Lexson

i have 2 issues....
a-lets say i get in my car...turn on a cd..the antenna wont go up.
but lets say i turn the radio on first...then it goes up...but then say i switch to cd...the antenna stays up...shouldnt it go down then if it doesnt go up initially? maybe this is normal?
b-when i put the radio on....the antenna goes 3/4 way up...then lowers back to 1/2 of the way right away. why is it going up and then coming back down? is that the motor...or the mast? im thinking maybe because that top end of the mast wont move(rust) that the motor feels resistance and lowers itself back to a safe height. any thoughts?
92sc400, thanks

lex400sc

The only thing that sounds unusual is that the antenna stays up after you've switched from radio to CD. What kind of deck are you using? It is normal for the antenna to adjust height for different radio bands.

pcmw

Lexson,

My 92 SC300 does the same thing...

Normal operation.

I think the antenna goes down and back up when changing radio stations because of a momentary power loss from the headunit to the antenna motor.

MW

undefeatedsc3

For both of your experiences it sounds perfectly normal to me. My antenna stays up as well when I switch from radio to cd too. I heard somewhere on the lines that its for the quick switch when you switch back to radio...there is less delay for the radio. And the antenna is suppposed to move as you switch frequencies Lexson....I think there was a thread not too long ago about this and I think it was pcmw who explained it if that helps
Buck

Lexson

but mine has NEVER gone all the way up.....thats not right is it?

Lexson

btw lex, i have the stock radio with cd changer in there.

undefeatedsc3

I cant remember off the top of my head which one makes it go farther up....I thought it was AM so try switching to that instead of FM and see if it goes all the way up.
-B

Lexson

ill try it!

hwallen172

I think I have the answer as to why the antenna keeps adjusting its height. If you tune in a low frequency AM station, the antenna will extend itself almost to the stops. Tune to an FM station below 96 MHz and the antenna will shorten itself. Tune to a station above 96 MHz and it will shorten itself further. The reason it does this is that as frequency goes up, the appropriate length for a dipole antenna goes down. If you want to do the math on that, make sure you use the velocity of electrical impulses through metal, not free space. Otherwise, you'l be way off.

My antenna also does not go up until I have used the radio at least once, and does not go down until I power off the unit. I believe this is normal operation.

jimmit

Ya thats what is supposed to happen. When you turn the CD player on there is no need for the antenna so it doesnt go up. When you turn the radio on and then switch to CD the antenna stays up. I was reading in the SC430 forums that you can change the settings. Its one of the C-BEST settings. I think I read that if you wanted to you can make the antenna go back down after you switch from radio to CD. In the SC300/400 the antenna will stay up until the head unit is switched to off. If it really bothers you that much just turn the radio off and press the CD button and the antenna will do down. I think in the SC430 they have the setting set to always stay up once the radio is turned on is because the antenna has a tendency to break from going up and down so much so I believe they did this on purpose. I read this a while ago so if I'm wrong someone correct me.

nothing to worry about your SC is fine

PERRYinLA

My antenna only goes up when I am on FM or AM. If I switch to the CD, it goes down. I usually listen to radio, and only switch to CD during a commercial. Since I'll be back to radio in a few minutes, I wish my antenna stayed up for awhile, to save wear and tear. But it doesn't.

What's funny is, 5 years ago when I first bought my car, my dealer gave me a new antenna under warranty when I naively complained about the antenna "cycling" whenever I switched stations!

I of course know better now. Not sure if the dealer does, though!

Lexson

Thanks for input guys. I still think my mast is broke though.
It does not go up any further while radio is on AM...and when it is going up...and it gets to its furthest point, I hear a not good sound from the motor.
I dont dispute that it might change heights.....but I think my mast should be extending all the way.....at least some of the time.

PERRYinLA

Sorry to hear, but if you do end up with a new antenna, be sure whoever installs it runs the black rubber drain hose into the drain hole at the bottom of the car.

That clueless dealer (see above) that replaced my antenna didn't bother to insert the hose, and the open hole allowed quite a bit of debris to accumulate in that area in the 5 years it remained open. I only discovered it when I opened up that area to put in a woofer.

Lexson

Perry-thanks for pic. Would you agree though that its probably NOT my motor though (since it does lift the antenna and bring it all the way down).....??
Since a mast is 40.00 I figure I can experiment with that....

pcmw

It is definitely your mast.

You need to unscrew the silver ring around the mast, turn stereo on to AM or FM....pull the mast all the way out as it goes up... It should just come out. Then feed the new mast in...and have someone turn your radio OFF. This will feed the new mast back in.

Good Luck.

MW