View Single Post
  #1   Report Post  
NeilH011
 
Posts: n/a
Default FM radio antenna height for car... ?

The height of the stock FM radio antenna on a new car I bought is about 31"
high. It hits some things that hang from the garage ceiling so I'd love to
be able to shorten the antenna. I realize that doing so will most likely
decrease the quality of reception etc. Someone mentioned that if I shorten
the antenna I would need to keep it at a certain specific length... a
multiple of something... in order for it to work effectively...? Is this
true? I was just going to hack off maybe 6"... thus the total height would
now be 26" as opposed to 31"... but, is there some formula or rule about
antenna height that I need to pay attention to? I don't mind if I reduce
the overall effectiveness of the antenna by a little bit. If I cut 20% of
the length off the antenna, will I simply loose 20% of the antenna's
effectiveness? Thanks.


If it's a screw-in type why not replace it? You can find aftermarket ones that
are much shorter (right at about a foot long) that have the requisite length
of wire wrapped in a coil around the shorter antenna shaft. I've seen 'em in
different colors too, so you can get a plain black one or a flourescent lime
green one if you want : )

NeilH