Thread: hidden antennae, help!

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Originally Posted by bsa_bob

I want to intall a fm antennae,in my 50 merc .trouble is i have one mounted in rubber under the pass side rocker ..on the floor, It don't work worth a ......well it isn't working. i am anticpating maybe someone here has done something like this,antennaes don't draw stations under steel. Or with a power antennae, anywhere. without having to repaint the fender, its going into. any ideas? please feel free i am intersted in what you may have,,,,,on this thanks all bob s

Bob,
I think one problem is that you've got your antenna mounted horizontally, shielded by metal but also by the ground not far below. Your signal only has a small band of free space and the sine wave grounds out to earth. I just ordered one of the Tune Trapper's that Mike52 references, and I noticed in their FAQ it says that the only place their unit does not work is "... mounted under a running board or close to the ground. Anywhere in the cab it will perform." You might get your existing antenna to work mounted in the trunk, say under the package tray, but that Tune Trapper seems to be a great choice, 1/2 wave vs the normal 1/4, precision tuned, etc. Thanks, Mike!!

Hey guys...just thought I'd share some info with everyone....I work as a car audio installer and have done so for the past 10 years. This is a product that i've been using for a while now. Works great, it's small and can be hidden almost anywhere under the dash with great FM reception (even better than most OEM late model factory antenna's) The part is made by Metra Electronics and can be seen here:
http://www.metraonline.com/part/44-UA20

This little antenna uses the metal on your car as a reciever for the signal...pretty cool i think and descently priced. I beleive retail is rougly 40 to 60 dollars depending on where you go. Hope this helps

Don't amplified antennas tend to overload the RF and mixer stages of the FM receiver? I've heard that they tend to muddy the sound, but of course the tinnitus ringing/buzzing in my ears 90% of the time does that too