Short / mini antennas

[henriettatremor6.7]

I don't have any suggestions for useful antennas as I too just always stream Spotify. And I also just keep the original one behind my rear seat with the jack in case I need it.
I do have some suggestions for useless antennas:
For the longest time I just had a nice little chrome stainless 1/4-20 bolt in it's place.
View attachment 174249
Then one day I had $15 burning a hole in my pocket, so I bought a 3D printed Nerf dart antenna. View attachment 174250Both have completely zero reception.

i have the one made by builtright

 

[Canyon Trekker]

So I’m going to do a “scientific” experiment tomorrow. Just to be as objective as possible, I’m going to reinstall my factory “clearance feeler” whip and do a channel scan, setting up stations I would listen to locally if I didn’t feel like streaming. Then I’ll reinstall my stubby antenna and see how many stations come in clear enough to listen to.

I’m doing this because I’ve had my station presets programmed for the last 3+ years to the local stations and always thought it performed as good as the whip. Granted I only listen to OTA stations occasionally and only really like about four local stations. But in central Indiana we probably have more than a dozen pop, rock, country and oldies stations that I would listen to. I’ll report back once the test is complete.

Looking forward to your results. FYI, lower frequencies on the FM scale will be affected more than the top of the scale. The stock antenna is designed for 108 MHz "ideally", all other frequencies will be slightly degraded as a rule and affected even more, with a short antenna with 1/8 or 1/16 wavelength.

In the old days, antennas were designed for middle of the band, ~100 MHz, a compromise across the FM spectrum. (88-108 MHz) They were slightly longer than the current OEM, which is the 1/4 wavelength value of 108 MHz at 27.5 inches.

 

[Canyon Trekker]

Looking forward to your results. FYI, lower frequencies on the FM scale will be affected more than the top of the scale. The stock antenna is designed for 108 MHz "ideally", all other frequencies will be slightly degraded as a rule and affected even more, with a short antenna with 1/8 or 1/16 wavelength.

In the old days, antennas were designed for middle of the band, ~100 MHz, a compromise across the FM spectrum. (88-108 MHz) They were slightly longer than the current OEM, which is the 1/4 wavelength value of 108 MHz at 27.5 inches.

It should also be noted that the helical design (spiral) is for an improved response over the whole spectrum and also adds some wind resistance. It's not ideal and as efficient as a straight antenna but helps.

 

[Cux211]

You have 2 choices either a “stubby” for looks or at least a 12” for reception can’t have both lol I have the ronin 5” but I only listen to xm satellite

 

[Optimus🤖]

You have 2 choices either a “stubby” for looks or at least a 12” for reception can’t have both lol I have the ronin 5” but I only listen to xm satellite

So there's three choices .

 

[ShockGobble]

So there's three choices .

If only there was a pill I could feed my tremor to have its stubby antenna grow for better reception!

 

[Mister Bevilaqua]

CravenSpeed Stubby since practically new, no issues.

 

[BettyWhite]

IMO as I’ve tried them all I would get 8in to 12in length
Unless you live in city the 4-6in really hurt your reception

 

[RedZilla]

OK, the results are in of the unofficial Factory/Stubby antenna real world analysis.

I'll start off by describing the area where I tested today. I live in central Indiana about 30 miles east of Indianapolis. We have very minor rolling hills with patches of woods of several acres spaced 1/2 -2 miles apart. It's a perfect fall day with a slight breeze and clear blue skies. I parked my truck in the open to get away from misc. interferance that seems to occur around neighborhoods and concentrated power distribution systems.

The stubby antenna I have been using since day one is the AntennaMastRus 6-3/4" copper coil for Ford Super Duty. It's not just a metal wire covered in plastic. It's an internal copper coil, thus mimicking, the quarter wavelength of the OEM mast as close as possible for it's size.

First I quickly discovered with the OEM antenna that it was going to be hard to make specific station comparisons because there were way more than I expected and probably 95% were strong enough to enjoy listening to. If a station didn't come in perfectly clear I didn't include it in the results. So the results are just a quantity of stations with similar sound quality.

So to cut to the chase, here are my results:
OEM - It was able to clearly pick up AM stations as far away as Chicago, Nashville and Cincinnati. I counted a total of 39 strong AM stations reaching over 300 miles, and a whopping 59 very strong FM stations in a radius of about 80 miles. This included both analogue and digital broadcasts. Both AM and FM stations were equally strong from the lowest frequency to the highest. If I wasn't looking at the display I could not have distinguished where on the frequency range the station was transmitting.

Stubby - I counted a total of 9 AM stations and 55 FM stations, again both analogue and digital. Obviously AM took a big hit, but surprisingly, the three furthest stations still came in pretty strong with a little bit of white noise mixed in. As for FM stations, I think I got a good sounding signal on almost an identical list of analogue stations and totally lost of few of the digital stations.

Now a few caveats to my "scientific" test. I was running my test sitting stationary in a very open area. Driving between obstacles and land formations and the like would probably reduce the number of stations I would have included in the results. But I'm confident the reduction in stations would have been nearly equal for both antennas and would be more an indication of signal strength than quality of reception by the antenna.

So, my conclusion, at least for this particular stubby antenna, is that it performs far better at least where I live than many have indicated their experiences were with these type after market antennas in the areas they live in. Honestly for me the difference was almost negligible, especially as I tend to save a few favorite stations on the presets and stick to those primarily. I do listen to OTA radio occasionally, both AM and FM and for my needs the 6-3/4" AntennaMastRus, made in Wisconsin, works perfectly.

Now to address a few of the previous comments in the thread. As you can see I don't live where there are parking garages so I really have no need for a "feeler whip" mounted on the truck. And If I had the choice to park in a public garage, I wouldn't even consider entering if the clearance was marked less than 8 feet.

Oh, and for whoever commented regarding effectiveness regarding size and shape, I did notice when installing that my stubby had a slight bend causing it to tilt ever so slightly to the passenger side.

PS: I did entertain myself by removing the antennas and testing without any mast. Zero AM stations could be picked up at all and surprisingly, I did pick up one FM analogue station very strong and clear that is located 80 miles west in Crawfordsville, Indiana. I don't know how many watts they are transmitting but they are really punching that station out there. Probably wouldn't want to live close to the transmitting antenna.

 

[Canyon Trekker]

OK, the results are in of the unofficial Factory/Stubby antenna real world analysis.

I'll start off by describing the area where I tested today. I live in central Indiana about 30 miles east of Indianapolis. We have very minor rolling hills with patches of woods of several acres spaced 1/2 -2 miles apart. It's a perfect fall day with a slight breeze and clear blue skies. I parked my truck in the open to get away from misc. interferance that seems to occur around neighborhoods and concentrated power distribution systems.
View attachment 174576
The stubby antenna I have been using since day one is the AntennaMastRus 6-3/4" copper coil for Ford Super Duty. It's not just a metal wire covered in plastic. It's an internal copper coil, thus mimicking, the quarter wavelength of the OEM mast as close as possible for it's size.
View attachment 174587 View attachment 174586

First I quickly discovered with the OEM antenna that it was going to be hard to make specific station comparisons because there were way more than I expected and probably 95% were strong enough to enjoy listening to. If a station didn't come in perfectly clear I didn't include it in the results. So the results are just a quantity of stations with similar sound quality.

So to cut to the chase, here are my results:
OEM - It was able to clearly pick up AM stations as far away as Chicago, Nashville and Cincinnati. I counted a total of 39 strong AM stations reaching over 300 miles, and a whopping 59 very strong FM stations in a radius of about 80 miles. This included both analogue and digital broadcasts. Both AM and FM stations were equally strong from the lowest frequency to the highest. If I wasn't looking at the display I could not have distinguished where on the frequency range the station was transmitting.

Stubby - I counted a total of 9 AM stations and 55 FM stations, again both analogue and digital. Obviously AM took a big hit, but surprisingly, the three furthest stations still came in pretty strong with a little bit of white noise mixed in. As for FM stations, I think I got a good sounding signal on almost an identical list of analogue stations and totally lost of few of the digital stations.

Now a few caveats to my "scientific" test. I was running my test sitting stationary in a very open area. Driving between obstacles and land formations and the like would probably reduce the number of stations I would have included in the results. But I'm confident the reduction in stations would have been nearly equal for both antennas and would be more an indication of signal strength than quality of reception by the antenna.

So, my conclusion, at least for this particular stubby antenna, is that it performs far better at least where I live than many have indicated their experiences were with these type after market antennas in the areas they live in. Honestly for me the difference was almost negligible, especially as I tend to save a few favorite stations on the presets and stick to those primarily. I do listen to OTA radio occasionally, both AM and FM and for my needs the 6-3/4" AntennaMastRus, made in Wisconsin, works perfectly.

Now to address a few of the previous comments in the thread. As you can see I don't live where there are parking garages so I really have no need for a "feeler whip" mounted on the truck. And If I had the choice to park in a public garage, I wouldn't even consider entering if the clearance was marked less than 8 feet.

Oh, and for whoever commented regarding effectiveness regarding size and shape, I did notice when installing that my stubby had a slight bend causing it to tilt ever so slightly to the passenger side.

PS: I did entertain myself by removing the antennas and testing without any mast. Zero AM stations could be picked up at all and surprisingly, I did pick up one FM analogue station very strong and clear that is located 80 miles west in Crawfordsville, Indiana. I don't know how many watts they are transmitting but they are really punching that station out there. Probably wouldn't want to live close to the transmitting antenna.

Thanks for the report. I love real life testing, not just the scientific data. You should be commended for your efforts to prove a long-discussed topic.

Just a little more to know, AM is transmitted typically with much more power than FM. The result is generally a much farther transmission/reception but riddled with noise interference due to the type of transmission and radio capabilities. The radio is a big factor in its sensitivity and ability to distinguish signal to noise.

FM in its design, will cut off sideband noise which equates to a quieter signal (Low to no noise) but is a much wider bandwidth, so transmission power is limited by the FCC. (Other reasons as well)

Digital is coded and streamed and is most notable for "dropouts" in the transmission due to too many dropped bits in the stream. The measurement for the signals is very complex taking in many parameters to evaluate quality. (Too complex to discuss here, if interested, go here:

https://www.keysight.com/us/en/assets/3121-1448/technical-overviews/N9056EM0E-Channel-Quality-Group-Delay-Measurement-Application.pdf

When an antenna is designed, all factors are taken into consideration and your observation with the spiral core, is correct, it emulates the physical wavelength dimensions. But it is not as efficient as an actual physical antenna. Still, it is probably good enough for most people, especially within city locations or the occasional road trip, for reception of their favorite stations.

Thanks again for the report.

 

[Optimus🤖]

Oh, and for whoever commented regarding effectiveness regarding size and shape, I did notice when installing that my stubby had a slight bend causing it to tilt ever so slightly to the passenger side.

PS: I did entertain myself

This just says it all! Thank you for your testing. Regarding your antenna bend, did your stubby also extend when a signal approached?

 

[Canyon Trekker]

This just says it all! Thank you for your testing. Regarding your antenna bend, did your stubby also extend when a signal approached?

Wrong wavelength...

 

[RedZilla]

This just says it all! Thank you for your testing. Regarding your antenna bend, did your stubby also extend when a signal approached?

I absolutely chose my wording for this knowing you would run with it. Had to make sure we kept the thread fun if not a little off center. But all in all I couldn’t be more satisfied with the results.

So for @Hunterman this was really for your benefit since you posted the question, and anybody else that was doubtful.

 

[Explorerinil]

OK, the results are in of the unofficial Factory/Stubby antenna real world analysis.

I'll start off by describing the area where I tested today. I live in central Indiana about 30 miles east of Indianapolis. We have very minor rolling hills with patches of woods of several acres spaced 1/2 -2 miles apart. It's a perfect fall day with a slight breeze and clear blue skies. I parked my truck in the open to get away from misc. interferance that seems to occur around neighborhoods and concentrated power distribution systems.
View attachment 174576
The stubby antenna I have been using since day one is the AntennaMastRus 6-3/4" copper coil for Ford Super Duty. It's not just a metal wire covered in plastic. It's an internal copper coil, thus mimicking, the quarter wavelength of the OEM mast as close as possible for it's size.
View attachment 174587 View attachment 174586

First I quickly discovered with the OEM antenna that it was going to be hard to make specific station comparisons because there were way more than I expected and probably 95% were strong enough to enjoy listening to. If a station didn't come in perfectly clear I didn't include it in the results. So the results are just a quantity of stations with similar sound quality.

So to cut to the chase, here are my results:
OEM - It was able to clearly pick up AM stations as far away as Chicago, Nashville and Cincinnati. I counted a total of 39 strong AM stations reaching over 300 miles, and a whopping 59 very strong FM stations in a radius of about 80 miles. This included both analogue and digital broadcasts. Both AM and FM stations were equally strong from the lowest frequency to the highest. If I wasn't looking at the display I could not have distinguished where on the frequency range the station was transmitting.

Stubby - I counted a total of 9 AM stations and 55 FM stations, again both analogue and digital. Obviously AM took a big hit, but surprisingly, the three furthest stations still came in pretty strong with a little bit of white noise mixed in. As for FM stations, I think I got a good sounding signal on almost an identical list of analogue stations and totally lost of few of the digital stations.

Now a few caveats to my "scientific" test. I was running my test sitting stationary in a very open area. Driving between obstacles and land formations and the like would probably reduce the number of stations I would have included in the results. But I'm confident the reduction in stations would have been nearly equal for both antennas and would be more an indication of signal strength than quality of reception by the antenna.

So, my conclusion, at least for this particular stubby antenna, is that it performs far better at least where I live than many have indicated their experiences were with these type after market antennas in the areas they live in. Honestly for me the difference was almost negligible, especially as I tend to save a few favorite stations on the presets and stick to those primarily. I do listen to OTA radio occasionally, both AM and FM and for my needs the 6-3/4" AntennaMastRus, made in Wisconsin, works perfectly.

Now to address a few of the previous comments in the thread. As you can see I don't live where there are parking garages so I really have no need for a "feeler whip" mounted on the truck. And If I had the choice to park in a public garage, I wouldn't even consider entering if the clearance was marked less than 8 feet.

Oh, and for whoever commented regarding effectiveness regarding size and shape, I did notice when installing that my stubby had a slight bend causing it to tilt ever so slightly to the passenger side.

PS: I did entertain myself by removing the antennas and testing without any mast. Zero AM stations could be picked up at all and surprisingly, I did pick up one FM analogue station very strong and clear that is located 80 miles west in Crawfordsville, Indiana. I don't know how many watts they are transmitting but they are really punching that station out there. Probably wouldn't want to live close to the transmitting antenna.

I just ordered this antenna, even though I have yet to turn on the radio.

 

[RedZilla]

Now I wasn’t necessarily trying to sell antennas but I did want to put some of the hearsay and confusion to rest. I think if you have decent stations in the vicinity you’ll find this one performs reasonably well.

 

[Explorerinil]

Now I wasn’t necessarily trying to sell antennas but I did want to put some of the hearsay and confusion to rest. I think if you have decent stations in the vicinity you’ll find this one performs reasonably well.

At least it will look good! After driving a police car all day and having to listen to a radio, I prefer silence when I’m not at work. I know all my friends and family think I am crazy.

 

[Canyon Trekker]

I absolutely chose my wording for this knowing you would run with it. Had to make sure we kept the thread fun if not a little off center. But all in all I couldn’t be more satisfied with the results.

So for @Hunterman this was really for your benefit since you posted the question, and anybody else that was doubtful.

Just a caution before spending a lot of money on different brands, in the case of @Hunterman , if the first two short antennas did not work, it's likely another short antenna may not work. He will have to experiment to be sure.

The antenna theory is not any different in concept, the physical characteristics apply to all short antennas. There will only be subtle differences in them based on any "patents" from each manufacturer. Because these are physical designs and not active, the physics will be the same. There are no magic bullets. (pun intended)

His reception conditions will be the major differences and can only find out through testing, just like @RedZilla has done.

 

[RedZilla]

As many already know, Amazon is a safe way to experiment. Buy one or two and try them out. Keep the one you like and return the other or both if you’re not satisfied no questions asked.

 

[Blade420Play🔪🏆]

As many already know, Amazon is a safe way to experiment. Buy one or two and try them out. Keep the one you like and return the other or both if you’re not satisfied no questions asked.

Unless you become a serial returner. Then they will "blacklist" you and it will take forever for returns to process

 

[projectskydroid]

Lots of good responses already, but for extra data point, running the 13" KSaAuto spiral antenna from Amazon. Had it for a year, in AZ, and outlying areas of the valley and seems to work just fine. Sure, I don't get quite the range as OEM full-length, but never a noticeable issue getting useable reception that was close-enough to stock when on trips away from urban areas. Also looks pretty good aesthetically also imho. Dumped the stock one pretty quick as it looks terrible, plus it would always hit my garage door pulling in.

https://www.amazon.com/KSaAuto-Antenna-Bronco-Accessories-Reception/dp/B0B9JGJTRS/