AM/FM Antenna Issues: Options?

[YotaFun]

Long story short, the antenna in the rear window of my Camry is worthless,
I feel any car with an antenna in the window is pure dog poo.

So I want to put a good old fashion mast near the trunk area of the Camry.

So looking for ideas of what I might be able to use from another car, or truck that might be similar to the body line of my Camry, that would be cool.

For those of you that frequent the pick-n-pulls and are trying different stuff from different cars for your vehicles (cough cough Keith) maybe you might know of a car that would work for me.

for reference as to what kinda body line I am trying to follow here is a pic of my car
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/Nighthief/Camry/AdasPictures012.jpg

[L33T35T Tacoma]

Lots of cars are coming out with an antenna on the roof, in the middle, directly above the rear window. That might be the easiest line to follow, as it's mostly flat.

[corax]

Ford Focus antenna mounted near the front of your roof (this is what I did on the 4runner). These lay back on a relatively sharp angle, so you'll need to mount it where the roof line starts to dip towards the windshield. If you mount it on the horizontal part of the roof the antenna will be too swept back. This one also allows for the shortest antenna lead and there are plenty of Focus' in the bone yard (take an allen wrench set to remove the antenna base from inside the car).
http://www.allenparts.com/acatalog/mondeoracks.jpg

Other options are VW antenna mounted near the rear of your roof line (~$30 from ebay) (http://motors.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=vw+roof+antenna&_sacat=&_dmpt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&_odkw=vw+antenna&_osacat=0&bkBtn=&_trksid=p4506.m270.l1313) or maybe an aftermarket amplified shark fin antenna. (http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=shark+fin+antenna&_sacat=See-All-Categories)

[Ric]

YotaFun,
why not try a glass mount ? I dont know how well they work, but they are cheap, and you can mount it on either the windshield or the back window, and no hole to drill.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7PRFA_en&biw=1003&bih=617&q=am/fm+radio+antenna+glass+mount&wrapid=tlif12943352037651&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=310147274829536945&ei=-vwlTcPLAYOusAOJ89DNAQ&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CEoQ8wIwAA#

Corax,
got a pic of it ? that looks like pretty cool.

BTW, the 4th gens antennas are in the side glass, Ive never had an issue, not yet anyways, lol

[corax]

Corax,
got a pic of it ? that looks like pretty cool.

BTW, the 4th gens antennas are in the side glass, Ive never had an issue, not yet anyways, lol


The element in the side glass is probably part of a diversity antenna system which uses another antenna element somewhere else (likely in the rear or opposite side glass and looks like a defrost grid)


Diversity Tuning: A system utilizing diversity tuning consists of a specialized tuner and two antennas located on opposite sides of the vehicle. When listening to the radio, a special electronic circuit monitors the signal strength at both antennas and electronically selects between the stronger of the two. The speed at which this switching process occurs is so rapid that the listener does not even perceive that it has taken place.

Systems that incorporate diversity tuning have excellent multipath rejection. Multipath is that swishing sound you hear when driving around large buildings, structures, or mountains. It is created by the reflections of the radio signal reaching the tuner's antenna a brief instant after the direct path of the radio signal. These multiple path (multipath) signals can vary from an in phase condition to one that is completely out of phase at the antenna. When the signals are out of phase, the quality of the reception is very poor. By using two antennas, it is extremely unlikely that multipath signals will be out of phase at both antennas simultaneously, thus assuring good reception at one of the antennas at all times.

The installation of any of these antenna systems can also determine, to a large extent, the quality of the signal obtained. Some important factors to consider are the location of the antenna and the routing of the coaxial cable.

Here's the Focus antenna on my 4runner, reception is very good (better since I got a newer head unit) but I did have to adapt the mini antenna plug that Ford put on the coax to a "standard" type car antenna plug. Note the angle it's mounted on, the antenna mast is at approx 60 degrees. A side benefit is that it acts as a sort of "curb feeler" for my roof in parking garages
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk171/batardsalamano/100_6612.jpg

[YotaFun]

I don't really like the idea of drilling a hole in my roof,
I would rather just drill a hole in the trunk then in the roof.

Easier to run a line from the trunk to the car then having to work through that headliner.....

I saw a ford escort that might be a good contender....

[YotaFun]

I think I found my solution!
Since I am putting a CB in the car eventually,
I thought this might be the perfect option!

CB/AM/FM Antenna Splitter
http://www.rightchannelradios.com/power-cords-141/cb-am-fm-antenna-splitter-279.html

[Ric]

Ive seen them, let us know how it works. :thumbup:

[CJM]

Ive heard those dont work to well Avy.

What I would do is find a power antenna from an earlier camry, I had a power one on my old 93 and it was quite nice. New its $$$$, but at a pick and pull it should be cheaper.

[YotaFun]

I will Ric.

Mark I am going to try it, I don't want a power antenna.

[CJM]

As we discussed on the phone Avy, perhaps one off a truck might work.

Even so for the price its enticing to try it.