Antenna delete (replaced with Tune Trapper)

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Unlike a lot of folks, I actually do like listening to some FM stations in Hawaii so I decided to remove the antenna in lieu of just putting a switch in to control it. I also did not like the way the car looks with the antenna up (rephrased to said I hate, hate, hate it). I looked into a good lightweight antenna that I could easily hide and found the Tune Trapper so I thought I would give it a try (TT-1E/end feed). I would recommend the TT-2C-2 with center feed and 2 ft cable after thinking about Ted's question and 6 feet is way too much cable.

http://www.tunetrapper.com/Hidden_Car_Antennas.html



I tossed the center mount piece as it was not needed for my install by removing the end cap, sliding it off and put the cap back on.



After removing all the interior rear deck pieces and cargo cover I was able to pull back the foam protecting the wiring and slide the antenna unit into the area and close it all up. The excess cable is placed into the inner fender area on the side behind the cargo cover slide mount and simply plugged into the RCA jack on the left side.



In lieu of shaving and painting the hole left by the removed antenna, I simply found a black rubber plug from the local hardware store and pressed it in for a nice fit. When and if I ever paint the car I will shave it for a clean look.

I did not post photos of removing the power antenna and used a 5 part series YouTube video that showed me what I had to do to take out the antenna by removing the inner fender well and just a few bolts, then wiggle it out. The hardest part of the project was getting the grommet with wiring out of the body and that is a tight seal (replaced with a 1 1/4" body plug).

The Tune Trapper antenna seems to work awesome and maybe even better than the OEM based on good reception in the concrete garage. I was not really interested in weight savings, but this did shave 2.6 pounds of weight for those that want that benefit with every pound counting. Total time for this project was about 1.5 hours not counting the down time to find a body plug and antenna hole plug.

Craig

[DaveK]

Looks like a great solution, thanks for the write-up Craig!

[Corbusa]

Great write up !! I too hate the antenna's . even playing the CD's it sticks up. I was tempted to put a switch , but now with you enlightening me I do believe I'll go this route.. Thanks

[-=Jeff=-]

Craig, where is the car side antenna plug that you plugged the tune trapper into? I am considering doing the same thing and my rear trim is still out of the car.

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Originally Posted by DaveK

Looks like a great solution, thanks for the write-up Craig!

Dave,
You're welcome! Not a mod for everyone, but thought I should share it.

Originally Posted by Corbusa

Great write up !! I too hate the antenna's . even playing the CD's it sticks up. I was tempted to put a switch , but now with you enlightening me I do believe I'll go this route.. Thanks

Thanks and you're welcome! I thought about the switch route too, but then can't stand the look when up and just not COOL to me so that was my solution.

Originally Posted by -=Jeff=-

Craig, where is the car side antenna plug that you plugged the tune trapper into? I am considering doing the same thing and my rear trim is still out of the car.

Jeff,
The antenna is plugged in on the left side about half the distance of the rear hatch area. When you remove the track for the cargo cover (for lack of a better name) on the left side, the antenna cable from the front joins around that area between the shock tower and rear speaker. Some folks will put the antenna under the dashboard, but it seemed like hell to get it under there and I had to disconnect the antenna to remove it complete anyway so did it from the rear. Sorry, I should have taken a photo of that connection.

Craig

[tf95ZR1]

Thanks for the info and write-up, Craig.
My antenna stays up 1/4" when off that
drives me crazy. Maybe instead of a fix,
I'll DELETE IT! Hint, Hint, Dynomite!
I went to the Tune Trapper website.
I assume a 2' cord is sufficient?
Thanks again,
Ted


PS "Body plug"? Hummmmmmmn

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Originally Posted by tf95ZR1

Thanks for the info and write-up, Craig.
My antenna stays up 1/4" when off that
drives me crazy. Maybe instead of a fix,
I'll DELETE IT! Hint, Hint, Dynomite!
I went to the Tune Trapper website.
I assume a 2' cord is sufficient?
Thanks again,
Ted


PS "Body plug"? Hummmmmmmn

Ted,
You're welcome. Hey, let me check it out further since I have not button it up yet and I'll take some measurements today. The problem with the mid feed and 2' cable is it might not reach the connector and I wish there was an end feed with 2' cable that would be perfect. I'll post my findings and also show you the "Body Plug" (ha, ha!) and the other plug that I used to plug the other hole (ha, ha!). I'm sure there is a fix for the antenna staying up 1/4" if you want to try to fix that instead of the DELETE.

[secondchance]

Thanks Craig. I had been wondering how well the tune trapper worked. Now I know.

[-=Jeff=-]

Originally Posted by HAWAIIZR-1

Ted,
You're welcome. Hey, let me check it out further since I have not button it up yet and I'll take some measurements today. The problem with the mid feed and 2' cable is it might not reach the connector and I wish there was an end feed with 2' cable that would be perfect. I'll post my findings and also show you the "Body Plug" (ha, ha!) and the other plug that I used to plug the other hole (ha, ha!). I'm sure there is a fix for the antenna staying up 1/4" if you want to try to fix that instead of the DELETE.

That would be great!! I think a 3 ft end connection would be perfect.

I am installing a new headunit so this would be a good time to do it. I need to install the GPS antenna and a Hands free Mic too

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Sorry, here is an update. I went to relook everything and button it up, but difficult to take photos in that dark area behind the cargo cover track. Here are my findings and answers to some of the questions.

1. The connector is in the area of the rear speaker and not as far forward as I thought.

2. I forgot about a key important piece of information. The connector on the Tune Trapper is a male and the connector on the car's antenna cable is a male so I had to buy a female to female antenna adapter and bought it from Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Metra-40-UV41-...ntenna+Adapter


3. This adds an additional foot so a 2 ft cable would be enough, even if center fed like the Tune Trapper TT-2C-2. The female/female adapter will give more than enough and I had to hide 6 ft of cable back there (but there is room).

4. The plug for the antenna hole was hard to find when I took out the entire plug and noted it was angled and also has a recessed hold in the body of the car. Instead I found these plugs that are multi-function and shown on the package to be used as bumpers under the trunk, but everything was in Japanese (lost the package so I can't provide the measurement as sold), but I sanded it a bit all the way around for a perfect fit. This plug is only to plug the hole from the antenna when removed to place inside of the plug on the body. I have extras if anyone wants one.



5. The 1 1/4" body plug is to replace the grommet with wires from the antenna into the car once the antenna wire/cable is removed. Actually, the antenna could just remain in place and be disconnected in place if someone wanted to. I bought the body plug from Ebay, but I'm limited with sources in Japan unlike you folks back home with more options. I have extra of these too. http://www.ebay.com/itm/390464392464...S:3160&vxp=mtr



Okay, that is all for now. I have to get back to the garage to work on LED bulbs in the interior and finish putting the buckets back on my headlamps from the HID install last weekend. Best wishes!

Craig