Guys with shaved antennaes and radios-what do you use? I'm missing my 'Blue Mondays' on NPR and 'Little Steven's Underground Garage' on Sunday...
They make hidden antennas. I had one by AutoLoc in an '84 Camaro. It worked well, but it was something like $75.00 Otherwise maybe the kind that sticks to the inside of the windshield...? JOE
I've heard of people running the old big ass antennas under the along the rocker, seems like you could make a hidden one similar to the autoloc version for alot less than $75. A trip to radio shack is probaly all you need.
I'm running a VW "replacement type" antennna that mounts on the side of the cowl on a VW but I have it on semi-hid on the bracket holding the bed back board on my truck. I've seen some mounted on radiator core supports sticking straight out between the grill bars on some custom 60's era cars, but the antennna can't ground out on the grill or it'll screw up the reception. Probably not work well "out in the boonies" The kind with the barrel glob on the end that you grind to fit the fender contour are "contemporary", not traditional, but less in your face than the exhaust pipe "mine shafts" people put in fenders in the 60's...They can really disturb the lines of a car if not in the right place. Check out the antennas above the headlights on Roth's "Beatnik Bandit" and in the 48(?) Buick side reflector housings turned backwards on the "Rotar". You can always have them sticking inconspicuously out of a custom scoop. If it's on a "hotrod" just put the VW type on the cowl, (traditional, if not good looking,) firewall if hoodless, or right behind the rear wheel if fenderless. Or put a CB whip on the rear with a tennis ball on it
You can run a full length antenna up under your headliner across the windshield or run along the doors. This way you got a REAL antenna, and it's up top where it should be for the best reception. I've done that in 3 of my previous cars.
your looking at a decent "wire dipole" kinda of antenna... REAL good for FM signals, but dead as hell for AM. For AM reception, you really need that vertical whip, unless you want to build a "full loop" amplified dipole to stuff up inside of the headliner like Jeremy suggested. the higher you get the antenna, the better the AM reception due to the way AM works. think of FM signals like a lazer beam,,, straight and flat. think of AM signals as a bouncing superball... the higher your antenna the easier it is to "touch" the path of the ball. dont take much to grab an FM signal,,, AM is a slowly dying artform in radio... hell i seen a few aftermarket ones that didnt even have an AM side. OK,,, sorry didnt mean to make this into a lecture. LOL
I did the same thing with my truck. I took my headliner out and put the antenna in between the roof and headliner. I didn't mount it just let it sit in between and seems to work ok.
aint the most "trad" tune delivery system, but you're right,,, its the only way to drive long distance. i have had one in the semi for almost 2 years and i'd NEVER go back to running without one again
The small power ones are cheap I think it was 30 bucks and easy to hide and mine works great its stuck under my dash.
got a cheapy booster antenna for a ...boat for 10 bucks. Has a remote ground wire and power wire for booster and a collapsible metal antenna and a two hole mounting base. Used in my caprice when the windshield antenna went south. tucked it behind the dash and left it un powered, worked slick. Jon
Thanks for the response, ya'll. This thread got dog piled pretty quickly, so I had a time finding it. So mount inside, huh? What about the grounding issue Dr.J. brought up? I hate to admit it but in my quest to get everything smooth on my car, I couldn't figure out how to get the damn antennae out from behind the hole. I just ground it down and put bondo over it until I could figure something else out:O Stupid, I know, but I had no radio at the time, so it wasn't an issue...
If you look in the ads for autolock in the new r&c you'll see basicaly what I used. It works great I got mine from sachse rod shop there here in texas so if you want one pretty quick give them a call. It may be cheaper than I prevoiusly said I cant find my catalog now.
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