M
MN Maniac
Guest
Here's my two cents (or more) on this subject which has always been near and dear to my heart:
My grandfather bought a new 1970 Buick Electra 225 back in the day. I was only 6 years old, but already into radios and station DX'ing. I believe this was the first year GM used the windshield antennas. He had the standard Sonomatic AM pushbutton radio. It was HORRIBLE! The combination of ignition noise and alternator whine from that big 455 V8 (with heavy duty alternator) rendered the radio nearly worthless. They lived right in Minneapolis, and you could hear noise underneath the local stations. On the highway, forget it. Anything more than about 25 miles away was covered up by the noise. Fortunately, my parents' cars were Fords (which kept mast antennas throughout the 1970 and 80s) and an older model Cadillac with power mast antenna.
My next experience was with my second car: a 1977 Olds Cutlass Supreme which I bought after I graduated high school in 1982. The stock radio had been replaced with a Pioneer Supertuner AM/FM/Cassette. The FM was "okay", the AM was marginal. Later, I had a 1979 Cutlass Supreme with the stock Delco AM/FM/Cassette unit. Both AM and FM were good, but not as good as my parents' 1978 Ninety-Eight with stock Delco AM/FM/Cassette and power mast antenna. I did notice on both of my Cutlasses (Cutli?) that the amount of engine and alternator noise was MUCH less vs Grandpa's Electra. I'm guessing GM figured out how to do noise supression during this time interval. I also remember replacing the plugs and being told to use "resistor" plugs (which I did) because they generated less radio interference. Still, these antennas were somewhat directional. Especially on FM. If I rotated the car 90 degrees, I could hear weak stations that didn't exist in the previous position and would lose some that I could hear before.
Fast-forward to 2001: I was getting ready to purchase a new vehicle. Had it narrowed down to a Pontiac Grand Am vs the Oldsmobile Alero. Same car, different nameplates and styling. I decided on the Grand Am, in part because it uses a rear fixed mast antenna vs the Alero's rear windshield antenna. Before purchasing, I drove both as rental cars on multiple occasions. The Grand Am's radio was slightly more sensitive than the Alero's. However, I also noticed that using multiple wires in the rear windshield was MUCH improved over the 70s design of two wires in the front windshield. Because of the increased distance to the engine, the ignition and alternator noise was GONE. No trace of noise whatsoever in the Aleros. By the way, the Grand Am's Delco AM/FM/Cassette/CD unit with it's fixed mast antenna was the most sensitive car radio I had come across since the one that was in my first car. That was a 1972 Mercury Comet (Ford Maverick clone) with the stock AM radio. This was the famous Philco unit (dial was marked 5 7 9 11 13 15) and the LONG 3-section front mast antenna that could be pulled up to a length of about 5 feet! To this day, NO radio I've ever used has been able to beat that Philco for long-distance reception!
My grandfather bought a new 1970 Buick Electra 225 back in the day. I was only 6 years old, but already into radios and station DX'ing. I believe this was the first year GM used the windshield antennas. He had the standard Sonomatic AM pushbutton radio. It was HORRIBLE! The combination of ignition noise and alternator whine from that big 455 V8 (with heavy duty alternator) rendered the radio nearly worthless. They lived right in Minneapolis, and you could hear noise underneath the local stations. On the highway, forget it. Anything more than about 25 miles away was covered up by the noise. Fortunately, my parents' cars were Fords (which kept mast antennas throughout the 1970 and 80s) and an older model Cadillac with power mast antenna.
My next experience was with my second car: a 1977 Olds Cutlass Supreme which I bought after I graduated high school in 1982. The stock radio had been replaced with a Pioneer Supertuner AM/FM/Cassette. The FM was "okay", the AM was marginal. Later, I had a 1979 Cutlass Supreme with the stock Delco AM/FM/Cassette unit. Both AM and FM were good, but not as good as my parents' 1978 Ninety-Eight with stock Delco AM/FM/Cassette and power mast antenna. I did notice on both of my Cutlasses (Cutli?) that the amount of engine and alternator noise was MUCH less vs Grandpa's Electra. I'm guessing GM figured out how to do noise supression during this time interval. I also remember replacing the plugs and being told to use "resistor" plugs (which I did) because they generated less radio interference. Still, these antennas were somewhat directional. Especially on FM. If I rotated the car 90 degrees, I could hear weak stations that didn't exist in the previous position and would lose some that I could hear before.
Fast-forward to 2001: I was getting ready to purchase a new vehicle. Had it narrowed down to a Pontiac Grand Am vs the Oldsmobile Alero. Same car, different nameplates and styling. I decided on the Grand Am, in part because it uses a rear fixed mast antenna vs the Alero's rear windshield antenna. Before purchasing, I drove both as rental cars on multiple occasions. The Grand Am's radio was slightly more sensitive than the Alero's. However, I also noticed that using multiple wires in the rear windshield was MUCH improved over the 70s design of two wires in the front windshield. Because of the increased distance to the engine, the ignition and alternator noise was GONE. No trace of noise whatsoever in the Aleros. By the way, the Grand Am's Delco AM/FM/Cassette/CD unit with it's fixed mast antenna was the most sensitive car radio I had come across since the one that was in my first car. That was a 1972 Mercury Comet (Ford Maverick clone) with the stock AM radio. This was the famous Philco unit (dial was marked 5 7 9 11 13 15) and the LONG 3-section front mast antenna that could be pulled up to a length of about 5 feet! To this day, NO radio I've ever used has been able to beat that Philco for long-distance reception!
