Music in a car is an integral part of comfort, especially if the trip lasts more than one hour. Some download their favorite tracks to removable media and play them in a circle, which gets boring over time. Radio (a function that is present in the vast majority of car radio models) allows you not only to create background music, but also to find out the latest news in Ukraine or in the world.
But the design of any radio is that it will not pick up a signal unless a radio antenna is connected to it. If the car is located in a big city, for example, Kyiv, then there will be no problems with the signal even when the radio is equipped with the most primitive antenna. But when the car leaves the metropolis, another antenna is required to help the radio receive a weak signal.
In car accessories stores you can find many options for car antennas. Let's try to figure out what their difference is and how to connect them correctly. We will also consider the features of installing an indoor or outdoor antenna. The scheme for each of them will be different.
Main types of car antennas
Contrary to the popular belief that a car antenna is only needed to play a radio station, this car element of a multimedia system is also needed if the vehicle has a TV or a head unit with a navigator function.
The list of main types of car antennas includes:
- Passive type;
- Active type;
- Adapted for receiving GPS signals;
- External option;
- Internal view.
Each of the listed types has its own characteristics. Let's consider each of them separately. The easiest way to connect is a passive antenna. To do this, just lay the wire inside the car so that it does not interfere with the control of the car, and connect the plug to the radio.
Active antenna
This type of car radio antenna has its own amplifier. It provides better reception of a weak signal and clears it of interference. The circuit of such a device will include not only the antenna wire, but also the power cable. You can connect such an antenna to the radio as follows:
- You need to find the power wire in the antenna harness (it supplies power to the amplifier). Which wire is responsible for what is specified in the operating instructions for the active antenna.
- It needs to be connected to the blue wire with a white stripe (goes to the radio). This is the cable responsible for remote control of the car radio.
- These wires can be connected to each other using a chip, twisting or soldering. If a chip is not used, then the connection point must be properly insulated. To do this, you can use electrical tape, but it is much more practical to do this using heat-shrinkable cambric.
- Now you can connect the antenna plug to the radio and tune the radio.
If connected correctly, such a circuit will be able to pick up radio signals from a radio station located at a distance of approximately 60 km from the receiver. If the active antenna is equipped with an indicator light (small red light), it should light up when power is supplied to the car radio.
If there is no signal from the antenna (no radio station is played), it is necessary to check the connection of the receiver's power wire. It happens that the car radio does not have a blue wire with a white stripe. In this case, it is necessary to install a separate button to turn on the antenna itself.
It is more practical for the switch to have an individual backlight that will light up when power is applied to the button. This will remind the driver to turn off the antenna every time he is not using the device. Thanks to this, a constantly working antenna amplifier will not consume battery energy and will not heat up.
The scheme is as follows. A wire connected to the power cable of the car radio (goes to the positive terminal of the battery) is connected to one contact of the button. The power wire of the antenna amplifier is connected to the second contact of the switch. The negative wire of the antenna is connected to ground in close proximity to the amplifier.
GPS antenna
Connecting the GPS antenna is carried out in the same way as installing any other receiver. To connect such an antenna to the radio, you need to remove the player from the mounting shaft. Read about how to do this in another review . This is necessary in order to have access to the sockets, including the antenna one.
Depending on the car model and the preferences of the motorist, the dashboard or part of the panel is dismantled. This is necessary for laying the antenna cable. Of course, this can be done without dismantling work, if it is difficult to do this in a particular car or there is no confidence that the work will be done correctly, so that you do not have to repair the car panel later. You can lay the cable in the openings between the panel elements and secure it with clips.
