Alternate antenna ideas!
Attached is an image of my car with replaced antenna. I did this for 2 reasons:
1. I was not getting the best range with the stock antenna.
2. The cat wants to chew on my stock antenna.
Ok, so I took a spring, pulled it straight, left a loop at the end and straightened out the other end. Then I took the insulation off a tiny wire from inside a modular telephone cord and slid a small section of this insulation over the straightened spring. This will slide down later for insulating the new antenna as it exits the circuit board cover.
Next, I desoldered the stock wire antenna and replaced it with my own. I bent it down and out the same hole that motor lead exits. Slid that insulation down and under the circuit board THEN I bent it out and up. The usulation stops well before exiting the car's back window.
So, now I have this tiny bare silver wire antenna. It is strong, it stays upright, it gets much better reception, and it looks more attractive than the stock wire.
Drawbacks:
1. So far, I only wish it was just a bit longer. The spring I had on hand is what I used. It's late, so if I had the time, I could have used a better-suited spring.
2. I am only slightly worried about the rigidity of the new antenna, not that it will bend, but that it might be TOO stiff. If the car flips, it may put undo pressure at the solder point.
Revisions and other thoughts:
1. I might like to try another spring, and perhaps one that is NOT pulled straight. This would give it some flexibility.
2. A better method of attaching the antenna might include a body-mounted version. This would either have to be wired to the circuit board (very inconvenient if the body needs to be removed) or I might come up with some kind of contact connection when the body is in place.
3. Ever taken apart a Nokia phone? The 8260 has no external antenna. How did they do that? well, there is a copper strip that zigzags under the cap. It's attached with double stick tape. I WANT that on my bit. Ideally, I take a copper sheet, cut out a piece for the INSIDE of my car body. Then, I carefully cut it into a zigzag of sorts. The result could be attached to the inside of the body, thereby creating a HIDDEN antenna that ends up having a LOT of overall length. You have to see the phone to get the idea. Then, this could be linked to the circuit board with a contact spring. That part should be easy enough.
Any thoughts? Anyone want to try my flat-hidden copper sheet antenna? If it works, I see fleets of bits out there with NO visible antennae!
--caver01
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