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Remember power antennas?

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Old 10-31-21, 07:45 AM
  #31  
SW17LS
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Originally Posted by Striker223
I got a great laugh out of this, thanks guys lol!

I very much remember them, I have one in the driveway that is once again in need of repair. It's actually the only thing broken on the RX believe it or not, that and the endlessly annoying sun visor

I'm soon selling it however so this time will be last time I replace the mast. If it breaks again whoever owns it next will have to deal with it.
The other funny thing I remember happening was leaking sunroofs haha. He had a 1990 Lincoln Continental that he had a sunroof installed in, and it would leak in the carwash maybe 25% of the time. We would have towels we would have ready to hold up lol
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Old 10-31-21, 10:53 AM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by mmarshall
..........and, perhaps, some lessons from the disclaimer-signs at the car wash itself.
Yes, it’s quite extraordinary how many 5 year olds don’t take the time to read those notices while sat in the back of their parents’ car. I blame the schools.
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Old 10-31-21, 11:07 AM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by Big Andy
Yes, it’s quite extraordinary how many 5 year olds don’t take the time to read those notices while sat in the back of their parents’ car. I blame the schools.
Hahaha, yup
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Old 10-31-21, 11:13 AM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by Big Andy
Yes, it’s quite extraordinary how many 5 year olds don’t take the time to read those notices while sat in the back of their parents’ car. I blame the schools.

OK, I'll agree on that part, but that wasn't necessarily what I was referring to. I was under the impression, from your statement, that your Dad was playing with the radio (and the automatic antenna) in the wash, perhaps either not knowing about the disclaimers or simply letting the sign go in one eye and out the other.
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Old 10-31-21, 11:21 AM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by mmarshall
OK, I'll agree on that part, but that wasn't necessarily what I was referring to. I was under the impression, from your statement, that your Dad was playing with the radio (and the automatic antenna) in the wash, perhaps either not knowing about the disclaimers or simply letting the sign go in one eye and out the other.
People do dumb stuff. I don’t think he was blaming the carwash

Antennas in general are just something we’re fortunate are no longer on cars.
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Old 11-03-21, 09:13 AM
  #36  
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Haha, I was just thinking about this on the way to work this morning. I have not had a power antenna on a vehicle since my '95 GMC Jimmy was sold in 2002 (with 190,000 miles). My SC cars have the power antenna, and I chuckle whenever I hear the motor raising or lowering it. As I have the Nakamichi unit with a FM bluetooth adapter, I have the radio on most of the time. I keep wondering if the 22-year old motor will break. But like the steering wheel unit, it just keeps on going.
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Old 11-03-21, 09:49 AM
  #37  
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I had one on my 84 nissan 300zx and thought it looked cool until the antenna motor went out. Also before it totally stopped it started only going up about half way. thank god for technology.
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Old 11-03-21, 09:51 AM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by coolbrazz
I had one on my 84 nissan 300zx and thought it looked cool until the antenna motor went out. Also before it totally stopped it started only going up about half way. thank god for technology.
I feel like no one paid to fix them when they broke.

I used to bug my mother as a child to get the one on her Peugeot fixed, she never did.
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Old 11-03-21, 03:55 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by SW17LS
Antennas in general are just something we’re fortunate are no longer on cars.

As for now, yes, I'd agree....but, for a while, when GM was using those imbedded-fine-wire windshield-anennas, they did not have anywhere near the reception that a conventional mast did. In fact, for a while, GM actually went back to mast-antennas (and tried to use that as a sales-pitch on the later X-body cars), before switching to the modern shark-fin/electronic antennas. Not only that, but, on the (Chevy) Citation, the radio and controls were mounted in a weird vertical-mode instead of horizontal.


Last edited by mmarshall; 11-03-21 at 04:01 PM.
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Old 11-04-21, 06:00 AM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by mmarshall
As for now, yes, I'd agree....but, for a while, when GM was using those imbedded-fine-wire windshield-anennas, they did not have anywhere near the reception that a conventional mast did. In fact, for a while, GM actually went back to mast-antennas (and tried to use that as a sales-pitch on the later X-body cars), before switching to the modern shark-fin/electronic antennas. Not only that, but, on the (Chevy) Citation, the radio and controls were mounted in a weird vertical-mode instead of horizontal.
My grandfather had one of those windshield antennas (in the front windshield) of his early 70s Cutlass Supreme. AM radio IIRC, but horizontal, not vertical.
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Old 11-04-21, 06:43 AM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by AJT123
I feel like no one paid to fix them when they broke.
Can't remember if it was my Honda Prelude or first Acura, but the power antenna broke in one of them, and I got it fixed immediately.
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Old 11-04-21, 06:55 AM
  #42  
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This thread prompted me to look up pictures of my previously owned cars to see if they had antennas. This is truly something minor that I take for granted in modern cars. I do vaguely remember cleaning the antenna on my 1984 Celebrity (after my dad handed it down to me). The 1991 Accord I don't even remember having, but apparently it had a power antenna. Out of sight, out of mind I guess.

Came across this pic of a Celebrity sighting (lol) back in 2013. Almost a shot for shot duplicate of the car my dad gave me, only that one was a coupe.



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Old 11-04-21, 07:40 AM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by bitkahuna
Can't remember if it was my Honda Prelude or first Acura, but the power antenna broke in one of them, and I got it fixed immediately.
Do you by chance have any memory of what it cost? Curious. I don't think parts would be expensive for that.
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Old 11-04-21, 08:42 AM
  #44  
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Originally Posted by tex2670
My grandfather had one of those windshield antennas (in the front windshield) of his early 70s Cutlass Supreme. AM radio IIRC, but horizontal, not vertical.

Yes, the Citation was the only GM car I can remember with the odd vertical radio.

At first, even though I grew up with those cars, I didn't remember the windshield antennas going back as far as the late 60s/early-70s, but, on looking it up, yes, you are correct, they were used that early. I do remember that, in general, they were not as effective in reception as mast-antennas, but, of course, kept teen-age kids from snapping them off. GM went back to mast-antennas, though, in the 1980s, due to complaints about weak reception. The true answer to weak reception, of course, came later with satellite radio.
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Old 11-04-21, 08:46 AM
  #45  
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Later in window antennas worked just fine.
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