[Mk2] [Generic] Deleted the stock aerial

[RST]

I've been happy with the deuce for a while now but idle hands and all that. The paint was starting to bubble on my spoiler spats so I got hold of a second set and before painting them I've filled in the aerial hole and fitted one of those amplified windscreen aerials inside. Should work fine, I sealed round the case and stuck it all down with a hot melt glue gun. Will make a plastic grommet to fill the hole in the rear wing and seal if off with a roll of never-set bodyshop mastic I have spare....



The red blob is cataloy, I hot glue gunned a piece of ali mesh in the hole then cataloyed the back and filled in from the top.

Just got to wait for the clear coat to dry before I can cut the spats back -but it was a rattle can so it'll be weeks before it's hard enough, so might as well fit them tomorrow.

Thought this might give folk ideas if they were looking to hide their aerial. It seemed an easy way to hide one to me. There was a thread about these aerials but couldn't find it so put up a new one. Nothing wrong with the stock aerial, just fancied doing a bit of fiddling LoL.

[craig]

Nice work fella. The MR2's aerial when fully extended is not a pretty site.

Similar to 1983 Ford Cortina

[J-1]

I need to buy one of those for mines. Don't know where I could fit it on a rev4...

[craig]

I need to buy one of those for mines. Don't know where I could fit it on a rev4...

Behind the center panel?

[raptor95GTS]

yep behind the centre panel is where mine is going. Richard, the other thread is in the electrical section

[RST]

Bottom of the rear windscreen, vertical in the quarter window up the back of the B-Pillar or if you have a tubby under the engine lid above the rain shield or in the rear vallance as said before. I can't remember how the rear window surround comes off but I think it's feasible to fit in there and pass the cables through the high level brake light opening in the roof. It comes with 2.5m of cabling so it's plausible to fit in a few places. maybe even somewhere behind the front or rear bumper I guess. Just need to seal up the edges of the case like I did if you're putting it external.

I don't mind the stock aerial at all -looks no different from any other to me. Just tried something different because I was painting the spats.

...Dooh Allan, couldn't see for looking. They're not bad aerials by the way, no worse than a telescope one anyway. I was going to just glue a piece of equivalent length multi strand round the inside of the spat -but wanted something amplified and I'd have to buy a little amp separate for that.

[DAN_REV1_TURBO]

What kind of reception are you getting with it in the rear boot mate? I have the same aerial positioned in the front trunk and the reception isnt great.

[RST]

I haven't fitted mine yet by the way but I fitted the same one to a previous car which had a front wing aerial and it wasn't any worse than the stock aerial was. The whole radio and TV signal got weaker around me when they did the digital TV change over. Will have to report back when I get mine fitted I guess.

[pbmr2]

running a similar areial in the rear quater window of a rev1. no problems what so ever with signal.

putting it in the frunk or in the boot etc isn't a great idea as it's a closed metal box. under the spat should be fine as it's not metal. also under the bumpers too i spose.

i spose hiding it in the rear window surround is quite a cool idea, wish i'd thought of that.

[jack-p]

i bought one of these (just a cheap one off ebay) but it didnt come with fitting instructions. its got the pulg to plug it in the back of the stereo and another wire which i dont know what to do with i plugged it in but it isnt getting any signal so i guess i need to do something with the other wire? i was thinking its possibly an earth, if so wheres best to earth it to?
im also going with mounting it behind the plastic on the rear screen

[riot68]

Never listen the radio so I'm going to remove the stock and just fill the hole, thanks for the tips with the mesh idea...

[Signori]

I've just got one of these ariels..
Just looked in the boot and i have the cables in the picture that aren't connected to anything, are these from the old ariel?


If so can anyone tell me what i need to do to connect it up please. The ariel has these three wires from it


Thanks

[J-1]

Good question mate. I have got this job to do soon enough.

Any help is appreciated.

[RST]

signori. That little box you have is an FM band expander, shifts the JDM frequencies to UK ones. The one's I've had before need a switched live and sometimes they have an earth lead also, some of them just earth through the aerial itself I think.

In your second picture you have 1-off aerial connector (self explanatory). 1-off red switched live for the on-board signal amplifier (connect this to the "aerial up remote signal") and the third bare wire with round terminal is a ground which you'll need to find on a chassis or body bolt somewhere close.

...still not got round to swapping mine over yet so not done it yet myself. Weather was too bad last few weekends and am stuck offshore in the North Sea for the next month.

[Signori]

signori. That little box you have is an FM band expander, shifts the JDM frequencies to UK ones. The one's I've had before need a switched live and sometimes they have an earth lead also, some of them just earth through the aerial itself I think.

In your second picture you have 1-off aerial connector (self explanatory). 1-off red switched live for the on-board signal amplifier (connect this to the "aerial up remote signal") and the third bare wire with round terminal is a ground which you'll need to find on a chassis or body bolt somewhere close.

...still not got round to swapping mine over yet so not done it yet myself. Weather was too bad last few weekends and am stuck offshore in the North Sea for the next month.

Thanks RST, So aerial connecter to the back of the stereo? and where do i find the aerial up remote signal to connect the live?

[riot68]

i've deleted mine too, not fitted a new one at all as never listen to the radio, does look a lot better without a hole...

[cvega666]

My car has the aerial removed as well, and used this weird thingy just behind the rearview mirror inside the cabin. Works OK, but i rarely listen to the radio - i mostly listen for weird sounds coming from the engine, lol....

[Ian86]

I actually like the standard aerial, maybe its just the novelty of it going up and down

[riot68]

to be fair I may have left it if it worked and the hole on the spoiler didn't have cracks and chips round it Still Mat made one good one from mine and his broken ones...

[RST]

Thanks RST, So aerial connecter to the back of the stereo? and where do i find the aerial up remote signal to connect the live?

...going from memory here as I'm offshore so can't go and look.

If you look at the stock aerial connections I think the MR2 aerial system works as:

1) Switched live to aerial (power to the motor circuit on when the key is turned to ACC or IGN)
2) Switched live -on when the head unit tells the aerial to go up
3) Ground

...when 1 and 2 are on the aerial goes up. When 2 is switched off (but the key is still in ACC or IGN the aerial goes down. When 1 and 2 are off (when the key is removed) then the aerial goes down.

You'll have to check the connections with a DMM but the info is on the internet with circuit diagrams if you do a yahoo search. I'm pretty sure it's downloadable as I printed off a copy somewhere ages ago.

Hope that helps.