Help finding factory style antenna extension cable.

[OFC Ranger]

Everything I am searching for plugs into the back of the actual radio unit. I am looking for a cable where one end screws onto the the antenna base of our fin and the other end accepts a standard style car antenna at whatever location I determine.

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[Fawnbuster]

Not sure what it would be called but you might call Crutchfield and talk to a service person. They helped me alot years ago on an issue in my Bronco.

I just typed this into a Google search and had a ton of hits including Crutchfield - screw in automotive fm antenna cord

May also help to replace the word cord with cable. I Haven't had sufficient coffee yet to wake my brain ?

 

[OFC Ranger]

Not sure what it would be called but you might call Crutchfield and talk to a service person. They helped me alot years ago on an issue in my Bronco.

I just typed this into a Google search and had a ton of hits including Crutchfield - screw in automotive fm antenna cord

I've tried that (and Amazon) and they all route me to cables where one end has a headjack style connector that goes in the back of radio or I get routed to a cable meant for communication radios.

 

[Fawnbuster]

Wondering if you can get one long enough with the appropriate threads and then change out the other end?

 

[OFC Ranger]

Wait a minute...

... are standard car antennas constructed of coax cable?

 

[Danager]

Wait a minute...

... are standard car antennas constructed of coax cable?

Choosing and Installing Antenna Downlead Cabling
There are three types of cable in general use for FM antennas. One is the flat 300-ohm twin- lead cable that has been in use for decades. The second and more popular type is RG59/U 75- ohm coaxial cable. The typical line loss of RG59/U is about 3dB per 100ft at 100MHz. More recently a 75-ohm coaxial cable bearing the designation RG6/U has been popular. It is available in a single-shielded version and in a “quad-shielded” (4 layers of shielding) version. This type of cable has a larger 18ga. center conductor and is capable of passing more signal. with less line loss than RG59/U. The RG6/U “quad-shielded” variety offers maximum shielding from extraneous interference from devices such as computers, CD players and other electronic sources of interference. However, while the RG6/U has similar specs to RG59/U, it is not a match in terms of electrical specifications, and we do not recommend using it in an installation already containing RG59/U cable. In fact, we offer a word of caution about coaxial cables in general: do not mix different types of coaxial cable unless their technical specs match exactly. Generally speaking, the better grade of 300-ohm twin lead has only about half the losses that occur in coaxial cable. However, because it is unshielded, its superior signal-carrying efficiency can only be taken advantage of in areas where interference is very low. Shielded coaxial cable is far more resistant to picking up interference, as well as less expensive and easier to install. Practically speaking, coaxial cable is the best choice in the majority of circumstances. However, the rural listener who lives in an area of minimum interference might want to take advantage of the higher signal yield provided by a good
grade of 300-ohm twin lead, especially when a long length run of lead-in cable is necessary. Typical line loss for a good grade of 300-ohm twin lead cable is only about 1.1dB per 100 ft. at 100 MHz—significantly less than coaxial cable. For best performance, make sure to keep cable installations neat, with clean, tight connections that have been protected against the elements. Here’s a tip: when installing coaxial cable, a little bit of silicone grease applied to the connector threads will help guard against corrosive buildup. In an installation using 300-ohm twin lead, the cable should be kept free of anything metal. If the cable must go over metal eaves, pipes and so on, make sure it is kept a distance of at least four inches away to avoid picking up interference. The cable should also be twisted 360 degrees for each foot of cable run, to avoid becoming an antenna itself and detuning the system. Commercial applications may be required to use a Plenum cable.
Coleman RG6/U Coleman RG59 Belden RG6/U Belden RG59 Delco RG6/U Delco RG59
Standard
92001 992101 1694A
8212
Quad Shield
921024 3092F
Standard Plenum
921009
82120 82241 51108P 51140P
Quad Shield Plenum
921019
82248 1151A 394167P

https://www.kusc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/fm-reception-1.pdf

 

[Danager]

Extending the antenna the way you are suggesting is actually making a longer antenna. At the base, the cable goes from using a conductor and a shield (to ground), to just a piece of metal. I wouldn’t worry to much about the cable type at this point.

I believe you would be safe just using a nut at one end, a bolt at the other end - brass would be my recommendation. You could drill a hole in each to accept the wire of your choice, I usually default to 16awg OFC. Insert the wire and flood solder.

 

[halligan1201]

Choosing and Installing Antenna Downlead Cabling
There are three types of cable in general use for FM antennas. One is the flat 300-ohm twin- lead cable that has been in use for decades. The second and more popular type is RG59/U 75- ohm coaxial cable. The typical line loss of RG59/U is about 3dB per 100ft at 100MHz. More recently a 75-ohm coaxial cable bearing the designation RG6/U has been popular. It is available in a single-shielded version and in a “quad-shielded” (4 layers of shielding) version. This type of cable has a larger 18ga. center conductor and is capable of passing more signal. with less line loss than RG59/U. The RG6/U “quad-shielded” variety offers maximum shielding from extraneous interference from devices such as computers, CD players and other electronic sources of interference. However, while the RG6/U has similar specs to RG59/U, it is not a match in terms of electrical specifications, and we do not recommend using it in an installation already containing RG59/U cable. In fact, we offer a word of caution about coaxial cables in general: do not mix different types of coaxial cable unless their technical specs match exactly. Generally speaking, the better grade of 300-ohm twin lead has only about half the losses that occur in coaxial cable. However, because it is unshielded, its superior signal-carrying efficiency can only be taken advantage of in areas where interference is very low. Shielded coaxial cable is far more resistant to picking up interference, as well as less expensive and easier to install. Practically speaking, coaxial cable is the best choice in the majority of circumstances. However, the rural listener who lives in an area of minimum interference might want to take advantage of the higher signal yield provided by a good
grade of 300-ohm twin lead, especially when a long length run of lead-in cable is necessary. Typical line loss for a good grade of 300-ohm twin lead cable is only about 1.1dB per 100 ft. at 100 MHz—significantly less than coaxial cable. For best performance, make sure to keep cable installations neat, with clean, tight connections that have been protected against the elements. Here’s a tip: when installing coaxial cable, a little bit of silicone grease applied to the connector threads will help guard against corrosive buildup. In an installation using 300-ohm twin lead, the cable should be kept free of anything metal. If the cable must go over metal eaves, pipes and so on, make sure it is kept a distance of at least four inches away to avoid picking up interference. The cable should also be twisted 360 degrees for each foot of cable run, to avoid becoming an antenna itself and detuning the system. Commercial applications may be required to use a Plenum cable.
Coleman RG6/U Coleman RG59 Belden RG6/U Belden RG59 Delco RG6/U Delco RG59
Standard
92001 992101 1694A
8212
Quad Shield
921024 3092F
Standard Plenum
921009
82120 82241 51108P 51140P
Quad Shield Plenum
921019
82248 1151A 394167P

https://www.kusc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/fm-reception-1.pdf

Took the words right out of my mouth lol

 

[RedDakooter05]

neat, reading a PDF file made me feel even dumber.

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