Fix for poor reception

[SpaceShot]

To do away with the RC car look of my 2008 LB, I changed the factory antenna for shorty and then eventually went with the shark fin. The color match on the fin and the look is very good. But the foil antenna inside of it only covers half the surface and like the shorty gets about half the reception range of the factory antenna. (Outside of urban centers.)
After living with poor reception for a year or two, I got a Tune Trapper hidden dipole antenna to mount in the dash. With the new antenna and a 10db Ratdio Shack signal booster from eBay, the reception is slightly better than stock.

The pictures show the dash open with the new antenna mounted between the center vents and the gauge cluster. I found the center mount version to be a good solution for fastening the antenna in the dash.

2008 LB basic steps:
1. Remove the dark gray trim from the sides of the heater control portion of the dash. Simple snap fittings, start from the bottom edges and carefully pull towards you.
2. Carefully lift the panel in front of the gage cluster to 45 or 60 degrees to release the radio trim bezel. Simple snap fittings again, start with edge closest to you.
3. Remove radio trim bezel by pulling straight toward the rear seat.
4. Remove the 4 cross head screws that hold the radio bracket to the dash.
5. Pull radio out to expose antenna cable connection.
6. Mount new hidden antenna as shown in the space between the vents and gage cluster. (It comes with mounting block and double stick tape.)
7. Close everything up in reverse order.

I overspent for the project, $40 hidden antenna + $18 booster + $70 shark fin. But the car looks very good and reception is now better than stock.

[sickpuppy1]

I'd be interest in how you like it, because I see a lot more bad reviews on it than good. My reception was good till I had my windows tinted. sedans have antenna in the back window, and I got one of the best tints as far as heat rejection. That being said its a metallic bsed material, and what I didnt think of at the time is, it messes with FM reception and especially HD radio. Not likes it horribly, but I can tell the difference. I've thought of going external but didnt want to drill a hole in the roof if possible. I probably could put a dipole in the headliner up front, but low priority at the moment....

[SpaceShot]

SP1,
So far, so good. On the LB, the original factory antenna is actually quite good. But the longish mast at the top of the hatch on a 3 door looks like a kids RC.

I have been driving around a couple of days with the new arrangement and the reception is better than stock but not by a very large amount. With it hidden between the center vents and the top of the dash, it is pretty secure and doesn't seem to rattle at all.

I think with the dipole you would need a good inch of clearance to metal structures to avoid noise or other interference. That is why I chose to stuff it in the upper dash rather than the headliner or one of the pillars. In that position it is fairly centered below the windshield with good view to the sky.

[sickpuppy1]

Thats good to hear. Keep us posted. The reason I was thinking of the headliner is actually the reason the factory did the whip on the roof ,or in my case ,the top of the back window. AM radio waves follow the curve of the earth till they run out of power, but FM travels line of sight from the tower. So mounting on the roof or headliner would "theoretically" give the best reception when away from town.
Next time you do a road trip, give us some feedback.

[SpaceShot]

SP1,

After a few short trips, I would stick by my estimate that reception with the Tune Trapper is about 20% better than the stock rear whip. I get a few more stations and better range on all of them. My wife's Kia Soul is still slightly better.
I had intended to mount further forward in the dash, but it would have been significantly more work to get it forward of the gage cluster.

In the instructions it states the it needs 3/4 inch clearance from surrounding metal structures. So that may require taping it to the headliner to work, or at least putting the insulation between it and the car roof. On the model the I got the wire is 22 inches long. So you would need an extension cable.

I would suggest an end feed model with a longer cable to go in one of the pillars if you didn't want it hidden in the dash as I did.

[CTScott]

Have you tried it without the Radio Shack signal booster?

[SpaceShot]

CTScott,

All the booster really does is to make some stations strong enough to get a ST stereo lock. It isn't enough to bring in stations that you were not getting without it.
I had tried an in-line noise filter, but that had no noticeable effect. The booster helps slightly on a handful of stations when I go skiing or on other trips where reception gets weak.
The primary effect without the booster is what sounds like more static where reception is weak.

It is not in the Radio Shack stores any longer. (I knew about it from working there part time many years ago.) I got mine from eBay. I think some marine outlets have it as an accessory for stereos on boats.