Radio Reception

[kimona]

Never had a problem with radio reception on my '07 with the tall antenna, but radio reception on the '14 is terrible. Could it be the shorter antenna? Anybody else have this issue?

[bronsin]

The antenna unscrewed and fell off on my sons 08 and of course the radio didn't work to well. So I made an antenna out of a coat hanger by making a small loop on the end so the screw would go through and bending the wire to make for an upright arrangement.

It worked so well he hasn't bought a new one. Perhaps you could experiment? If its under warranty there always the dealer...

[NYC-SE]

No problems on my 2014. I'm in the big city though. Are you frequently in rural areas or otherwise far from civilization?

[Bluevitz-rs]

Yeah, short antennas suck.

I've never been in an older car with a huge 3 foot long antenna with bad reception.

[kimona]

No problems on my 2014. I'm in the big city though. Are you frequently in rural areas or otherwise far from civilization?

No, I'm in Huntington Beach and surrounding cities... which certainly isn't rural.

Maybe I'll look for an "RC" antenna from the previous generation.

[Bluevitz-rs]

You should try one of the old 3 foot ones for an extreme comparison if you know someone with one you can borrow.

[YarTed]

Canadian 2015 Yaris in Vancouver area , radio reception is good. Roof mount antenna is pulled out about 4-5 "

[Kalispel]

Radio reception was fine around Phoenix, AZ area on my 2015 with the short stock antennae, though I replaced it with a Visual Garage 040 Super White "Shark Fin" antennae (w/built in fractal antennae) for aesthetic purposes (it looks sooo much better IMO :thumbsup:). I didn't notice any difference in reception here when I made the switch.

[kimona]

Thanks for the replies.

Just to test, I swapped my stock 7" antenna with my friend's 7" antenna from his 2010 CRV. The antennas are virtually identical. Guess what? No more static. So, there must be something wrong with my antenna. Simple fix. I ordered a new antenna from ebay.

[bronsin]

Excellent! I always like to hear the happy ending and we don't always hear what solved the problem.

[kimona]

I bought this antenna from ebay for under $2. It states 9" in the ad, but it measures exactly 8". It fits perfectly and works great. I like it!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/9-Car-Radio-AM-FM-Top-Roof-Mast-Whip-Aerial-Antenna-Screw-On-For-BMW-330-325i-AM-/351597728567

[mirapatec]

Apparently, you must have gotten a bad antenna from the factory. I guess even Toyota has a few issues along the supply chain. Luckily, it was a cheap and easy fix.

[Kar98]

I have the antenna from a Honda S2000 on my 2007 (cheap on eBay), instead of the factory one. Looks better, and reception is great. The "mast" bolts right into the hole where the OEM antenna screws in. Fully interchangeable, no tools needed.

I had no luck with some crappy, 4 inch generic aftermarket antenna.

[Bluevitz-rs]

I have the antenna from a Honda S2000 on my 2007 (cheap on eBay), instead of the factory one. Looks better, and reception is great. The "mast" bolts right into the hole where the OEM antenna screws in. Fully interchangeable, no tools needed.

I had no luck with some crappy, 4 inch generic aftermarket antenna.

Picture?

[Kar98]

Picture?

This one sucked, it was like having no antenna:


http://i.imgur.com/kNzQPY5.jpg

The one from the Honda S2000 bolts right up:

http://i.imgur.com/0igmFLU.jpg

And the OEM antenna I had, I gave that to somebody whose 2014 Yaris had its antenna broken off. Screwed right into the hole.

Also, if you post a picture at The Car Lounge, it gets resized to fit... just saying.

[kimona]

My 8" antenna for under $2.