Aerial

[ians]

The aerial on my 3.2 is the type that points up vertically from the roof in order to avoid fouling the tail gate spoiler.

Does anyone know if it is possible to replace this with a stubby type? (reason being the currrent one fouls on my garage door.)

Cheers,
Ian

[VXL V6]

Think it's also the Radio aerial on an estate (a saloon radio aerial is the heated rear window elements), the stubby one is actually a phone antenna on a saloon.

[Kevin Wood]

Is the GPS integrated into the base of that as well? and possibly a GSM antenna? :-/

Saloon antenna is an easy one. Not so sure for the estate.

Kevin

[Dave DND]

I would have thought that if the antenna is a receiver (radio), then shortening the length would reduce the effectiveness of its ability to receive.

However, if the antenna is also a transmitter (phone) then shortening the antenna could have seriously drastic effects on the transmitter circuits that are looking for a balanced load within the antenna`s length.

Also bear in mind taht 99% of the stubby ones out there are not flexible, so a serious dent in the roof would occur if it hit anything, wheras at leaest the OEM one just bends out of the way with that annoying twang.

Keyhole slot in upper door frame or lowered suspension ?  

[ians]

Thanks for the suggestions Dave

I don't have a phone so that's not an issue.  I didn't realise that the saloon radio antenna is in the window.

I guess I could try the stubby off my saloon and see what happens..

[hotel21]

If the small one works and your happy with it, bagsy your long one from the estate as I'm on the hunt for one at the moment....  

[VXL V6]

Thanks for the suggestions Dave

I don't have a phone so that's not an issue.  I didn't realise that the saloon radio antenna is in the window.

I guess I could try the stubby off my saloon and see what happens..

The whip is proportional to the wavelength so in general a shorter whip is a smaller division of the wavelength and potentially has lass gain.

[Andy B]

If the small one works and your happy with it, bagsy your long one from the estate as I'm on the hunt for one at the moment....  

What about the Astra G's aerial? :-/ No idea if it's what you're after but it's longer than the stubby Omega roof aerial. 2nd hand of course!

[Dave DND]

Thanks for the suggestions Dave

I don't have a phone so that's not an issue.  I didn't realise that the saloon radio antenna is in the window.

I guess I could try the stubby off my saloon and see what happens..

The whip is proportional to the wavelength so in general a shorter whip is a smaller division of the wavelength and potentially has lass gain.

Not sure how it relates to telecoms, but I remember the early days of CB radio, and how altering the length of an antenna drastically affected the S.W.R. of the rig, and killed many a good sideband radio when you sarted to transmit - same theory? or am I talking rubbish?
:-?

[Kevin Wood]

Not sure how it relates to telecoms, but I remember the early days of CB radio, and how altering the length of an antenna drastically affected the S.W.R. of the rig, and killed many a good sideband radio when you sarted to transmit - same theory? or am I talking rubbish?
:-?

Nope. It's just as important when receiving. Length of the antenna is related to the wavelength of the signal so an antenna of arbitrary length will be hopeless. About the shortest antenna which will give decent performance is a quarter wave, or about 75 cm in the case of FM radio.

You can load the antenna by coiling it, etc. to make a shorter antenna with correspondingly poorer performance but it certainly needs to be designed for the frequency of interest.

A stubby antenna designed for GSM will be no use for FM radio.

Kevin

[VXL V6]

....and a stubby GSM antenna is only unity gain (same as handset) which barely, if at all, overcomes the losses in the cable.....

1/4 wave colinear with a bodymount through connection is the best solution for GSM but most handsets and cradles are passive these days  

Sorry for drifting off course.....!!!!