Hello everybody, I am in need/want an antenna for my am/fm radio. So i have a 1978 chevy k20 with an old I think ac delco 8 track radio. I bought this truck used and it does not have an antenna. I think It used to have an antenna in the windshield but either the windshield is not original or it had an antenna in the fender and that fender has been changed out. Anyway i found this antenna (44-um53) which i like the mirror mount but i have to find a place to buy it and i have to modify the mount. The antenna needs to be 31" in length in order to receive optimal station range. I am looking for other antenna options or ideas you guys may have. Thanks
Need help choosing a radio antenna
- Thread starter joegreen
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I don't think the antenna needs to be exactly 31 inches long.have you considered a cheap mag mount cb antenna with the correct adapter to plug it into your radio? I'm sure that would work fine.
This one should be what you need:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/METRA-44-UT91-3-...=item35e1850038
It mounts to the right fender, you will need to drill about a 1/2" hole in the fender to mount it. There should be a large rubber grommet low on the firewall under the passenger's side of the dash to route the coax cable into the cab.
If you don't want to drill a hole in the fender, maybe try one of these universal glass mounts:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=windshield+antenna
Crutchfield and Sonic Electronix both sell antennas, it may be worth a call to see what they have in stock. They might even have some old NOS Harada FM91 GM narrow fender mounts. That is the one I used to install on GM full size trucks and Chevy S10/GMC S-15 trucks back in the day.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/METRA-44-UT91-3-...=item35e1850038
It mounts to the right fender, you will need to drill about a 1/2" hole in the fender to mount it. There should be a large rubber grommet low on the firewall under the passenger's side of the dash to route the coax cable into the cab.
If you don't want to drill a hole in the fender, maybe try one of these universal glass mounts:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=windshield+antenna
Crutchfield and Sonic Electronix both sell antennas, it may be worth a call to see what they have in stock. They might even have some old NOS Harada FM91 GM narrow fender mounts. That is the one I used to install on GM full size trucks and Chevy S10/GMC S-15 trucks back in the day.
Originally Posted By: Chris142
I don't think the antenna needs to be exactly 31 inches long.have you considered a cheap mag mount cb antenna with the correct adapter to plug it into your radio? I'm sure that would work fine.
I didnt mean to be exactly 31" just somewhere around it. I do have a cb antenna on my roof with a magnetic mount. I would be fine with a mag mount radio antenna.
I don't think the antenna needs to be exactly 31 inches long.have you considered a cheap mag mount cb antenna with the correct adapter to plug it into your radio? I'm sure that would work fine.
I didnt mean to be exactly 31" just somewhere around it. I do have a cb antenna on my roof with a magnetic mount. I would be fine with a mag mount radio antenna.
Just input 100 into the frequency box and hit "calculate"
100 MHz is ~ the middle of the FM freq. range and works well for easy calculations if doing by hand.
http://www.csgnetwork.com/antennagenericfreqlencalc.html
You'll see that you need a little less than 30" for a 1/4 wave antenna and the average car whip is 1/4 wave.
The biggest concern would be to make sure the antenna you get/make/buy has the proper plug on it. Some radios are proprietary.
In "the good old days" most car radios used Motorola plugs for antenna jacks http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_connector
I'm not sure it is that way today. (I remember it was when I changed the radio in my '57 Ford)
100 MHz is ~ the middle of the FM freq. range and works well for easy calculations if doing by hand.
http://www.csgnetwork.com/antennagenericfreqlencalc.html
You'll see that you need a little less than 30" for a 1/4 wave antenna and the average car whip is 1/4 wave.
The biggest concern would be to make sure the antenna you get/make/buy has the proper plug on it. Some radios are proprietary.
In "the good old days" most car radios used Motorola plugs for antenna jacks http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_connector
I'm not sure it is that way today. (I remember it was when I changed the radio in my '57 Ford)
On my '70 Olds Cutlass I disconnected my windshield antenna and mounted a "AM/FM" antenna on the right front fender. It was about 31" and it doubled the reception range over the windshield antenna. If mounted to the fender, be sure you have a paint free area that the antenna grounds to when it is tightened onto the fender or the reception will be bad. The cable ground at the radio is not enough. Mine had the Motorola plug.
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