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Radio antenna replacement?

Discussion in '2.5 Gen Tundras (2014-2021)' started by Rski85, Feb 9, 2018.

  1. Feb 9, 2018 at 7:48 PM
    #1
    Rski85

    Rski85 [OP] New Member

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    Well second day of owning the 18 cm I noticed the huge old school antenna, is there any good or better replacement for it? I looked on Amazon and there is tons!! Which one gives great reception for FM and XM and for hd radio?
     
  2. Feb 9, 2018 at 8:48 PM
    #2
    831Tun

    831Tun heartless Bastrd

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    I believe it was @matluth that bought several and tested 'em. I went with antenna X,,,, I think.
     
    Wvmoonshiner likes this.
  3. Feb 9, 2018 at 8:49 PM
    #3
    831Tun

    831Tun heartless Bastrd

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  4. Feb 9, 2018 at 9:03 PM
    #4
    ChucklesToy

    ChucklesToy New Member

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  5. Feb 9, 2018 at 9:03 PM
    #5
    Black Wolf

    Black Wolf Bigfoot Hunter, Sasquatch too, but not Yeti

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    It's all trial and error. Quite frankly all the shorty's don't come anywhere close to OEM. They can't. Too short. Placement and Physics. Has nothing to do with old school. Going to go back to OEM as soon as I can find it. Besides I like my XM.
     
  6. Feb 9, 2018 at 9:05 PM
    #6
    ChucklesToy

    ChucklesToy New Member

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    After I had the TRD Pro shocks installed which leveled my truck, the OEM antenna hit the garage door, but just a little. I talked to the guys at The Antenna Source and they recommended the 27" with noise cancellation wire and it works great!
    http://www.theantennasource.com/TOYOTA/TUNDRA/Tundra 2015-2018.html#1A
     
    SuaveRC and Black Wolf[QUOTED] like this.
  7. Feb 9, 2018 at 9:06 PM
    #7
    Black Wolf

    Black Wolf Bigfoot Hunter, Sasquatch too, but not Yeti

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    That antenna should work just fine.
     
    ChucklesToy[QUOTED] likes this.
  8. Feb 9, 2018 at 9:56 PM
    #8
    GAknight

    GAknight New Member

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    Too many…scratch that…not done yet.
    Additionally, I'll add that your station's broadcast power (dBu), terrain, elevation can all contribute to the reception, or lack thereof. Of course, your proximity to the station's tower(s) also impacts reception.
    I added the Stubby from theantennasource.com last year and have had no issues. That said, I live just outside of Atlanta and I'm pretty close to some powerful stations.
    Check out this page...
    http://www.v-soft.com/on-line-based-software/zipsignal

    Lists all your local stations by zip, and shows their broadcast strength.
     
  9. Feb 10, 2018 at 1:38 AM
    #9
    Black Wolf

    Black Wolf Bigfoot Hunter, Sasquatch too, but not Yeti

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    Yeah, once you get up in the mountains here in CO where reception can be great with any antenna and then drop down into a canyon, reception can get dicey at best making stubbies nothing more than miniature flag poles.
     
  10. Feb 14, 2018 at 5:45 AM
    #10
    mscroggi

    mscroggi New Member

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    All true. But if you are using XM, you can just go with a stubby since XM doesn't use that antenna. After reading some discussions, I bought a mid-size stubby from antennamastsrus.com. I was surprised it worked as well as it did.. I live in a flat landscape so I don't think it is difficult to get acceptable antenna performance. Since I listen to satellite anyway, I don't really care much about the terrestrial radio antenna, but I wanted one that was as good as it could be, without worrying about it being broken off at a car-wash.
     
    Black Wolf[QUOTED] likes this.
  11. Feb 14, 2018 at 5:59 AM
    #11
    SuaveRC

    SuaveRC New Member

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  12. Feb 14, 2018 at 6:18 AM
    #12
    mlucas555

    mlucas555 New Member

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    Still rocking the stock height.
    I went with one of the 50 cal antennas. I mainly use Xm, but still get an ok signal with the little 50 cal one. I am in San Antonio, so that may help with why I am still getting a signal. I wanted it more for the looks than function.
     
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  13. Feb 14, 2018 at 6:29 AM
    #13
    Black Wolf

    Black Wolf Bigfoot Hunter, Sasquatch too, but not Yeti

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    Yeah, I like my XM. All the stubbies I tried out with my stock radio worked ok in town. It's just when up in mts they can get iffy which is to be expected.
     
    mlucas555 likes this.
  14. Feb 14, 2018 at 7:08 AM
    #14
    canadianguy

    canadianguy New Member

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    All the usual stuff!
    I had a shorty antenna but switched back to the stock one for parking reasons. Your antenna is that high because is a over height guide. I wouldn’t wanna scratch my roof in underground parking or in a parkade pulling under those steel pipes that hang down.
     
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  15. Feb 14, 2018 at 8:07 AM
    #15
    71_340

    71_340 The German

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    To the OP,

    You didn't notice the antenna when you looked at the truck and test drove it?

    From reading all this I guess the bottom line is that the OEM antenna works best as far as reception is concerned, I really don't understand what the big deal about it is anyway. My wife's BMW has a short AM/FM antenna from the factory but it also has an amplifier to compensate for being short. If you really hate your regular antenna that much but still want good reception An amplified antenna is probably the way to go.
     
    Black Wolf likes this.
  16. Feb 14, 2018 at 8:16 AM
    #16
    dcsleeper408

    dcsleeper408 BASTRDS

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  17. Feb 14, 2018 at 8:21 AM
    #17
    831Tun

    831Tun heartless Bastrd

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  18. Oct 13, 2018 at 6:47 PM
    #18
    FirstTruck

    FirstTruck New Member

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    Besides not having an alarm, no remote starter, no key fob and no start button, I hate that antenna as well. Has anyone attempted to relocate it and use a roof one with an ampflifier?
     
  19. Oct 13, 2018 at 6:57 PM
    #19
    831Tun

    831Tun heartless Bastrd

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    Are you sure you don't have an alarm? Try opining you door when it's locked.
     
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  20. Oct 13, 2018 at 8:26 PM
    #20
    FirstTruck

    FirstTruck New Member

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    So youre saying that the truck might have alarm?! Great news. I will try tomorrow. So while inside the truck I should lock it, wait for some kind of light on the dash and finally open the door?

    Thank you
     
    Last edited: Oct 14, 2018
    NewImprovedRon likes this.
  21. Oct 13, 2018 at 10:47 PM
    #21
    TRD-tv

    TRD-tv Menace2Ohio

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    No joke I'd be really interested in a manual telescoping antenna if they had one that worked lol

    Just keep it out until I know I gotta hit a parking garage. That's the only reason I have a shorty
     
  22. Oct 14, 2018 at 10:00 AM
    #22
    FirstTruck

    FirstTruck New Member

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    Sorry OP for highjacking your thread. Wasnt meant to be. Lets go back to the antenna topic. Lets find a way to delete de 3’ long mast and install a roof antenna with an amp. I have been searching for options. Maybe the one from Camry or highlander could work. Not sure. As I understand that antenna is only for AM and FM radio. Could be wrong.
     
    Last edited: Oct 14, 2018

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