[dohpaz42]

An idea struck me yesterday, and after I recovered and put some ice on it (to reduce swelling) I wanted to ask you all if it would actually work:

I'd like to remove my antennae completely and then finish out the hole so it looks like it was never there (e.g. bondo or whatever else is reasonable). To do this I was wondering if my car stereo could use a flat digital TV antenna to get its signal.

I was thinking I'd put it on the roof under the interior lining and then splice it into a stereo-compatible plug (or use a Converter if one exists).

Thanks for indulging my silly thought experiment.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[thenzero]

Neat idea, I don't like having an antenna either, but I've gotta have my public radio so I live with it...

They do sell some "hidden car antenna" type deals on Amazon, like this and this (that last one has awful reviews tho).

Then there's this one on eBay.

If it were me, I'd just give the TV antenna a shot before modding anything on the truck, see how the reception is. They definitely sell adapters to attach a coax antenna to a standard car stereo receiver plug. Do you have the kind with a powered amplifier on it? If so, where you gonna power it from? If not, my guess is it probably won't work very well, but who knows.

 

[Skibane]

Most digital TV flat antennas aren't designed to pick up anything below 174 MHz.

The FM broadcast band is well below that (88 to 108 MHz) - and the AM broadcast band is way, WAAAAY below that (0.5 to 1.7 MHz).

Also, since metal absorbs or reflects radio signals, your Frontier's roof is likely to prevent the antenna from receiving much.

 

[thenzero]

Most digital TV flat antennas aren't designed to pick up anything below 174 MHz.

That may be true, but there are many available in the same price range that support both frequency ranges, you just have to read the details. Search Amazon for "digital TV antenna FM" and you'll see what I mean. If you already have one and you don't have the box, the best way to check is to try it

 

[TWX]

A terrestrial television antenna is a directional unit. It's meant to be pointed at the mountain that the regional TV stations broadcast from and to function well in that orientation.

I'm looking into replacing the XM antenna on my truck with a sharkfin type with AM/FM/XM like found on Infiniti cars. I'm doing it because I want to recover the fender/cowl mounting for a ham radio, but you could just as easily eliminate the fixed mast altogether.

You could also consider placing a sharkfin antenna at the top rear of the cab where it wouldn't be so obvious.

 

[mtyler11]

That may be true, but there are many available in the same price range that support both frequency ranges, you just have to read the details. Search Amazon for "digital TV antenna FM" and you'll see what I mean. If you already have one and you don't have the box, the best way to check is to try it

I don't think you are understanding how the steel of the roof will block the majority of the radio signal, tuned length of the antenna notwithstanding. Without doing the math, a TV antenna would be at a harmonic of FM, which would already give you less than optimal reception. More importantly, the steel roof is a reflection plane. This is why the ideal place for a mobile CB or ham antenna is the roof of a truck (versus bumper or hood/trunk) AND why you need to use a NGP ()no ground plane) antenna if you mount it on a fiberglass roof (jeep roof or truck cap).

Back in the day they used to have glass mount FM antenna that ran around the inside of the windshield. They didn't work very well. Your best bet would be a sharkfin like TWX recommended.

 

[thenzero]

I don't think you are understanding how the steel of the roof will block the majority of the radio signal, tuned length of the antenna notwithstanding.

Nah, I get it (I work on radar for a living ^_^). I just think people should try stuff for themselves. My personal guess is that if you slapped one of those tuned to FM ones with an amplifier on a window you would get decent enough reception for talk radio.