I would like to hook up an external antenna 2001 XKR but cannot find an adapter to work with the radio feed line in trunk.
I do not want to destroy existing connectors or factory antenna and do not want to rip out center console and radio just to plug in a Motorola jack from new antenna to the back of radio.
Anyone know how to connect an external antenna in the trunk area with existing feed cable?
The existing jacks are similar to a coaxal cable but smaller, it has a hard main copper wire (like coaxial) that plugs in to female plug and allows the signal to go to radio from factory antenna. The plug from antenna is the male end and the plug going to radio is the female end.

I need an adapter with the male Jaguar connector and a female Motorola plug.

Want to just plug in the external antenna Motorola jack into adapter cable to the existing cable from radio in trunk area, by the amp and CD player.

Anyone ever hook up a and/or have experience with "TuneTrapper" antenna?
I understand they are quality and handmade in Florida, hand tuned for FM but gets good AM signal as well. Thanks

 

Go to a car stereo shop...they typically have a selction of antenna adapters. It looks to me like a BMW antenna connector...but I am not 100% certain.

 

Is your intent here to improve reception, or to improve the car's appearance? If the former, it's probably going to be hard to beat the performance of the less-than-pretty mast that Jaguar inflicted upon us.

But if you've got plenty of signal, the Tune Trapper has a good reputation and should perform about as well as anything its size. It would be worth experimenting with different positions and orientations. All else being equal, a dipole like that will tend to do better further from the ground than closer ... and will tend to be more omni-directional (a good thing) if mounted at some orientation other than horizontal.

In practice, you might find none of this matters much ... if there's plenty of signal to work with.

Good luck.

[edit] forgot ... if "impedance matching" does not ring a bell, let us know, as that may need attention.

 

I have several reasons. the main reason is, I just did a big overhaul of the stereo system and added several pieces of equipment to the trunk area behind the carpet wall near the CD and amp area. Cannot see any equipment from upgrade.
That is also where the antenna is and because of the extra equipment it now picks up some electrical interference. Thus I am going to test out a secondary external antenna, the Tune Trapper.
I also did a switch for the antenna so it stays down with the CD or Ipod playing.

Ps. I am planning to run the antenna along the back side on top of the rear seat at this point.
And of course I will paint it to match leather color. (Sable)

Here is the thread for stereo upgrade.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...001-xkr-70284/

Dennis, what did you mean by this comment in your above reply?

[edit] forgot ... if "impedance matching" does not ring a bell, let us know, as that may need attention.

 

Vettegood,

On the impedance matching thing ... basic idea is that an antenna will have a characteristic impedance, and the transmission line we connect it to has one also. We'd like the two values so be in the same ballpark, so as to get the most out of the antenna.

Turns out that two pretty common valuse are 50 ohms and 300 ohms. Coax is typically around 50, the flat twin-conductor stuff used for traditional TV antenna leads is 300.

Come to think, I bet you won't have to worry about this with the Tune Trapper. If it is, as I expect, a simple dipole it will have a value around 50 ohms and probably already has a coax lead on it.

So then the job reduces to just figuring out how to adapt to that unusual Jag antenna connector you were talking about.

p.s. your upgrade sounds (OK, I can't hear it, but you know what I mean) terrific. I still run some vintage Carver gear at home, so appreciate all-out designs.

 

Hi , I think that coax is 75ohm and the dipole is 300 ohms.Dipole antenna is like the 2 wire ribbon wire, Correct?
The tune trapper antenna has a Motorola plug (like banana Style) would think it is 75 ohms.

 

Edit: This post originally contained some errors; the corrections are noted below. No change to the overall idea, i.e. not needing to worry about impedance matching between 50 ohm and 75 ohm components.

OK, we peel back the onion one more layer. The simple dipole is the one with just one wire going off to each side from (usually) a central feed. For the size of the TuneTrapper, think 75 ohms for FM reception (lower for AM band). I think you're maybe picturing a folded dipole ... the kind with 2 wires on each side ... yes, 300 ohms in that case, but I dont think that's what you'll have.

The TuneTrapper is very likely a simple dipole. If so, no need to worry about matching it to coax, whether 50 or 75 ohms. The two are close enough so that very little power (no more than a few percent) is lost to mismatch.

I think maybe I added confusion needlessly here. Sorry. Bottom line, if there's a coax coming out of the TuneTrapper, we probably don't need to worry about this impedance matching stuff. Just that odd-ball connector to get around.

 

Dennis, Chill onions first and no tears!
Thanks for posts..

 

Noted. I am useless in a kitchen, by design, but I'll pass that along.

Hey, let us know how the TuneTrapper works out, OK? I've got the antenna switch in place now, but would not mind being rid of the mast once and for all.

 

I was going to try to add a direct connect Sirius FM modulator to my XKR for a Sirius radio install. I also did not want to pull the center counsel to get to the radio to install the adapter cables. I found the adapters needed to do this, at the antenna end, at discountcarstereo.com.

Before I ordered them I decided to follow Rev Sam's video on pulling the center consul and found that it was very easy to do. With the consul out I also had access to all the wiring needed to hook up my Sirius radio. I put it in the arm rest so it is hidden but easy to get to.

While the consul was out I also added the antenna switch and rear window switch that Rev Sams videos show in detail how to do. You get a lot more room to get to the wires for these changes. Everything is now working correctly.

I am currently trying to find the best place to install the Sirius antenna. I plan to put it next to the GPS antenna in the back shelf. With the direct connect Sirius adapter installed, I can tune in to the Sirius input channel (88.1) and get a strong signal with the antenna down. This is nice as some fringe station near that frequency can not get through.

wcnesta
03 XKR
01 XK8

 

That location works very well in the convertible....probably less so in the coupe.

 

I installed a dipole antenna against the back side of the back seat. It works well for FM, although I can't pick up AM. I don't mind. The local talk station is FM, and I use an app on my phone to listen to other talk stations over the internet.

I ran the dipole wires up to an attenuator that I placed near the GPS antenna where the convertible top is stowed. I just ran some regular coax back to the antenna connector in the trunk. I didn't use an adapter. I just peeled back the braid on the coax, skinned the dielectric away from the center conductor, and slid the center conductor into the female pin on the cable that runs up to the radio. Then I pushed the braid back down around the connector, taped it up with electrical tape, and that was it. It works fine. No adapter necessary. If I want to reconnect the original antenna I can just untape the joint I made on the female connector and slide the male end from the antenna into female connector going to the radio.

All of this male/female talk has motivated me to go check out the girls on cars thread.

 

It seems I can't trust my memory for anything anymore. I got a couple of numbers wrong in post #7 above, which I'll go fix now, and note the changes there.

No change to the overall idea: not needing to worry about impedance matching between, say, 50 ohm and 75 ohm components.

Sorry.

 

Hi Dennis, FYI the tunetrapper antenna is a
1/2 Wave Helical Dipole according to
Steve @ tunetrapper.
Not completely sure what it means.
Here is a Hyper link to the Wikipedia site.
Just click on link below.

Helical antenna - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Our case is a bit different from the focus of that article (antennas with ground planes).

The general idea here is that having a dipole antenna be 1/2 wavelength long is a good thing if we can do it. It's a sweet spot, a resonance. In the FM band, wavelength is about 3 meters, so we'd like 1.5 meters. That would be a little unwieldy, so they wrap the 1.5 meters of wire into a helix to make it more compact. We end up with not as big an aperture as a plain old 1.5 meter dipole (it can't grab as much signal energy) but still a pretty clever design, retaining the 1/2-wave resonance.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how it works for you.

 

Hello, Dennis you are absolutely correct it's hard to beat the factory Jaguar antenna for reception!
I am sorry to say that all the trouble I went to was for nothing.
I plugged in the antenna via an adapter that took me 4 days and 4 different adapters and the FM signal was just ok, but got VERY bad AM reception, lots of humming and strange out of this world sounds.
Tried locating antenna in several different locations and positions (6 foot cord), vertical was definitely best but still nowhere near the Jaguar antenna and since vertical takes away the idea of hidden antenna,
well lets just say I plugged in the factory Jaguar antenna and went to the post office...
It's hard to beat a factory antenna for reception but I'd like to beat the Jaguar design team for sure!!!!!!
LOL

 

Vettegood,

Sorry to hear that. The best laid plans ...

It was worth the try, and would probably be OK for someone in a strong signal area, but your experience tells me I'm not a candidate either. (NYC radio is about 40 miles away, marginal reception on some stations even with the big, ugly mast trying to pull them in.)

Now you'll have to find an alternate use for Mr. Tunetrapper. Possibles:
- paint stirrer
- clothes hanger
- dummy antenna on side of house to puzzle neighbors
- ...

Thanks for giving us the report.

 

I followed "Reverend Sam's" antenna replacement directions on You Tube. I am very pleased with the result. The antenna mast no longer rises and I am still getting good reception on my FM radio. It is vertually invisible. Very many thanks to Sam for his excellent DIY videos.