akskibum82 Posted May 12, 2004 Report Share Posted May 12, 2004 I was just thinking the other day about fixing my antenna when a beemer drove buy that had one of those shark fin antennas that are used my BMW and audi and got to thinking that that would be a great item to add to our cars. Firstly, are there co's that make these aftermarket or could one be bought from audi? The ones i've seen on BMW's look a little large. What to do all think about this mod and would it be hard to do? There are the obvious problems such as wiring it, color matching and filling the stock antenna hole on the rear panel but I think this could be a unique mod to make our cars stand out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junibunie Posted May 12, 2004 Report Share Posted May 12, 2004 Personally I dont like it and I was glad that when I got my M it didnt have one. You could buy one from ebay or Bavauto in many different colors if you really want one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
550 Posted May 12, 2004 Report Share Posted May 12, 2004 I kinda like them it is nice for car washes, that way you don't have to put your antenna down. I was thinking maybe the magnetic XM ones might work, but too cheap to try that expensive way, heh. Let me know what you find out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stormin Norman Posted May 12, 2004 Report Share Posted May 12, 2004 Old memories from working in the stereo biz sez that the optimum length for an FM antenna is 1 meter (39 inches). Get a much shorter antenna and watch your FM radio reception get much worse. AM might go away entirely.How duz Audi and BMW do it? probably have head units specially designed for that antenna. I would try just hooking one up and testing the radio b4 I went any further.Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junibunie Posted May 12, 2004 Report Share Posted May 12, 2004 Actually the sharkfin for BMW isnt for the radio but for BMW assist, which is their version of onstar. Dont know about Audi though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt1122 Posted May 12, 2004 Report Share Posted May 12, 2004 shark fin antennas that are used my BMW and audi could be a unique mod to make our cars stand out.You might want to think that one over again.On another note, I think those antennas are nice but definitely don't get something that looks especially like it doesn't belong on a volvo. If the color doesn't match you can always sand and repaint it.But like juni was saying - BMW antenna is for BMW assist, and I think the one on the Audi and probably any other cars that have it is for GPS. I think on those cars the antenna is actually hidden in the body work or something like that, kind of like on the Volvo Wagons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
550 Posted May 12, 2004 Report Share Posted May 12, 2004 So techincally you could take the mast out and make a new antena hidden in the body work.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve s Posted May 13, 2004 Report Share Posted May 13, 2004 the wagons have it embedded on the interior of the left rear window of the cargo hold.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jross Posted May 13, 2004 Report Share Posted May 13, 2004 yep, and it SUCKS jerk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
550 Posted May 13, 2004 Report Share Posted May 13, 2004 so not worth it, in your opinoin, hmm I wonder about those FM signal boosters, i could install it in the trunk it is fairly small. WOnder how well those workhttp://www.crutchfield.com/S-34z9JroMKK0/c...9450#morephotoslike this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mesoam Posted May 13, 2004 Report Share Posted May 13, 2004 That thing looks like a gimmick to me. It's like those "cellphone signal boosters" also worthless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stormin Norman Posted May 14, 2004 Report Share Posted May 14, 2004 Ah, more memories from the woofer wars. FM antenna boosters for most applications are crap. Their real purpose is with a good antenna when you are really far from the transmitter.You can't hid a regular antenna mast in the car, unless its a Vette, cuz the metal body is a shielding ground. Window antennas are also doo-doo, cuz if you turn 90 degrees, the antenna sensitivity drops by 50 - 90%. There is a reason why power antennas have been in use for decades, ya know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt1122 Posted May 14, 2004 Report Share Posted May 14, 2004 I saw a 740 wagon about 2 weeks ago with an antenna at least 8 feet long, and then another one on the roof going just as high. I thought it was the funniest thing ever, but I bet he gets good reception. The best thing you can do if you want radio w/ the antenna is go satelite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boosted2003 Posted May 15, 2004 Report Share Posted May 15, 2004 Antenna boosters boost all the noises in the signal. So if you have shitty signal to start with its not going to get any better.http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...ssPageName=WDVWhttp://www.avdeals.com/mobilevideo/FILM4VCR.htmthese will work fairly good. I havent done mine yet. Because when I had to replace my rear 1/4 panel the guy forgot to weld and fill the stock antenna hole. :angry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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