All of this talk of a replacement has me thinking...

Call me weird. I don't mind the retro look of the antennae. But I don't like the fact that its extracted when we use the CD, Satellite or usb. So I'll be inserting a switch. My question to all of you is:
'Where should the switch be installed?'
On the centre console??
On the dome light??

Any ideas are welcomed.

 

I'd like to control the antenna up/down as well.
Since I don't have the Adaptive Cruise Control option, I was thinking of putting a switch in the blank panel where the fog light switches are. I then found a switch panel on eBay that included the ACC switch instead of a blank.
One of my future mods will be to repurpose that switch to control the antenna (but that's kind of far down my bucket list of mods to make).
Tossing that out there for your consideration.

 

Nothing will ever match exactly. Put it inside the center console. No one sees it but you. Did it on my "99 XK8 and worked perfectly.

 

The three buttons near the dome light. I only use the one for garage. It would be a bit of wire feeding but it would be invisible

 

Somewhere in the forums there is a discussion about Fuse #19 to activate the Sport Exhaust. Anyway, there is a Remote Receiver that has been used to switch that fuse circuit on and off, all programmed to be controlled by the HomeLink Garage Door Remotes in our cars. I think the product was first discovered on a Corvette forum. I know the information is out there somewhere.

 

You're thinking about the Mild2Wild product. Bought one, and a vacuum pump, hope to hook 'em up to control the exhaust on my XK, with the XKR box.

 

So do you think it'd work with this guy's antenna setup?

 

Since there is a fuse for the antenna, I think it would work.

 

I more thought of modifying it to act as an On/Off switch.
I'm not familiar with how automatic antennas work, but if the fuse was removed (or "turned off"), wouldn't the antenna stay at the current position? Of course it could be a "Normally Retracted" type deal and only stays extended with power applied.
Beats me.

 

On my 2001 XK8 I installed a switch and put it in the console (in line with the power side of the antenna wire). No matter where the antenna position was, when the power was disconnected (switched off), it retracted down. Then both the antenna power AND the stereo had to be on for it to go up.