I see a lot of cars with radios, but no antenna showing. On a steel bodied car, will it get decent reception if I just mount it horizontal under the dash, or in the trunk?
Allot depends on your radio, all you can do is try it and see how it works. I have pretty good luck with it tucked up in the headliner area.
Some are power and sunk into the body...out of sight out of mind...or you can mount an antenna to the frame...it'll work there too... R-
I mounted a "Tune Trapper" antenna to the top bows in my '34 Coupe and it works great! My car has the fabric top insert, so there doesn't seem to be any signal loss. The stereo is hidden in the glove box, so it doesn't appear that the car has a radio. Jim
The '32 Fords that were originally equipped with radios had the antenna mounted under the running board. It is my understanding (although I have not tried it) if you isolate the chicken wire in the top from the body you can use it as a radio antenna. Charlie Stephens
only had a radio in one car, ran the antenna behind the trunk upholstery, worked to suit me. I am not a "music" person though. "Let the straight pipes roar"
You can get amplified antennas that tuck right up under your dash,Im pretty sure that Autoloc sells them.
Street rodders mounted the antenna under the running board. My Deuce roadster came with one and it works fine around town. I've never seen one under a running board from the factory. I believe that the 35-36 Ford used the chicken wire under the top insert as the antenna. I love the cowl mount antennas. When I stripped the paint on my roadster you could see where an old rodder had mounted his antenna only later was it welded up. I had one in stock and immediately drilled the holes for it exactly where it once was. These are still available on Ebay very cheap. They just look old to me.
I have one mounted on the frame rails on my coupe and under the running boards on my pickup. Been doing it that way since the '60's. works fine!
The ideal car antenna is the right length, and the best place for that antenna is in the middle of a steel roof. Anything less than that is a compromise. That includes windshield antennas, running board antennas, stubby antennas, fender mounted antennas, etc. That is just the physics of how antennas work. Running board antennas don't perform very well. Windshield antennas are fair. Technology can help compensate, and a good radio is better than a crappy one, but the antenna works best when located in the ideal location. Alternate mounting locations come down to whether the antenna works well enough. Terrain aside, the biggest factor in that are how powerful the station is, and how far you are from it. An antenna that works fine for someone in Chicago might be unsuitable for a person living on a ranch in Montana.
Got one of the power "stick to the corner of the windshield" antennas in the 55 ford panel. It's HORRIBLE !!! I'll be drilling and frenching a real one into the fender in the spring
Sorry for going back to this topic, but where would you put the speakers? I know a 30's car especially doesn't have much room in the interior to hide it. -Cody
I removed the antenna from the rear fin of my 60 Impala and have it on it's side in the trunk...barely works. I guess it really does need to be sticking up and not surrounded by steel. I haven't heard anyone yet say that they found a great antenna that isn't sticking up on the outside of the car.
I,ve put them under the dash, in trunk, and headliner. I put a peice of hose over the antenna its self to keep the mast from grounding to the car. I,ve had good luck this way.
i had a plastic hidden antenna mounted inside high up on the windshield of my 60 olds. worked great. sorry i cant remember who made it but it could not be seen from the outside unless you knew it was there.
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