Sirius XM satellite antenna - where to mount? Also cab wires

[kdarling]

I've read that since the house is fiberglass, that putting the antenna even in the overhead cab storage works?

I've also heard of putting it on the Fantastic fan brace, but I don't know of any easy way to run the cable from there to anywhere.

Right now I'm leaning towards mounting it on top of the saucer shaped HDTV antenna, that I replaced the old Winegard with.

In any case, the related question is about running the antenna wire back down to the dashboard. Do most people sneak the wire along the headliner edge? Is the original metal roof of the cab still in place, or is it it gone and covered by the overhead storage plywood? Etc.

Thanks for any experiences!
Kev

[Blue~Go]

Is the original metal roof of the cab still in place, or is it it gone and covered by the overhead storage plywood?

When it comes to TV, I'm useless (although GPS antennas will shoot through fiberglass just fine). But I can say that (at least on my '99) the Ford metal cab roof is completely intact. The plywood/carpet "floor" of the overcab compartment just sits on it (right on it in the middle and with a bit of space on the sides, since the cab roof is a bit arched and the overcab floor is flat.

In fact on my rig the Ford cutaway cab is so 100% intact that on the rear edges the tape is still there (looks like Ford taped plastic over the open back for delivery and when the plastic was removed the tape stuck to the Ford finished flange on the back of the cab stayed on there (it's behind the "wing moldings" and the overcab face so you don't normally see it).

On my year Concourse, Chinook made a fiberglass molding that is the "overhead" of the cab (it's covered in headliner fabric and has a switch panel in it). With the coach overcab face removed, you can look between the Ford roof and this headliner piece (I think your rig is a bit different in that area if I remember your cab headliner correctly).

[kdarling]

Thanks, as always, for the prompt reply and excellent info!

I'd always wondered about the cab roof, and still wonder if anyone has ever drilled into that space to reach the overhead compartment.

Do you recall if the roof goes all the way back to the rear edge of the overhead storage?

A related question, and my year might not be the same, is does your rig's dash radio come out of any rear speakers or just the door ones? And what speakers does the rear radio use, and what speakers does the TV use?

I'm trying to redo the media systems. I just added a CD satellite dash radio, and now plan on adding a DVD / Android / AirPlay system for the rear. I might even dust off my Android skills. and create a custom Chinook launcher and system monitor.

[Blue~Go]

I'd always wondered about the cab roof, and still wonder if anyone has ever drilled into that space to reach the overhead compartment.

Do you recall if the roof goes all the way back to the rear edge of the overhead storage?

Heck, I don't have to "recall." 'Cause I still have that overcab panel off (the one on which the compartment doors are mounted). I'm eating supper now, but will take a look at to refresh my memory and then reply again. Is there anything specific you'd like to know while I'm peering in?

A related question, and my year might not be the same, is does your rig's dash radio come out of any rear speakers or just the door ones? And what speakers does the rear radio use, and what speakers does the TV use?

I can't speak to the TV, because I had that in a dumpster before I got all the way home. But the radio had the cab system (cab speakers) and the coach system (radio in cabover face, four speakers in coach). The one "thing" about the coach radio was it still got its power from the Ford under-hood battery (start battery). I think they did this so it would retain presets etc. if you put the coach in "store" mode. I didn't want that connection (e.g. run down start battery listening to coach radio) so followed Bob Will's example and moved the power source for the coach radio to the coach system (I used the former VCR wire).

[kdarling]

Cabover - because I want to run a video cable from the rear to my windshield mounted digital rearview mirror (to add a second camera input), I'm tempted to use a little office wire wall cover from the back of the cabover to my overhead console.

That is, run the cable along the cabinets into the cabover, then at the inside cabover door edge, drill straight down to continue inside a headliner mounted cover to my overhead console. I might have to make a drawing if that's not clear. So I was wondering if the metal roof continued as far back as the cabover door, or stopped a bit before.

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Speakers - interesting about the rear radio power coming from the chassis battery, that explains some of the wiring. I've started removing all the rear electronics do I can figure out where sell the wires go. Of course, the PO also did some mods that confuse things, like add his own headphone jacks

On my rig, there are six rear factory speakers... two in the cabover face, and four under the cabinets. I haven't yet had time to figure out where they all source from.

Hey, didn't the later models have some kind of automatic speaker control that mixed or switched between radio and TV? I thought I'd read that somewhere.

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Sometimes I think that we should get everyone to pool all their teardown photos and wiring info, and create our own Haynes like Chinook manual

[Blue~Go]

Okay, just read your post and now looking into the cabover (I can see in above the cab headliner because I have the "face panel" off of the coach side (the panels that has the center door and the TV, VCR, etc.).

The '99 has a molded headliner panel that replaces whatever Ford had there. It's basically the same shape, but has a molded spot for a four switch panel just above the driver's right shoulder. Then the "pillars" that go up the B-pillars are molded shapes that also wrap around and cover the "side flare" area in the coach where it goes from narrow cab to wider coach body. On my era, if you remove those two side pillars (a pain, but doable), then you can remove that front TV/VCR panel (not that you'd want to - just setting the scene here).

With those three panels off (which they are now), I can see the entire rear of the Ford cutaway cab, plus can peer into the gap and, looking forward, see the area between the cab headliner and the Ford roof, and plus the gap (just above the previous gap) between the Ford roof and the "floor" of the overcab storage area.

So, the cutaway cab looks as though it was left completely stock. It has a full metal roof and full side panels. The rear is (of course) open, but there is a Ford factory finished lip all the wary around the opening (it's a flange of about 1" wide across th top and 5-6" iIt's a flange of about 1" wide across the top and 5-6" wide coming down the sides. The flange is turned such that it runs athwartships, if that makes sense (so the cab cutaway doesn't just end as if it were sliced off, but rather turns 90º to a finished edge). It's on that finished, Ford-painted flange that there is still a half of a piece of tape running all the way around. I imagine the other half was on a sheet of plastic that sealed off the cutaway cab for delivery.

There are two major places that wires run forward. One is on the driver's side. A large bundle (say 10) wires runs up the side pillar (behind the decorative fiberglass pillar) and then through a hole in the metal flange right at the top before it turns the corner to the overcab portion. These wires mostly came from the LVD (which was by the front of the couch in my year) and go to the over-driver switch panel ("store" "buzzer" "jump start" etc.).

There is a similar bundle on the passenger side, but fewer wires and they come in from behind the dining side wall. I believe they are for the generator start (there is a remote switch in that over-driver switch panel) and then a few others (I think the solar wires going across, plus the speaker wires to the other side from the coach stereo - I forget all the details there).

Peering above the driver cab headliner, there are wires for that over-driver switch, plus for the Ford cab dome light, and then going to the rear-view mirror (my rig has temp and compass plus lights in mirror). Nothing pierces the metal of the Ford roof though that can be seen. I thought there might be a bunch of screws securing the overcab floor, but I think those only go in where there are "beams" in the Ford roof so they don't come visibly into the sheet metal area (I think they go into the area "inside" the beams).

Does this make sense? Anything else I can check?

[kdarling]

Thank you very much... fascinating!

Especially that they laid the cabover.on top of the stock roof.

Although I dont have the same roof controls, I do have a ceiling console made of fabric covered wood. It holds the map lights, and now also contains the radio receiver to my digital mirror from the wireless rearview camera.

Since there arent any wires going up the windshield pillars, the wiring must come behind as with yours. So your description is helpful there, too.

I just realized why no one seemed interested in my snap on digital mirror, when I mentioned it last year. You later guys have a combo compass / thermometer mirror, right? So theres no way that you are going to cover that up with a monitor.

For myself, I bought a used Ford Explorer overhead console with compass / temp display. My plan is to modify it so it fits in the wood overhead console. I've already run wires out the firewall to an outside temp sensor that I mounted by the left headlight.