Antenna Defeat switch an easy install MOD

[GOLDCYLON]

Folks most of you know about a week and a half ago a security gate arm dynamically seperated my rear antenna mast off of my car as the gate arm swung downwards before my car cleared. If your using an OEM BOSE factory head unit you are well aware that the lack of power to the antenna makes the antenna retract when the radio is off.

What do you do however if you are running non factory stereo equipment and the antenna stays up all the time? More yet what if your a Sirius or XM listener and dont even listen to AM/FM radio anymore? You can save the wear and tear on the power antenna by installing the solution which is a simple radio antenna defeat switch.

To do this mod you can order the 84-96 Antenna Switch bypass kit from, MADVET part number 616250 @ $17.99. What you will receive is a Micro switch wired to about 6 ft, two pieces of shrink wrap and some instuctions. GC reccomendation is to buy a mirco switch from Radio Shack and take your significant other to Subway with the savings. A standard microswitch is all you need the kind with two poles for a simple off and on function. Or in this case and up or down function. LOL

First pull the 15 AMP blue fuse in the panel (the upper left most fuse) to kill the interior lamps and power to the antenna. You can now open the hatch without running down the battery. Next decide where you want to place the switch I put mine behind my seat facing the back of the seat mounted to the place where your extra top stores. Two screws hold in the plastic cover to the top storage point and the wires and be easily run under the carpet to the back package tray area. Remove the rear tray by pulling the top sliding lock off the top of the tray and start unscrewing the 6 screws that retain the rear package tray. Now look for a power antenna relay underneath the factory foam on the drivers side of the car the relay has two sides to it. One side plugs into the power antenna the other side into the cars main harness you can actually pull up this entire relay and loom to work on it.

Find the Two pink wires that run to power antenna relay. The wires (one light pink the other dark pink) while seperate both plug into the relay together. Cut both these wires, strip them and now combine them with one side the switch wires then combine the other side of the switch wire to the other side of the break. All you are doing is installing a switch in between in order to be abe to manually break the power to the circuit. (Which will cause the radio antenna to now go up and down or staydown for that matter when ever the car is running)

Solder it all together, Heat shrink it and reinstall the rear tray. DONE.

[QB93Z]

Thanks for the research and the great write up.

Jim

[GOLDCYLON]

Thanks Jim one for the good of the cause.

[tccrab]

Darryl:

A great write up of a mod that some of us could use.

I for one won't, but that's not all that much of a surprise.
In my 5 years of ZR1 ownership, I have *NEVER* turned on the radio while the car was running.
It's quite simple.
The symphony playing under the hood sounds infinitely better than anything that the radio could produce.


TomC
"Crabs"

[GOLDCYLON]

Come on Tom not even once to play "Magic Carpet Ride" ?

Originally Posted by GOLDCYLON

Come on Tom not even once to play "Magic Carpet Ride" ?

I think Tom is a NKOTB fan.

[Kevin]

hum...sounds like something to look into.

[Kevin]

i had to replace the antenna in my zr-1 after tom henry chevy broke it and wouldn't man up to it. I went from MAD or ecklers or one of those places. it was and easy fix but I do like how the 91+ cars antenna stays down with the cd player is used

[mike100]

My car came with the switch mod already done...I use it frequently after the carwash incident in my old LT1 C4.

[Scrrem]

Just got my AVIC installed, this was an awesome mod!!! Thanks for posting! Works like a champ!!

Rich