car people: can i replace my broken radio aerial & if so what with?

[bimble]

it is snapped and doesn't work hardly at all, have a very long journey on wednesday & would like to fix it if i can.
(it's radio or my tiny surviving collection of cds).

There are things for sale on the internet that say 'universal replacement aerial for all cars' but i don't believe them.
My car is a 2009 suzuki jimny.
Can i fix it?
If so where do i go to get the right thing pls help.

 

[skyscraper101]

Kick it old school with a coat hanger

 

[Chilli.s]

They unscrew for when the car goes through a car wash, so if it's just the bit that unscrews then it could be very easy

 

[bimble]

aha. didn't know that. when it gets daylight will be there trying to unscrew.

 

[bimble]

it doesnt come off.
i have unscrewed the thing from the roof and inside is like this ?



the two lead things seem securely attached to the plastic bit.
what am i supposed to do with that any ideas?

 

[bimble]

oh ffs. youtube video of a bloke pulling endless spools of wire from the inside of his car to fix this problem using a 3d printed part he ordered from specialists. thats shit. i was going to pop to halfords.

 

[Chilli.s]

I think that aerials that stick on the inside of the windscreen are available, screw that one back on and leave it, get a window one and just plug it in the radio, (other solutions may be available)

 

[bimble]

the jimny enthusiasts forums are hell. it is not remotely easy to fix. I dont think this is ever going to happen.

 

[Pickman's model]

the jimny enthusiasts forums are hell. it is not remotely easy to fix. I dont think this is ever going to happen.
View attachment 296875

Jimny Haynes manual

 

[5t3IIa]

if you’ve got music or streaming & Bluetooth on your phone these things are amazing:

Cocoda Bluetooth FM Transmitter for Car, Blue Ambient Ring Light Wireless Radio Car Receiver Adapter Kit with Hands-Free Calling, Dual USB Charger 5V/2.4A and 1A, Support SD Card, USB Disk (Black) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07MV4G976/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_4PHRNWRP8TMHV0RJY1E8

 

[bimble]

Getting that 5t3IIa just in case it works in my car, that would be great.

 

[bimble]

i have done a DIY, and it actually seems to work!!
is picking up radio , at least when parked outside the house.
Also it looks extremely sophisticated.

 

[fishfinger]

i have done a DIY, and it actually seems to work!!
is picking up radio , at least when parked outside the house.
Also it looks extremely sophisticated.

View attachment 296876

You'll get helpful hints from Microsoft using that

 

[bimble]

What an absolute shit of a design though, you basically can’t replace the broken aerial on this car without expensive parts & hours of hassle threading things through tiny invisible gaps in the car using string pulleys.

 

[Chilli.s]

And impossible to put through a carwash

 

[mauvais]

Are you sure the lead doesn't detach from the part you've unscrewed? I'd be fairly surprised if it isn't a connector that can be released somehow.

 

[bimble]

I’ve got a load of those giant paper clips, will just keep spares in car for when they fall off.

 

[bimble]

Are you sure the lead doesn't detach from the part you've unscrewed? I'd be fairly surprised if it isn't a connector that can be released somehow.

I am amazed but seems it really doesn’t come apart at that juncture at all. All the jimny enthusiasts are unspooling meters of cable from the vehicle before reattaching with their custom replacement aerials using bits of string.

 

[cupid_stunt]

What an absolute shit of a design though, you basically can’t replace the broken aerial on this car without expensive parts & hours of hassle threading things through tiny invisible gaps in the car using string pulleys.

Sadly, that's the case with lots of car parts today, why sell a cheap solution, when you can force people to buy a more expensive item?

See also sealed unit headlights, long gone are the days of just replacing a bulb.

 

[bimble]

I will try to find someone who could help me but if the men on YouTube are not crazy then it would take hours to fix properly.

 

[cupid_stunt]

I will try to find someone who could help me but if the men on YouTube are not crazy then it would take hours to fix properly.

Yeah, I would check with somewhere like Halfords, but if it is too expensive, just go with a FM transmitter as suggested by 5t3IIa, I use one to stream Radio Caroline to the FM set in my van.

 

[Ted Striker]

These have been an absolute gamechanger for me in my (pre-bluetooth era) car stereo. It basically stays in your cigarette lighter, your phone bluetooths whatever audio into the unit (as if it were, say, Bluetooth headphones), and the unit broadcasts via FM radio to your head unit. I don't know if it would work with a knackered (outside) aerial, as the radio signal only needs to go a foot or two?

FM Transmitter,T11 Bluetooth Wireless Handsfree Car Kit MP3 Player FM Transmitter USB Charger,supports AUX input/output : Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

FM Transmitter,T11 Bluetooth Wireless Handsfree Car Kit MP3 Player FM Transmitter USB Charger,supports AUX input/output : Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

www.amazon.co.uk

This is the one I think I have, there are cheaper


Edit - basically what Stella said

 

[bimble]

I do love this stupid car. If I could pimp the knackered ancient stereo into something actually good would be up for doing that. I think the boys at cool car audios will laugh at me but will speak to them.

 

[danny la rouge]

What an absolute shit of a design though, you basically can’t replace the broken aerial on this car without expensive parts & hours of hassle threading things through tiny invisible gaps in the car using string pulleys.

Its a well-known problem. It’s called van aerial disease.

 

[skyscraper101]

groan

 

[gentlegreen]

You wouldn't lose much if any signal if you cut the coax and spliced a new one on rather than pulling the new one through. - soldering is ideal, but not necessary.
But FM transmitter all the way .. apart from traffic broadcasts I can't imagine ever wanting to listen to the radio while driving.

 

[two sheds]

If I could pimp the knackered ancient stereo into something actually good would be up for doing that.

Did you try the luxury hi-fi coat hanger aerial?

 

[bimble]

Did you try the luxury hi-fi coat hanger aerial?

i might go back and try that as an upgrade to the paperclip. Don't think i have any metal hangers here tho.

 

[moochedit]

it doesnt come off.
i have unscrewed the thing from the roof and inside is like this ?
View attachment 296873


the two lead things seem securely attached to the plastic bit.
what am i supposed to do with that any ideas?

That looks way more complicated than my car ariel. Mine you just turn the ariel anti clockwise and it unscrews and comes out. I don't have to take the whole unit out. But i guess it varies on different makes.

 

[WouldBe]

You wouldn't lose much if any signal if you cut the coax and spliced a new one on rather than pulling the new one through. - soldering is ideal, but not necessary.

You could use a coax coupler. Cut the cable close to the aerial and fit a coax plug. Shorten the cable of a new aerial and connect together. Those F connectors that screw together would be best as less likely to come apart with vibrations.