I might end up capping mine as I only listen to Sirius XM anyways. My main concern is if it goes above roofline of Sasquatch because I will only have about 3 inches of clearance on my garage opening beyond the roof rack.
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I was going with a shorty as well. Someone mentioned in an earlier thread the long antenna is useful in reminding you of issues in low clearance conditions like a parking garage.
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It's a flexible part. Every truck I've driven has had the antenna extend beyond the garage door. They just bend back as you enter or exit the garage. No harm.
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Plus, depending on where the antenna height is in relation to the tallest part of your vehicle, you can use it in the wild to see if you'll fit under overhangs (like parking garages).
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The length of the antenna is determined by the wavelength of the signal being received. The FM signals are at a much higher frequency (shorter wavelength) than AM. Effective reception of AM requires a longer antenna. Stubby antennas will have little effect on FM reception. But, if not properly engineered, a stubby can significantly reduce AM reception. There is a method of coiling the antenna tightly in modern automobile antennas so that they are very short...obviously more expensive.
Remember, FM transmission is nearly a line-of-site transmission so it drops off quickly once you reach about 30 miles on flat land (less in hills and mountains). AM signals bounce off the atmosphere and can travel hundreds of miles when the conditions are right.
I just thought I would share the trade-offs for a stubby versus the OEM antenna.
Remember, FM transmission is nearly a line-of-site transmission so it drops off quickly once you reach about 30 miles on flat land (less in hills and mountains). AM signals bounce off the atmosphere and can travel hundreds of miles when the conditions are right.
I just thought I would share the trade-offs for a stubby versus the OEM antenna.
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The trick is finding a high quality stubby.
The FM channels I listen to in my area are right at the cusp of reception. I swapped to the nicest shorter antenna I could find, spent some decent change... and my ability to receive those stations dropped precipitously (probably 25% of my previous coverage area).
I ended up putting the stock antenna back on.
If I was in a more urban area... or less hilly terrain... I probably wouldn't have had any problem with the new antenna.
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Yep, depending on the height above the roof rack the antenna extends, may just chop it down to be about 2" above rack heigh and cap it and use that as a feeler gauge.
Simply solution is to just remove it and cap the hole with either a stubby or a cap, when it would be an issue, and put it back on when you actually need it. With Satellite radio and smart phone apps for radio, I think most people would forget to put it back on.
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Couple of things to take note of with the factory antenna and stubbys.
1. The factory antenna extends past the bronco roof. If you have a sasquatch Bronco and your garage isn't the tallest (like mine) the antenna is going to hit every time you pull in and out.
2. Stubbys work well but only when you are close to the local broadcasts. This is old technology which generally means the longer the antenna the better the reception. If you plan on listening to broadcasts that are over 20 miles away then you will likely get interference with the stubby.
I plan on trying the following as the reviews seem to be positive with very little reception loss. It is also cheap which never hurts. Another positive is it comes in both 7" and 13" lengths. Prefer the looks of the 7" but if the reception is bad I will send back to Amazon for free and replace it with the 13".
https://www.amazon.com/Compatible-2009-2019-Replacement-Optimized-Reception/dp/B07MJKMGY4/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=short+car+antenna&qid=1615990740&sr=8-5&th=1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BDKNQW...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
1. The factory antenna extends past the bronco roof. If you have a sasquatch Bronco and your garage isn't the tallest (like mine) the antenna is going to hit every time you pull in and out.
2. Stubbys work well but only when you are close to the local broadcasts. This is old technology which generally means the longer the antenna the better the reception. If you plan on listening to broadcasts that are over 20 miles away then you will likely get interference with the stubby.
I plan on trying the following as the reviews seem to be positive with very little reception loss. It is also cheap which never hurts. Another positive is it comes in both 7" and 13" lengths. Prefer the looks of the 7" but if the reception is bad I will send back to Amazon for free and replace it with the 13".
https://www.amazon.com/Compatible-2009-2019-Replacement-Optimized-Reception/dp/B07MJKMGY4/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=short+car+antenna&qid=1615990740&sr=8-5&th=1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BDKNQW...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
I had the 13" antenna on my Jeep and there is a loss in FM reception. I am in Chicago suburbs so close to many of the sources. Some stations were still ok others were not. Once you get in more rural areas it is not that good. I returned it and ordered another in case it was defective. The 2nd one had identical results.
I put back on the stock antenna.
I put back on the stock antenna.
Guess I'm the only guy on this forum that's into sports. Without AM I wouldn't be able to listen to local baseball, football, or hockey when out and about and one of my teams is playing. I'm also not mortally offended by the mere presence of an antenna, but that's probably more due to my age than anything (which I guess I already proved by admitting that I'm OK with listening to AM radio).
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