Castle_Rock_AV said:
I would bet that you could not mount a power antenna where the factory antenna is mounted. It seems pretty sturdy and the under cowl clearance would present a problem - as mentioned by Shape-Shifter.
I just took a closer look, and it does not look like it will be possible (or if possible, not at all easy) to mount a power antenna in the stock antenna location.
The stock location is so close to the windshield, that the area below it is not open: it is essentially the continuation of the A pillar, and is a beefy solid area which provides support for the door hinges.
Normally, the stock antenna is mounted further forward on the fender, so that the area immediately below the antenna is the open area behind the fender between the wheel well and the A pillar. Others are mounted on a rear fender where the area below is in the trunk. Either of these locations would generally have enough room for a power unit.
But, as Castle_Rock_Av points out, further forward on the fender won't work because that is the hood:
The fender - or in our case the hood - since it drapes over the corner - is probably not the best place to mount it. If the antenna was up and you opened the hood it could break the antenna or bend the hood where it mounts.
That leaves the rear fender:
I was thinking somewhere in the back in front of the rear side storage bins. You have under fender clearance - the front of the bin over the tire hump.
There is not a lot of depth in the compartment over the wheel wells. You might be able to find a special version with a short overall length under the fender, but the typical standard design is likely to be too long to fit.
The area behind the wheel is certainly deep enough, but that is the area below the side compartment openings. Again, not a practical mounting location.
One area that might be a possibility is just a little further back by the grab handles: just forward and inboard of the handles is a triangular flat recessed area. That could be a good mounting point. The area below is inside the fender, between the storage compartment and tail light.
The real question is how much room is back there, and how do you get in there? I fear the only way to get in there is to remove the inside wall of the cargo box. I hope not.
Of course, if this location is contemplated, one would have to be careful to always make sure the antenna is lowered before opening the storage compartment. (Take a look at the location, open the compartment, and you will quickly see why I say this.)
Now the biggest question - can you install the power antenna without creating a ground loop
Ground loop = engine noise
You bring up some very good points about ground planes, ground loops, and noise. Hopefully this will not be an issue, but it may be a moot point unless a good mounting point is found.
Skidd said:
This will be one of the issues with an '03 as there are no tap off points associated with the RAP, so a manual one might be the better option.
Not sure about this for the 02's.
Yes, a manual antenna may be the best for an '03. One could simply attach the control line of an automatic antenna to the regular switched power, but that could be a problem when trying to listen to the radio after turning off the ignition. When the ignition is turned off, the antenna will lower, but the radio will continue playing on RAP, but without an antenna.
For an '02, which does have a place to tap into a RAP circuit, an automatic makes more sense, especially if one uses a switch to turn off the antenna manually if the radio is off, or playng a CD.
Using the plastic wrench to remove the stock antenna may be the simplest solution. (Now if only I had recieved one of those wrenches with my truck.)
A shorter euro style antenna is another option that is becoming more attractive.
-- SS
Could this be something useful on my Av? I also have a 92 Nissan Pathfinder and while off-roading last winter in the forest I ripped the antennae clear from its base. This is something I don't want to do with my shiny new Av (my neighbour is going to remedy the forest path with his dozer.)
