Power antennas any good?

[Jasonz34]

I've heard the reception for power antennas is horrible but I was looking into replacing my stock with a power in my Z34. I was looking at

 

http://www.jcwhitney.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?makeId=1000107&productId=319&catalogId=10101&langId=-1&modelId=1001145&storeId=10101

 

and

 

http://www.jcwhitney.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?makeId=1000107&productId=340&catalogId=10101&langId=-1&modelId=1001145&storeId=10101

 

Anyone have suggestions for a good antenna that will get good reception? Thanks

[jeremy]

power antennas suck

[MaroonRegal]

My power antenna works fine, and I think it's a cool little feature. Use a stock W-body one, it'll be fine.

 

EDIT: I love the sig, JasonZ34.

[GnatGoSplat]

Power antennas are cool. 8)

 

I sure hate those little rubber flexible antennas, they look so :fruity:

They were popular a few years ago here for some reason.

[gimp19]

I prefer fixed antenna's, unlike pwr seats, windows and doors power antennas are just cosmetical. Also I noticed my Formulas keyfob works much much better with a fixed antenna then my sisters Prix witch has a power one.

[GnatGoSplat]

Probably just due to location of the keyless entry receiver. Keyless entry modules have their own antenna built into the receiver box. They don't use the radio antenna at all.

 

Power antennas just look cool to me, but I like pretty much anything that's motorized. It's also good for preventing the antenna from being damaged by vandals. The power antennas also don't whip around in the wind on the highway like the fixed ones do. Plus, with some aftermarket car stereos, you can put the antenna down by switching to CD. A little less drag on the highway.

[jeremy]

let me rephrase my answer....power antennas are cool when they work, however they stop working way too much...

[Intlcutlass]

I shaved mine......

 

you cant see mine. Its a wire antenna that runs along the side of the back glass under the black molding. I have had no difference in the reception, and it gives the car a cleaner look. Most of the newer cars have some sort of antenna built into the windshield ...thats pretty cool too. I just didn't like fixing the thing all the time, and was looking for a way to clean up the look some.

[topless94style]

I had to unplug my power antenna a couple weeks ago, all the snow and shit was causing it to stick. It only stays about half way up, but the reception is fine. Ill plug it in when the snow is gone for good.

[godofthunder]

mine freezes sometimes ,thats it

 

it sure is cool to have it down with a CD now.

 

Also...i love seeing the looks when im sitting at a stop light...or driving, and all of a suddon it goes down..people are like "whaoa".

 

jon

[5speedz34]

I shaved mine......

 

you cant see mine. Its a wire antenna that runs along the side of the back glass under the black molding. I have had no difference in the reception, and it gives the car a cleaner look. Most of the newer cars have some sort of antenna built into the windshield ...thats pretty cool too. I just didn't like fixing the thing all the time, and was looking for a way to clean up the look some.

 

Did you just route the attenna wire there or did you have to get a special wire for that? Also what is the reliabilitys of power attenna's on w-bodies? I found one on a '91 Cutlass 4 door will that work with my Z34? Like will it fit the curves of the fender, and does ne one know how to hook one of these up?

 

-Tony

[95 3-4]

GM had windsheild antennas in the 70's-early 80's and they sucked, the antenna wire used actual an actual clothing snap on the bottom middle of the windscreen, the ant lead just snapped onto the button, and the reception was trash........It was suppose to reduce antennae vandalism, it adds $50 to the winsheild even today..........I do see many cars going to this again today, and I still doubt the reception properties vs. a steel aerial

 

The power aerial on my GTP is busted off right on the bottom section of mast, I have it placed in there about halfway on the mast and put a zip strip on the mast to keep it from falling downits about 2" tall and the other sections are still extended and I disconnected the motor so it dont make noise anymore. I would like to replace just the mast for $20 someday, reception is decent

 

I think fixed mast aerials provide the best reception

 

Untill like 1988 Fords had a power ant switch on the dash just like a power window switch, you could place it anywhere you want, put it down to go in the carwashes and still listen to fm radio in the wash

 

Fm stations are pretty easy to get tuned in good, am band is much more sensitive to interference, I hate listening to am in the industrial corridor since theres so much electrical interference

[90TGP]

I bought my TGP with a broken power antenna [the gears inside the motor itself was messed up on top of the snapped antenna]. So I just replaced the whole unit with a new chrome antenna unit. Looks cool when up, and gives a modern touch to the car.

[GnatGoSplat]

Also what is the reliabilitys of power attenna's on w-bodies? I found one on a '91 Cutlass 4 door will that work with my Z34? Like will it fit the curves of the fender, and does ne one know how to hook one of these up?

 

Reliability is better on the chrome 88-89 masts because they're thicker, longer, and heavier duty.

I hate chrome on any part of a car's body except on the wheels, so I swapped my chrome antenna out for a black one. I've had to swap out the mast twice in 8 or 9yrs.

[5speedz34]

Ok, well will this match the curves of my fender and does anyone know how hard it is to hook one of these up?

[GnatGoSplat]

I dunno about the curve, but the base is rubber so you can always cut it to fit the curve. The factory one mounts from the bottom inside the car via bracket. The base is a rubber grommet in the fender that the antenna's top part goes through. Hookup should be pretty simple. +12V, GND, and control lead from stereo.

[Justin]

GM had windsheild antennas in the 70's-early 80's and they sucked,

 

I have a windshield embedded antenna in my '77 Ventura, and it has the best reception of all my vehicles, including the power antenna in my 89 CS, and fixed mast in my Jeep. Keep in mind the CS and Ventura have identical Pioneer Supertuner III tuners, so that's out of the equation. The parents' 00 Impala has the antenna built into the rear window, and it gets great reception. I'll choose the no antenna look any day, I hate antennas.

[Guest]

Hey IntlCutlass, do u got ne pics of your shaved antena??? Sounds cool.

 

- Drew

[supreme_style21]

I have had a few cars with the power antennas.. Reception, I find, is a little worse than the fixed antenna I had in the Lumina. I really don't mind them, until they stop working. Both of the ones I've had worked up until about 70,000 miles, then they stop going down all the way. I just got sick of it going half way down, then making some god-awful grinding noise, so I pulled the plug on it and left it up. I understand there are some plastic gears or something that get stripped... sounds like a project to join my already large summer project list

[Intlcutlass]

I shaved mine......

 

you cant see mine. Its a wire antenna that runs along the side of the back glass under the black molding. I have had no difference in the reception, and it gives the car a cleaner look. Most of the newer cars have some sort of antenna built into the windshield ...thats pretty cool too. I just didn't like fixing the thing all the time, and was looking for a way to clean up the look some.

 

Did you just route the attenna wire there or did you have to get a special wire for that? Also what is the reliabilitys of power attenna's on w-bodies? I found one on a '91 Cutlass 4 door will that work with my Z34? Like will it fit the curves of the fender, and does ne one know how to hook one of these up?

 

-Tony

 

 

Nope, just regular wire (22 awg?). I drilled a hole just big enough for the wire to fit through in the channel where the deck lid is, and just ran it under the molding along the back glass. Then I filled in the antenna hole, and your done. I know that sounds easy or cheep, but I have not noticed ANY difference in reception. Even if I did, I would probably have bought a antenna amplifier and plugged it into the old power antenna connection so that it only came on when the radio was on. I didn't know how it would turn out at first so when I was experimenting with this, I made sure that the entire process was reversable. I didn't cut any wires or anything, I just made a plug for the wire so that it would plug right into the existing connection for the factory antenna..... Hope this helps.

 

I'm am NOT bragging here or anything, but once I bought a Fiero, I started frequenting the Fiero forum as well, and every now and then I saw some really good ideas for my Fiero, and I would think to myself, I wish I could do something like that to the Cutlass, then I thought...why can't I?

 

This was one of those Ideas.

[5speedz34]

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2004 10:05 am Post subject:

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

5speedz34 wrote:

Quote:

I shaved mine......

 

you cant see mine. Its a wire antenna that runs along the side of the back glass under the black molding. I have had no difference in the reception, and it gives the car a cleaner look. Most of the newer cars have some sort of antenna built into the windshield ...thats pretty cool too. I just didn't like fixing the thing all the time, and was looking for a way to clean up the look some.

 

 

Did you just route the attenna wire there or did you have to get a special wire for that? Also what is the reliabilitys of power attenna's on w-bodies? I found one on a '91 Cutlass 4 door will that work with my Z34? Like will it fit the curves of the fender, and does ne one know how to hook one of these up?

 

-Tony

 

 

 

Nope, just regular wire (22 awg?). I drilled a hole just big enough for the wire to fit through in the channel where the deck lid is, and just ran it under the molding along the back glass. Then I filled in the antenna hole, and your done. I know that sounds easy or cheep, but I have not noticed ANY difference in reception. Even if I did, I would probably have bought a antenna amplifier and plugged it into the old power antenna connection so that it only came on when the radio was on. I didn't know how it would turn out at first so when I was experimenting with this, I made sure that the entire process was reversable. I didn't cut any wires or anything, I just made a plug for the wire so that it would plug right into the existing connection for the factory antenna..... Hope this helps.

 

I'm am NOT bragging here or anything, but once I bought a Fiero, I started frequenting the Fiero forum as well, and every now and then I saw some really good ideas for my Fiero, and I would think to myself, I wish I could do something like that to the Cutlass, then I thought...why can't I?

 

This was one of those Ideas.

 

Ok so you just took some 22 guage wire and ran it between the trunklid and the end of the window on the outside of the car? So then how did you get the adapter to work for the attenna wire? Do you have ne pics of the process?

[Intlcutlass]

Ok so you just took some 22 guage wire and ran it between the trunklid and the end of the window on the outside of the car? So then how did you get the adapter to work for the attenna wire? Do you have ne pics of the process?

 

 

 

I didn't take any pics when I was doing this.......But I can take a couple pics later.

[5speedz34]

So did you just use 22 guage wire and run it outside the car? How did you make a attenna adapter?

[Jasonz34]

Ok so you just took some 22 guage wire and ran it between the trunklid and the end of the window on the outside of the car? So then how did you get the adapter to work for the attenna wire? Do you have ne pics of the process?

 

 

 

I didn't take any pics when I was doing this.......But I can take a couple pics later.

 

Got any pics yet? I like the shaved idea the best and I would guess it could even get better reception. AM is a concern for me because I do listen to it.

 

Thanks for all the input

[Intlcutlass]

No pics yet....

 

I have been, and probably will be a little pre-occupied. Personal/medical issues with my expecting wife.....

 

Give me a week or two & I will write something up ....