My antenna has decided the it shouldn't go up and down automatically anymore. I can hear the motor trying to raise and lower it when I start and turn off the car. Is the only way to fix it, to replace the whole antenna?

 

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The part you need is the Antenna MAST. About $40.

Unscrew that top chrome nut where the mast comes out of. Have a helper turn the stereo on... pull on the mast until it releases completely from the car.....careful not to get any grease on yourself.

to install new one...do the opposite. feed the new cable...turn off stereo and then screw the nut back on.

If there are several teeth on the track missing, then you may want to do a full overhaul and get the fragments out.

 

i have a used antenna if you need one
i just shaved mine off when i repainted
the stuff is at the shop..but i should be able to pick it up this weekend

 

Is it the whole assembly or just the mast?

 

I would take this opportunity to get rid of the antenna assembly and put a Terk powered antenna in it's place, molding over the lump where the stock antenna once protruded from. I hate antenna towers on cars, the window imprints are so much better...

 

hey lex, i feel the same way, but didn't know where to start. what's a terk antenna? it's not motorized? i have tinted windows, so how's the reception?

most importantly, how much?
oh, how is the HID conversion coming along????

 

Well a Terk antenna is a powered AM/FM antenna for home audio gear. I was thinking of using it in my car attaching the signal receptors to it's coax outputs and and the motor leads to it's power inputs. It's not a motorized antenna so it'd just chill on the side behind the wheel well. The question is whether or not it'd work as well as the stock antenna.


EDIT: The Terks cost from $40 - $200. The HID project has not started yet . My guy said he sent the testor out to my last Monday when I was expecting the Monday BEFORE .

 

do-luck, you might want to hold off on sealing up your antenna hole and installing a Terk until you hear from someone that's actually successfully done so.

If a Terk-style setup was so effective, we'd have seen that in the dealer showrooms by now (we don't). Or, Terk's web page would offer an automotive AM/FM antenna (they don't). Or I'd have seen some mention of this on the 3 different audio forums I frequent (I don't).

 

imo, Terk antennas are crap.

I bought one years ago for my home system. Sensitivity was no better than a $5 pair of Radio Shack rabbit ears, and image rejection was worse. The only thing it had going for it was non-directionality and it's less ugly than rabbit ears.

It probably wouldn't work at all in the trunk, shielded by all that grounded metal. It requires a power supply that plugs into 120VAC, and I don't know what the power supply's output is - if it's 12VDC, it could perhaps be wired into the car's electrics, but my opinion is - forget it.

I agree that antennas are ugly, and power units are failure-prone, as Vegassc has discovered. One thing I try to do is keep the mast clean and lightly lubed - I use a low-viscosity Teflon grease that's clear in color.

The metal mast has a plastic toothed strip inside it - kind of looks like a larger rougher version of a long nylon tie wrap - the plastic strip wraps and unwraps on a spool in the antenna base - if the mast is dirty, or slightly bent, the plastic tape will be under stress and will break or strip.

I haven't had my car very long, and when I was cleaning and lubing the antenna I discovered how smart the thing is. I had wondered why the car had an "antenna ecu" - now I know - the antenna extends fully on the lower half of the FM band, and retracts slightly on the upper half of the band, and retracts a little more on the AM band, all to keep the "half-wave" length of the antenna closely matched to the frequency it's receiving.

Pretty sophisticated, typically Lexus. And typically Lexus-expensive to replace. I will keep mine scrupulously clean and lubed!

 

95 SC 400 nakamachi...It all started when the antenna stopped dead, regardless of signal from the radio.
I replaced the Antenna mast (the old one was broken in half), cleaned out all the old grease, installed new grease, cleaned and reconnected all electrical connections, and now the Antenna motor won't run!
What's up with that? I checked the brushes & arnature, both are clean and free of grease. All wire connections appear mechanically sound.
Is there a fuse or circuit breaker I may have tripped/blown?

Help

 

I'm no electronics expert, but could you use the frame of the car as one huge antenna?

and didn't the SC come with a window imprint antenna? a dealership will proably sell just the antenna assy. right? (Like I'm the one to be asking that question!)


Anyhow... I'm thinking of losing my antenna... lately it's been acting up worse than my ex....



John