6" tall AM/FM amplified car antennas...

[Tom_]

I noticed 6" tall amplified AM/FM antennas for mounting on the exterior of an automobile. The retail price at the store was $29.99.

Does anyone have any experience with these compared to conventional amplified ~4' tall exterior AM/FM antennas?

And for the record, this is a DX board, not a consumer electronics board. It is unclear to me where to discuss commerical products on Radio-Info, if anywhere at all, although I have seen discussions on this particular board. Second, it is unclear whether or not brand names can be mentioned. Should discussion of new radios and other innovations in consumer products take place on various yahoo lists instead of Radio-Info? Thanks...

 

[romer979fm]

> And for the record, this is a DX board, not a consumer
> electronics board. It is unclear to me where to discuss
> commerical products on Radio-Info, if anywhere at all,
> although I have seen discussions on this particular board.
> Second, it is unclear whether or not brand names can be
> mentioned. Should discussion of new radios and other
> innovations in consumer products take place on various yahoo
> lists instead of Radio-Info? Thanks...
>
I think unless you're actually selling product...no problem
discussing specific models and brands.
But that's just me.<P ID="signature">______________
you're not a lawyer, are you?</P>

 

[westlife]

> I noticed 6" tall amplified AM/FM antennas for mounting on
> the exterior of an automobile. The retail price at the
> store was $29.99.

Reception will NOT be as good as a regular full-height antenna, especially on AM. That's why these stubby antennas need the amplifier -- to try to make up for the loss of sensitivity.

> Does anyone have any experience with these compared to
> conventional amplified ~4' tall exterior AM/FM antennas?

Regular steel mast antennas, usually about 28 to 32 inches high, are not amplified. Various add-on signal amplifiers are available, but these will undoubtedly overload your receiver when you try to tune in any strong, local signal.

Shorter-length black rubber whip antennas, now found as standard equipment on many cars, are usually amplified, with the amplifier located at the base of the antenna mast. If you try to use one of these antennas with the amplifier defective, disabled, or missing, you'll get mediocre FM reception (okay for local stations, but the more distant signals will disappear) and AM reception will become virtually non-existent.

People with these factory-equipped amplified antennas often run into trouble when installing an aftermarket receiver, because in some cars (including many Volkswagens), the factory radio sends +12V down the antenna conductor to power the antenna's amplifier. Aftermarket radios do not produce this voltage in their antenna line, so you'll be left with an amplifier that isn't getting any power and thus isn't working. The solution is to get a special adapter wire which inserts +12V from your aftermarket radio's power antenna wire (usually blue) into the antenna lead, to power the amplifier. Good car radio dealers should carry this kind of adapter, or you can mail-order it from companies like Crutchfield.

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[Eli Polonsky]

> Shorter-length black rubber whip antennas, now found as
> standard equipment on many cars, are usually amplified, with
> the amplifier located at the base of the antenna mast. If
> you try to use one of these antennas with the amplifier
> defective, disabled, or missing, you'll get mediocre FM
> reception (okay for local stations, but the more distant
> signals will disappear) and AM reception will become
> virtually non-existent.

Just another example of today's automakers finding ways to manufacture expensive devices (which also have the potential to fail and require expensive replacement) which would be completely unnecessary if they had just continued to produce cars with conventional fender mast antennas.

 

[DXER1]

> Just another example of today's automakers finding ways to
> manufacture expensive devices (which also have the potential
> to fail and require expensive replacement) which would be
> completely unnecessary if they had just continued to produce
> cars with conventional fender mast antennas.

Remember you've got those cars with the antenna built into the windshield.
My dad has one of those on his 98 Buick Century Limited and works pretty good The Dallas stations can still be picked up in the Temple area. On my mothers Sata Fe she has that rubber stub excuse of an antenna. The way the base is mounted on the roof, if you accidently hit the antenna while washing your car trying wash the roof it will move. The Fm reception is nothing but crap when you get like 60 miles from a transmitter. even the Dallas stations can't be brought out their full 80 to 100 miles using that antenna.
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