Retractable Power Antenna

[RaYmO]

Hi Guys,

Just wondering if any of you have replaced the stock Antenna on the NA for a power retractable one (kinda sick of the flagpole being up all the time).

Can a forumite please point me in the right direction?

Cheers,

Ray

[STV]

just chop the stock one down from being 3ft long to being 1 ft long. i have no loss of signal and it looks loads better.

no cost = nothing to lose!
especially if you intend to get rid of it anyway

stv

[Babalouie]

NA8s have retractable antenna...can it be retrofitted?

[Babalouie]

Also could you fit one of those stubby S2000 antennas?

[AJ]

or one of the NC ones.......a lot shorter & look the part

[STV]

can get the stubby S2K ones from ummmm... metromotorsports.. link below

http://www.metromotorsports.com/product ... prodID=539

$20US isnt too bad i guess... Group Buy to save on postage??

STV

[Fatty]

cutting it down sounds intersesting stv. did you just cut it at the top, or at the bottom and then feed it down thru the hole? photos ? i'm just having trouble picturing it in my head.

also, jaycar have a black rubbery one with a spring on it similar to the s2000 one, but it doesn't look as nice i think. i would be interested in a group buy on the s2000 one, if the cut down method doesn't look too nice.

[Old EmmGee]

I tried a stubby alternative for a while - loss of reception ensued so went back to the old 'stingtail'. I reckon if you are going to cut it down, you should remove a section from the middle....

[Fatty]

a section from the middle?

tell me how to stick the two remaining sections together and i'm there!

[STV]

Fatty, i took a very scientific approach to doing this.
1) I guestimated roughly where i wanted the top of the antenna to be and marked it with a marker
2) i unscrewed the antenna from the vehicle in question
3) i attacked the son-of-a-bitch with a hacksaw
4) broke a blade in the process (its seriously HARD steel!)
5) stuck on a bling valve nut with some paste/weld stuff
6) screwed the shorter version into place!

i also gave it a quick polish with some brasso while it was off (i was stuck at work waiting for my new job to start!)

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/6016 ... 839bb1.jpg

http://img451.imageshack.us/img451/4983 ... 392ie4.jpg

[RaYmO]

Ive got one of those rubbery stubby antennae lying around, but I really am after something powered so that the entire antenna is hidden from view when Im not in the car... just makes the exterior cleaner IMO.

Retrofitting a power antenna from a NA8 sounds like a plan... Might check Miata.net to see if there is a guide there.

[Moggy]

Also up for a group buy if anyone finds a good alternative.

I'm sick of people asking if my car is radio-controlled...

[SuperMazdaKart]

mine is

uses a Wii controller

[Wuey]

Personally I wouldn't bother with a powered antenna based on my past experience with them. With a bigger diameter they attract dirt faster. OK, you can clean and lubricate it regularly but the grits will get into the gaps causing problems. Sooner than later, it will get to a stage when it will not extend or retract fully. More headaches for what it's worth. Besides, I don't mind the RC look of the stock antenna.

[JSE]

reading this thread got me off this computer chair and out in to the garage just now. I just hacked my atenna down to a much shorter size and painted it black. WIll see if it still holds a good signal soon when the paint dries.