Radio Antennae

[Clay Pitkin]

I have an 1984 Chev with a diesel engine. The antennae for the radio is in the windshield. On a good day, it gets ok reception around town. On a bad day its just plain lousy! Also when I travel with my camp trailer, it does ok but...... you know, it does not do so good.

Is it worth putting a signal enhancer on the radio antennae? Or is worth it to replace the antennae with a signal enhancer?

Also, If I do a antennae replacement, I was looking at doing a power antennae. Are other antennas better than others?

TIA
Clay

[racefanwfo]

clay window antenna's suck. go to your local car stereo shop they can install an antenna that will work way better then the one in the window.

[manta22]

Amen to that! Window antennas are really poor on AM but marginally better on FM. A whip antenna is going to be the same no matter who made it--as far as sensitivity goes; the quality may vary depending on who the manufacturer is. Don't forget to readjust the trimmer capacitor in the radio to match the new antenna or it won't be any better than your present windshield wonder.

An "antenna booster" is money wasted.

Regards, Neil   Tucson, AZ

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Whatever antenna you have installed -- assuming, of course, that it's some kind of whip -- make extra double sure positively with no chance of being wrong -- that you've got it well-grounded at the hole in the body/fender/roof/whatever.  Make sure there's clean metal and no paint or old corrosion.  Ground the radio, too -- to the best ground you can find around the radio set.  Try to find something right near the radio (the longer the ground wire the less chance of it really helping a lot).  And try to find a nice heavy ground - like the chassis of the car, not the metal tab that holds the glovebox into the dash.

Power antennas will probably work okay -- but I've had too many of them fail one way or another, so I prefer to stick with the one-length-only whips.

windshield antennas look like there's no antenna on the car, and to some folks that look is important.  Unfortunately, a widnshield antenna also ACTS like there's no antenna on the car ,

[manta22]

"windshield antennas look like there's no antenna on the car, and to some folks that look is important."

That, and the fact that they don't get torn off in a car wash are really the only things going for them.

Regards, Neil   Tucson, AZ   ex- N7BBN & AE1CU (look that one up!)

[JamesJ]

I would see bout getting a factory external antenna and then just installing it.

[smitty2]

Windshield mounted antennas work about as well as those" Through the glass" cell phone antennas... hardly at all. WS antennas are for the most part Horizontally polarized, while your whip type is a vertically polarized unit. All of the broadcast stations use vertical polarization.
 Get the longest whip you can find, and don't use an amplifier as that just amplifies the background noise as well. Stay away from any that have a coil half way up the antenna (Also known as a "Signal Enhancer".) the coil may as well be a resistor for all of the good they do.
 I have used an 8' CB whip for a truck antenna, and it works like a charm, but you may want something a bit smaller for appearances sake.
 I have "Played Radio" for over 40 years, and have been licenesed since 1975. I ran "Radio Tabbasco" from the BEQ Barracks at North Island NAS and before I was caught by the FCC. I had QSL cards from Vancouver B.C. to Cabo San Lucas... All from a converted Marine radio, and a CB antenna.

73.... Smitty   W7MAX

[Seldom Seen Slim]

More than 40 years, hey?  That's getting to be a long time, isn't it?  I used to think I was one of the younger ones -- but I'm about 18 MONTHS away from the 50th anniversary of my first ticket (22 November 1962).  And I've still got the same call (well, except that then it was WN8GDW and now is WA8GDW).  That's a long, long time.

And yet -- while I keep the license I do hardly any hamming these days.  I gotta get back to it sooner or later so I've got something good to do with my old age time.  Not that there's any spare time now, but someday, maybe. . .

[manta22]

More than 40 years, hey?  That's getting to be a long time, isn't it?  I used to think I was one of the younger ones -- but I'm about 18 MONTHS away from the 50th anniversary of my first ticket (22 November 1962).  And I've still got the same call (well, except that then it was WN8GDW and now is WA8GDW).  That's a long, long time.

And yet -- while I keep the license I do hardly any hamming these days.  I gotta get back to it sooner or later so I've got something good to do with my old age time.  Not that there's any spare time now, but someday, maybe. . .

Gottcha beat, John. I took my Novice test in Boston in 1953 when I was a Freshman in high school and we lived in Newport, RI. My call was WN1ZUO and I had a surplus SCR522 on 2 meters with a channel 7 TV antenna pointed at Providence. When we moved to WV I had to go to 40M CW with a command set xmtr since there was no 2M activity outside of New England or CA. Back then, the first Radio Shack was in Boston, near Customs House where the FCC office was located.


Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[Clay Pitkin]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I bought an external antennae and connected it, mounted it to my fender.  AAHHHH The sweet sound of music on both AM & FM with out playing a CD. Thanks again. 

[manta22]

Clay;

Don't forget to adjust that trimmer capacitor in the receiver to peak up your sensitivity.

Regards, Neil   Tucson, AZ

[wobblywalrus]

Honest, I could not finish watching this thing.  I got sick.  www.liveleak.com/e/07b_1284580365