[DML] Re: Antenna Placement

[Ann & Ed Thompson <RappaRivaRat@xxxx>]

> To get the best reception without the whip antenna, would it be
> possible to wire the the radio to the doors (or maybe other body
> panels) for reception? There you get both vertical and horizontal. But
> on the down side, could this also end up "frying" your radio since the
> car is negative ground?
> 
> -Robert


No, you would not "fry" your radio, but you would not get ANY reception
either. Essentially you would be electrically grounding any signal
"received" by your "door antenna". An antenna is an "open ended"
wire that is insulated from any other metal part of the car. The
broadcast signal is picked up by this insulated wire and fed directly
to the receiver circuits of the radio without touching anything else.
When a power antenna is retracted it is shielded nearly 100% by the
metal tube it retracts into, and by the metal fender as well. A
manual antenna that retracts typically does not retract into a metal
tube but rather retracts into itself and will generally pick up some
signal when fully retracted.

Ed Thompson (#6419 since 1982)