This might be a better thread for Sprinter Forum *except* for the fact that it invokes multiple elements of the Airstream upfit.
There are two antennae on the roof of the T1N Interstate - one on the forehead, and one farther back, amidships. You can see them in this photo, and the one that I'm talking about is situated a short distance above the AIRSTREAM lettering:
Both of ours were showing evidence of sun rot, and what does that translate into? Water leaks unless we repair or replace them.
The rear one was an easy fix - Sikaflex 221 encapsulating it. It's on the flat roof so nobody sees the base of it. It can be all ugly, all the time and it does not matter.
The forehead antenna has been a different story. I can't have gobs of sealant around that thing, and given the condition of it, I'm not sure that sealant alone would work anyway.
So, new antenna. My husband did the headwork on this one, so I'm missing some details. Bottom line: degradation of that antenna is a known issue with T1N Sprinters, and those antennae are of a certain spec that makes DIY not worth it. Others have tried and some concluded it's better to just pony up the $160 needed for an antenna that conforms to whatever the build dictated in the first place.
The complexity in our case is that I don't want to dismantle the cab trim YET AGAIN for only one purpose. I want to prep it for other upgrades at the same time as I'm taking it all down to replace the antenna. At a minimum, these will include:
(1) Pre-wire for mobile DVR and camera system, which requires us to know what wires to place in there preemptively. And we don't know that yet. See my thread called
Comprehensive DVR and security camera system.
(2) Pre-bracket it AND pre-wire it for the eventual addition of an iPad in the headliner. See my thread called
iPad mounted in Interstate cab.
Anyway, here I am creating yet another placeholder thread for when the time comes and I really get this job underway. But the good news is that I've never done a thread or a blog post describing the complete interior trim dismantling, so it might be helpful to get that on the record.
Meanwhile, here's what the new antenna looks like, the pricey little bugger that it is.
Linear Mode
