Antenna

[vinnieg]

I would like to change my 2008 Lincoln antenna for a stronger one to get FM reception better. Any one know of a replacement (in a previous bolg I put AM by mistake)? Someone mentioned a stubby anyone have experience with one?

[bbf2530]

I would like to change my 2008 Lincoln antenna for a stronger one to get FM reception better. Any one know of a replacement (in a previous bolg I put AM by mistake)? Someone mentioned a stubby anyone have experience with one?

 

Hi vinnieg. :D If you are looking for an antenna that gives stronger reception, a "stubby" antenna is not the answer.

 

In general, assuming all other variables equal (antenna quality, reception area, etc.) a stubby antenna will usually give poorer reception due to the shorter height. At best, you should only assume you will see no difference at all with a shorter antenna.

 

If you want better reception, you would need to either:

1 - Install a high quality longer antenna mast.

2 - Add an antenna power booster to your system.

3 - Replace your entire antenna from the head unit to the antenna base/mast with a higher quality antenna system (this last option is the hardest to do but potentially the most effective).

But it all really depends on what type of reception you are already getting, the type of terrain where you live (urban, suburban, flat, mountainous), etc etc.

 

For some good information on antennas, power boosters and improving FM reception, read the information provided here: LINK: Crutchfield Antenna FAQ's.

 

You can also Google "automotive antenna booster" for more information. Just be careful to separate the commercial advertisements from the informational links.

 

Concerning a longer antenna, there is someone on another forum where I am a member who ordered a 16" antenna from the Mazda 6. Not sure how long the MKX antenna is (I think the stock antenna is 10"?), but if it is shorter than 16", this may help give you better reception.

 

Additionally, you might want to have your Dealerships Service Department check to be sure there is not some sort of defect or poor connection causing your reception troubles (always a possibility).

 

If you do not want a longer antenna, then you are looking at the other two options. Just keep in mind that according to the quality of reception you are already receiving and the terrain in your area, your choices may be limited. Just don't want you wasting your money on things that may not help.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

Edited May 1, 2008 by bbf2530

[DirectJG]

Great response!

[Kanatronic]

I would like to change my 2008 Lincoln antenna for a stronger one to get FM reception better. Any one know of a replacement (in a previous bolg I put AM by mistake)? Someone mentioned a stubby anyone have experience with one?

 

The Stubby will actually make the reception worst...it seems that I have the same problem, my satelite radio is about ot expire and I noticed than that FM is not working properly in my radio as it got noisy and sometimes the stations get completelly washed out, and unless something locally had changed dramatically I do not see why as I'm living in the same place for years...some stations ahve moved but period...I will take enxt week the car ot the dealer to see if I have the radio replaced under warranty, as thisi s not normal...

[securinu]

I own a Car stereo shop the reason the reception is bad is due to radio stations decreasing power to switch to digital. We have 5-10 people a week come in and complain of this on every type of car out there. we have added fixed mast antennas to a lot but it doesnt get much better. Boosters will add noise as the edge/mkx already have one built in. the best thing is to add a hd tuner as more and more stations are switching to hd. you can either replace the head unit or add one on , we have one that adds ipod and hd radio so you get 2 options for 1 install on the factory headunit.

[Lex Talionis]

The Stubby will actually make the reception worst...it seems that I have the same problem, my satelite radio is about ot expire and I noticed than that FM is not working properly in my radio as it got noisy and sometimes the stations get completelly washed out, and unless something locally had changed dramatically I do not see why as I'm living in the same place for years...some stations ahve moved but period...I will take enxt week the car ot the dealer to see if I have the radio replaced under warranty, as thisi s not normal...

 

man.. just seems like all the way around you have a bad listening experience... radio, sirius... next your CD player is gonna go and you will be stuck with just AM

[end]

I own a Car stereo shop the reason the reception is bad is due to radio stations decreasing power to switch to digital. We have 5-10 people a week come in and complain of this on every type of car out there. we have added fixed mast antennas to a lot but it doesnt get much better. Boosters will add noise as the edge/mkx already have one built in. the best thing is to add a hd tuner as more and more stations are switching to hd. you can either replace the head unit or add one on , we have one that adds ipod and hd radio so you get 2 options for 1 install on the factory headunit.

 

If you are already having a hard time receiving an analog FM signal, I would not get an HD tuner. HD signals are definitely more finicky than analog ones, especially right now when they only use 1%-10% of a radio station's power.

 

When radios have a hard time maintaining the HD signal, they revert back to the analog signal. Worst case scenario is that your radio constantly jumps back and forth between the signals, which is even more annoying.

 

If you need better reception, try a different deck. Maybe you can find a model with a very sensitive tuner or processes the signal better.

[Kanatronic]

man.. just seems like all the way around you have a bad listening experience... radio, sirius... next your CD player is gonna go and you will be stuck with just AM

 

You are right.... :wacko: but the main concern is that the problem just began a few weeks back, not sure why. Maybe as securinu had pointed out, it is just due to the transition to digital (what is killing us) And suddenly we will be out of signal, or maybe good for a while, today it was not that bad, yesterday was horrible so IMO it is osmething related with some tests, not sure though...anywya I ahve six years to decide....

For now I'm considering then as I ahve no ther option to renew the Sirius/X-M wonga sounding radio for a while, maybe six months or so...

Edited February 9, 2009 by Kanatronic

[Freeflyer]

Be careful. A longer antenna doesn't help in all cases. In order to get best reception the antenna should be half the size of the wavelength.

 

Check this is from Wikipedia:^

 

Frequency versus length

Dipoles that are much smaller than the wavelength of the signal are called Hertzian, short, or infinitesimal dipoles. These have a very low radiation resistance and a high reactance, making them inefficient, but they are often the only available antennas at very long wavelengths. Dipoles whose length is half the wavelength of the signal are called half-wave dipoles, and are more efficient. In general radio engineering, the term dipole usually means a half-wave dipole (center-fed).

 

A half-wave dipole is cut to length according to the formula l= 468 / f , where l is the length in feet and f is the center frequency in MHz [1]. This is because the impedance of the dipole is resistive pure at about this length. The metric formula is l = 140.65 / f [m], where l is the length in meters. The length of the dipole antenna is about 95% of half a wavelength at the speed of light in free space.

 

The magic numbers above are derived from a one Hz wavelength which is the distance that light radio travels in one second. For English that is 186,282 miles times 5280 feet per mile. To convert to metric multiply the previous total by 12 inches per foot and then, by definition, multiply that by 2.54 cm per inch. Divide this number by 100 to convert this length to meters. Then divide the result by one million to account for MHz rather than hertz. This will give a number which must be divided by two for a dipole antenna. To correct for resistance and impedance multiply the dipole wavelength by about 95% to account for the difference in the velocity of wave propagation in wire as opposed to the same wave in free space. If the wire velocity is known, that value should be used to get the magic numbers of 468 feet or 142.65 metric. All that is left is to divide by the desired frequency as measured in MHz to obtain the length of the antenna element.

 

 

If you consider a typical radiostation broadcasting at 98 MHZ that would give you a dipole (Car Antenna) of about 1.4m (or 4.7ft), which is quite long for these days cars. Now its good to know that you can use a quarter length antenna with a metal base with almost the same effect as an dipole. Then you got the average 70cm / 2.4 ft Antenna for FM Radio which we know these days. If you already have this kind of antenna you should look into better components or a signal booster.

 

Good Luck!!