I rarely ever use my radio in the car...I think in the last year, I turned it on twice to determine the cause of traffic that I was sitting in! The rest of the time I either use satellite radio, iPod, or CDs. The antenna mast is silly long on my XKR and I'd love for it not to come up when I'm not using the radio...but I don't want to completely disable it (that's easy...pair of wire snippers and viola!)

Has anyone done it, or has anyone thought about going and installing a switch into the power cable going into the antenna mast? Any advice? Am I nuts?

Thanks!

Dave

 

This might help you https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=24564 this and one other is in the FAQ area.

 

I'm also planning on doing this mod in the near future. Can anyone comment on how the radio reception is with the antenna retracted?

 

Removing Fuse #9 (in the trunk) is the quickest way to disable the antenna. But the switch is a much better idea.
I saw that someone had used a blank switch position on the left side of the dash for the switch, but that is where the "Forward Alert" sw. is on my car.

When I added the console switch, I also added a wire antenna in the top hidden by the headliner. It is tapped into the coax. Works well when in, or near, town. Only raise the mast antenna when necessary.

Where I am at there is no reception with antenna retracted.
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Man! The one time I don't do a search of the forum before posting! Thanks for the link to the great thread though!

Dave

 

I get nothing with the antenna retracted. It only has to be up about an inch and I will start to pick up stations. I was thinking of looking into a way of interrupting the motor to stop it part way so you could have a short antenna and still get radio. I haven't done the research yet to see how feasible something like that would be though.

 

Not saying you'd want to, but what's the possibility of replacing the antenna with a shorter one, either retractable or a non-retractable one? My last car (a MINI, so slightly different) had a shortened antenna, but it didn't retract.

I need to figure out where to put the XM antenna now...

Dave

 

Well I wouldn't mind a shorter retractable one, but since I hardly ever use the radio, I don't want one that can't retract. This is very, very low priority for me (hence the fact I haven't even researched it)

 

Mine works quite well with the antenna retracted when I am in the city. As I leave the city, I have to raise it.