck) and get measurements of the unit. I'll also make sure I get pics of the side of the unit and also with the slide out keyboard out and of the mounting bracket. One big difference between the pic and the way the screen of my current truck is that the "Hours of Service", the second tab not lit up on the left side from the top between the "Messages" tab and "Navigation" tab, IS lit on my current truck. That is how I do my electronic logbook, everything is recorded through that tab, and all fleets using electronic logs (to my knowledge) use the same unit and tab. No more paper logs, other than for if the unit malfunctions, and that is very rare.

[martinfan5]

Matthew, so these new units no longer need line of sight correct?

[highway]

Matthew, so these new units no longer need line of sight correct?

Nope, just line of sight of a cell signal. I have found sometimes it loses signal where the satellite based system would have signal. I don't know if the sat based system couldn't handle all the new functions of the new unit or what, but it is more or less a larger version of a smart phone now. It has not only the messaging, hours of service, and nav functions, but it also has internet capabilities and, when equipped with a scanner, can also wirelessly send the company copies of the bills of lading and other paperwork as soon as the load is delivered. It also can inform the company if you have had a "Critical Event" such as a hard braking scenario or if the cab tilts more than 5 degrees, a possible rollover event, as well as how long the truck has been idling or been over the set speed for "overspeed". You can even play solitaire on it and plug a USB charger into it to charge your phone!

[chitownbri]

now if we can just get stuff like this in the next new truck kit that'd be sweet, along with tripac's and dpf exhaust systems.

[highway]

now if we can just get stuff like this in the next new truck kit that'd be sweet, along with tripac's and dpf exhaust systems.

Honestly Brian, Tripac's and other APU's are not that popular anymore, especially with fleet trucks. Bunk heaters are being installed more than APUs now because of cheaper cost and less weight than having essentially a reefer engine hanging from the frame rails, and a truck with a bunk heater would not be that hard to replicate in scale. They have just a small exhaust tube sticking out from behind the sleeper. If you look closely in this pic, you can see the exhaust for the bunk heater sticking out from under the sleeper just past the 90 degree bend where the main exhaust is coming from under the truck and over to the stack.

I'll look through my pics on my other computer to see if I have another better pic, but that is all I have in my Photobucket right now. Also, depending on the brand of heater, the controls in the bunk are nothing more than a dial that looks like a regular heater knob or a small control box with a digital readout to set the temperature. The one I had in that Pete was the second, and it didn't matter if I set the temp for 50 degrees, it would still roast you out by morning!