Stealth Hidden Amplified AM/FM Car Antenna 12v Aerial - AP170

[Jolls]

Does anyone have any experience with these? I have one connected in the ute I just purchased and I get no reception. However, I am in a rural area and reception isn't great with a standard antenna either.

The previous owner spent a fair bit on the system - alpine splits, pioneer sub, one mono amp for the sub and a four channel for the splits and a reasonable Sony head unit. I expect he was getting reception in Sydney.

Are these contraptions OK for city driving but **** in regional areas or are they just a dud idea in the first place.

Looking forward to your advice.

Cheers n Beers
Jolls

 

[Lex]

Does anyone have any experience with these? I have one connected in the ute I just purchased and I get no reception. However, I am in a rural area and reception isn't great with a standard antenna either.

The previous owner spent a fair bit on the system - alpine splits, pioneer sub, one mono amp for the sub and a four channel for the splits and a reasonable Sony head unit. I expect he was getting reception in Sydney.

Are these contraptions OK for city driving but **** in regional areas or are they just a dud idea in the first place.

Looking forward to your advice.

Cheers n Beers
Jolls

I've got a motorised anteena. Works ok around Geelong, Melbourne? I don't know about the open road (country). But l don't use the radio. I listen to music l have recorded on a sd card.

 

[Jolls]

I've got a motorised anteena. Works ok around Geelong, Melbourne? I don't know about the open road (country). But l don't use the radio. I listen to music l have recorded on a sd card.

Hi Lex,
The bluetooth function and the ability to link the android phone or usb both work. The google reviews on the antenna using the demister grid are either great or crap. I expect that the ground plane isn't working or something similar. Unless I hear something outstanding I will probably get an aftermarket motorised antenna. The antenna motor works but the mast cable has snapped so maybe I can find a new mast like I did in the VZ.

Cheers n Beers
Jolls

 

[Lex]

the mast cable has snapped

I've replaced a few (3 or 4?) masts. I've got a tilt garge door. I'd have the car on stands, with the anteena under the tilt door. I'd forget about the anteena. I'd turn the ignition on. Up would come aerial, & before it could fully come up , it would hit the tilt door. Stuffing up the mast head. Replaced a few, & eventually put a switch in line. If l want to listen to the radio, l have to turn on the switch first.

 

[Skylarking]

The google reviews on the antenna using the demister grid are either great or crap.

No idea what is inside the Aeropro AP170 box… it may be bugger all…

Basically a radio signal hitting a wire will develops a voltage on it which means you don’t want the wire to be earthed else you loose the voltage and thus the radio signal.

Antennas are a little more clever in their design as compared to a floating wire. The antenna‘s length is optimised (tuned) to the radio frequencies one wants to receive which helps to maximise the signal voltage (gain). And there are a bunch of ways of achieving such but it’s still just an wire for all intents and purposes (let’s ignore tuned resonance circuits theory as I can’t even remember it though I do remeber we were taught such 45 years ago)…

However demisters aren’t antennas as such. They are a resistive grid where one end is earthed to the vehicle body while the other end has 12v applied to it (when required) which creates heat along those resistive wires and defrosts the rear windscreen. It’s not really an effective antenna.

But some people swear by them when used as antennas. Obviously the easiest way is to remove the demister ground wire and the 12v wire and just connect the radio antenna coax signal wire to one side of the demister and the radio coax wire earth shield to the vehicle body. That should work but you’ll loose the demister function.

The other possibility is to leave the demister earth and 12v wires in place and connect the radio coax signal wire to a capaciter lead and the other lead of the capacitor to the 12v demister connection. Doing such protects the radio receive from,q2v zap when yne demister is switched on and stops the smoke escaping the radio. The radio coax earth shield is then connected to the vehicle body. This ends up being sort of like a ground plane antenna, sort of…

Such probably works because the demister can still pull a low voltage from the radio waves around us and the fact the vehicle body isn’t at a true ground potential probably helps a little.
Are they any good? I don’t know as I’ve never tried it since I don’t really listen to music when driving… my car goes vroom vroom not pshh pshh … But it’s an easy thing to try so one must wonder why cheap as car manufacturers spend more money on rooftop antennas (as in the VE/VF)

Let us know how you get on…

PS: have a look at this thread as the chap thinks it works really well and is easy to do

 

[Jolls]

Let us know how you get on…

PS: have a look at this thread as the chap thinks it works really well and is easy to do

Thanks for the advice @Skylarking your summary covers my antenna theory from my time in the Army making lightweight patrol antennas for jungle warfare. As a result I did not put much stock in the "black box"; however, I was hoping that there had been some advances in technology. I have ordered a replacement automatic aerial and will cut out the black box tomorrow and pull it apart to see what is in there. I will report back with my findings.

Cheers n Beers
Jolls