Anyone tried mounting a rubber ducky antenna below the fiberglass?
12-30-2004, 10:57 PM
#1
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Anyone tried mounting a rubber ducky antenna below the fiberglass?
I have some body work to get done, and pondered throwing this on the bill also.
Put in a rubber ducky antenna (or anything else short thats supposed to get good reception) and mount it in the factory location, but turn it upside down or something to keep it under the body. Fill in the antenna hole.
My stock antenna is dead anyways, needs a new ribbon... so it's as good a time as any to experiment.
I mean, the car is fiberglass and plastic, so it couldn't be as bad as hiding it behind a sheetmetal panel right?
Put in a rubber ducky antenna (or anything else short thats supposed to get good reception) and mount it in the factory location, but turn it upside down or something to keep it under the body. Fill in the antenna hole.
My stock antenna is dead anyways, needs a new ribbon... so it's as good a time as any to experiment.
I mean, the car is fiberglass and plastic, so it couldn't be as bad as hiding it behind a sheetmetal panel right?
12-30-2004, 11:25 PM
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Burning Brakes
Hey you stole my idea !! 
I bought my 92 used and it has a huge wing on the back. Well the car needs paint so I figured since I'm pulling the wing off and filling in the bolt holes, might as well fill in the antenna hole aswell. I was thinking about mounting a fixed length metal mast antenna horizontal above the fuel tank. I think reception should be ok since the car isn't metal. 
I bought my 92 used and it has a huge wing on the back. Well the car needs paint so I figured since I'm pulling the wing off and filling in the bolt holes, might as well fill in the antenna hole aswell. I was thinking about mounting a fixed length metal mast antenna horizontal above the fuel tank. I think reception should be ok since the car isn't metal.
12-30-2004, 11:46 PM
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Actually, I'll mount it down low and point it out the side... then I can use it to trip people and poke other people's cars at intersections. 
12-31-2004, 12:44 AM
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St. Jude Donor '05
I'm wondering if it might be too low. One would think GM would have stuck the antennae (spell?) in the windshield like a lot of their cars had.
Would have looked much cleaner.
Would have looked much cleaner.
12-31-2004, 01:04 AM
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Originally Posted by cuisinartvette
I'm wondering if it might be too low. One would think GM would have stuck the antennae (spell?) in the windshield like a lot of their cars had.
Would have looked much cleaner.
Would have looked much cleaner.
12-31-2004, 01:06 AM
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Originally Posted by steve9899
I think it will get poor reception due to being too low.
Can't hurt to try.
Let us know how it works.
Can't hurt to try.
Let us know how it works.
But then again, it looks like Jose' or Jos-B wired my stock antenna... the coax is twisted together by hand.
12-31-2004, 04:03 AM
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I have my XM antenna under the fiberglass with no probs. The installer said it would work fine and it does. I don't know if this would apply to other systems or receivers.
BIG JIM
BIG JIM
12-31-2004, 10:31 AM
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FM is line-of-sight transmission, so you might have some problems if you're listening to a station with a transmitter that is some distance away. Other cars and trucks next to you may cause a temporary loss of the stereo separation and some signal loss in cities.
31 inches is, IIRC, the optimum length for a car FM antenna so, the rubber-ducky style loaded antenna may not be the best one to use.
Th GM window antenna was a good idea, but I don't think it worked as well as a mast-type. Have you thought of a fixed mount like those on Z06's and use one of the short 10" masts? They come in black so they would be sort of "stealthy".
31 inches is, IIRC, the optimum length for a car FM antenna so, the rubber-ducky style loaded antenna may not be the best one to use.
Th GM window antenna was a good idea, but I don't think it worked as well as a mast-type. Have you thought of a fixed mount like those on Z06's and use one of the short 10" masts? They come in black so they would be sort of "stealthy".
