Installation Guide

Task Action See...
1 Select a location of the antenna on
the vehicle.
Selecting an Antenna Location on the Vehicle on page 12
Connecting Side-Looker Antennas to the MC4Max,
MC4Pro, or MC3 on page 36
2 Install the antenna mounting base. Antenna Mounting Base Installation on page 13
3 Connect the antenna to the
mounting base.
Antenna and Antenna Mounting Base Connection on page
14
Selecting an Antenna Location on the Vehicle
The integrated antenna remains installed on the vehicle. The manufacturer's instructions, which
ship with the antenna components, are summarized in the following procedures. Itron
recommends consulting the antenna manufacturer's instructions in addition to this installation
guide.
Location selection criteria include the following.
■
Access from inside the vehicle to the exterior antenna mounting location is usually required.
If the vehicle has a headliner, remove nearby trim pieces or even a dome light to gain access
to the mounting location.
■
Install the antenna at least 12 inches (30 inches recommended) from any other antennas or
metal structures on the vehicle's roof that could disrupt communication with endpoints. If you
are also using side-looker antennas with the MC4Max, MC4Pro, or MC3, the side-looker
antennas must be mounted directly in line with and at least 12 inches in front of or behind the
integrated antenna. See Connecting Side-Looker Antennas to the MC4Max, MC4Pro, or
MC3 on page 36.
■
Select a location on the vehicle's roof that has as flat a surface as possible. The metal of the
roof must be 0.02–0.04 inches thick.
■
The location should be no more than one inch deep and at least 2.5 inches in diameter to
properly security the antenna base.
■
To meet RF exposure safety requirements, the antenna must be installed a minimum of 21.7
inches (55 centimeters) from where any bystanders may be located.
■
The diameter of the ground plane at the antenna base should be at least three feet for best
performance. Ideally, the ground plane should be a minimum of three times the wavelength
being received. For example, a 900MHz signal, having a 13-inch wavelength, should have a
ground plane of 39 inches.
Note: Itron recommends that you do not trim, shorten, or secure any cabling until you are
confident of its routing.
Vehicle Preparation and Hardware Installation Guide 2 Vehicle Preparation
16 February 2021 815-0207-00 REV 001 Itron, Inc. Page 12 of 44