# Radio antennas in the windshield **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 9, 2000, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-antennas-in-the-windshield/7149 "2000-02-09T16:58:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eada6e/32.png) [@aha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aha)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-antennas-in-the-windshield/7149/1 "2000-02-09T16:58:00Z")
Didn’t car manufacturers use to put radio antennas inside the windshield glass? As I remember it was a thin wire (almost invisible) that ran around the top length of the windshield. My car, a 97 buick has an automatic retractable antenna which was promptly broken off in a football game crowd. And guess what…you can’t just replace the antenna, you have to buy the whole motor and antenna assembly $180.00 plus labor. Doesn’t seem fair does it? A replacement antenna couldn’t cost more than $20 if that much. So anyway I guess that’s what made me think of this question. I was just wondering if they had stopped making those wire-in-the-glass antennas all together? They sure seemed like a good idea. * * * “I think it speaks to the duality of man sir.” (private Joker in Full Metal Jacket) ---
**Author:** ![ookpik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c68b51/32.png) [@ookpik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ookpik)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-antennas-in-the-windshield/7149/2 "2000-02-09T17:15:00Z")
Haven’t seen those since the early to mid-eighties. If the wipers were running you’d get interference. Maybe that’s why they were discontinued? ---
**Author:** ![aha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eada6e/32.png) [@aha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aha)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-antennas-in-the-windshield/7149/3 "2000-02-09T17:26:00Z")
My dad had a car with one in the late eighties and the radio played just fine as I recall…there may have been other problems tho… * * * “I think it speaks to the duality of man sir.” (private Joker in Full Metal Jacket) ---
**Author:** ![RussellM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed8c4c/32.png) [@RussellM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RussellM)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-antennas-in-the-windshield/7149/4 "2000-02-09T17:41:00Z")
We have had several cars with aerials in the rear window, not the front. We had a '94 Escort with a heating element built into the windoscreen. Worked well, cleared condensation / ice very quickly, and was invisible - most of the time. Russell ---
**Author:** ![TheUnforgiven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TheUnforgiven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheUnforgiven)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-antennas-in-the-windshield/7149/5 "2000-02-10T06:24:00Z")
My car is a 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix GT and it has the antenna integrated into the rear window. I think it’s supposed to be better than a regular vertical antenna because of the increased surface area. I think it is easier to pick up stations from farther away. I can get Chicago’s WBBM 780 AM here in St. Louis. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-antennas-in-the-windshield/7149/6 "2000-02-09T19:07:00Z")
There were complaints about reception. Turns out the old fashioned stick antenna worked pretty well. There were also complaints about water leaking in where the wires from the antenna went into the dashboard. But the biggest complaint of all was about the cost. Regular windshields are pricey enough. Sticking wires in them boosted the price by several hundred dollars if they needed replacing. By the way, if your power antenna isn’t broken down flush with the fender, it’s possible to get a replacement “wand” that screws over the remaining stub. Works great, although it may look kind of ugly. ---
**Author:** ![InutilisVisEst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d2c977/32.png) [@InutilisVisEst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InutilisVisEst)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-antennas-in-the-windshield/7149/7 "2000-02-09T19:14:00Z")
Three major problems with the old windshield style: 1. the safety glass would delaminate around the antenna (I always hated that); 2. wipers, as mentioned, interfere; 3. replacing a broken windshield cost a wee bit more for parts and labor. ---
**Author:** ![aha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eada6e/32.png) [@aha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aha)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-antennas-in-the-windshield/7149/8 "2000-02-09T19:20:00Z")
> [@](#): > > By the way, if your power antenna isn’t broken down flush with the fender, it’s possible to get a replacement “wand” that screws over the remaining stub. Works great, although it may look kind of ugly Thanks Kunilou, it is a retractable antenna and only the top section is broken so that the antenna goes up but the top telescoping section hangs over to one side. Do you recommend breaking the whole thing off first then buying the wand? * * * “I think it speaks to the duality of man sir.” (private Joker in Full Metal Jacket) ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-antennas-in-the-windshield/7149/9 "2000-02-09T19:53:00Z")
> [@](#): > > I think it’s supposed to be better than a regular vertical antenna because of the increased surface area. It’s actually not just about surface area. There was something in _Scientific American_ last year sometime about a new type of antenna that had been developed for cell phones, instead of that pathetic spindly thing sticking out of the top. There was this triangular fractal-pattern set inside the plastic case; they had determined that this design more efficiently collected radio frequencies than a straight wire of equal length and surface. I’m no engineer, but I seem to remember the article talking about interference geometry, and such. The other part they mentioned was isolating the antenna from the other electronics in the phone, which is why, I guess, you couldn’t just turn the whole car body into an antenna – you’d be fighting the frequencies inherent in the car’s own electrical system. Must be where the idea of sticking the antenna in the glass comes from: glass is a pretty good insulator. Seems to me some really bright engineer could take all this information and come up with a cheap, elegant solution, and make a million bucks on the patent, like the guy who invented intermittent wipers. Any takers out there in SD-land? ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-antennas-in-the-windshield/7149/10 "2000-02-09T20:22:00Z")
- - - My 82 truck has the antenna in the (front) windshield: a dipole: two wires run up the middle along side each other, and then each turns “outwards” and stops a couple inches from the edge. It does not get as good of reception as a typical antenna (even the laid-back types in the A-pillar). A single straight antenna, sticking straight up and mounted in the center of the roof works best. I tried to get a magnetic one some time back, but the plug is a particulr type and all Radio Shack seems to have is CB antennas with that type of plug- so I’d have had to buy one of each and cut off the CB antenna plug, and solder it onto the regular anrenna. _Most_ local stations come in well enough _most_ of the time. Other cars with regular antennas seem to get the same stations _all_ the time. - MC ---
**Author:** ![frolix8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f04885/32.png) [@frolix8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frolix8)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-antennas-in-the-windshield/7149/11 "2000-02-09T20:23:00Z")
I’ve found that a straightened wire coathanger works very well. Can I patent that? ---
**Author:** ![WillGolfForFood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/82dd89/32.png) [@WillGolfForFood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillGolfForFood)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-antennas-in-the-windshield/7149/12 "2000-02-09T21:21:00Z")
I own two Toyota Camrys - a 97 and a 99 - and both have what their owner’s manuals refer to as an “on-glass antenna” - a radio antenna that’s built into the rear window. Reception seems fine. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-antennas-in-the-windshield/7149/13 "2000-02-09T21:44:00Z")
Aha If the antenna will still go up and down, try breaking off the top part first and seeing how good your radio reception is without it. (If your antenna does not go cleanly up and down and you do this, it will certainly go down into your fender, never come up again, and you’ll be screwed.) Assuming your radio reception stays okay, don’t worry. But if your radio reception degrades significantly, you can try the replacement wand, maybe cut to the right length. Caution, measure twice, cut once. Make sure the “collar” that slips over the old antenna is smaller than the diameter of the opening the antenna retracts into. I would caution that this isn’t the most attractive-looking solution, but it’s cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Centerline](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/94ad74/32.png) [@Centerline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Centerline)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-antennas-in-the-windshield/7149/14 "2000-02-09T21:55:00Z")
When I used to live in the big city and the antenna kept being broken, I used the Radio Shack self adhesive wire antenna on the windshield. Worked fine in the city, but the tape is not completely transparent and thus not completely attractive. ---
**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-antennas-in-the-windshield/7149/15 "2000-02-09T22:46:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by frolix8: > **I’ve found that a straightened wire coathanger works very well. Can I patent that?** Yes. Send me $200 right away and I’ll start processing your application. * * * well well said the royal desiccation my political opponents back home always maintained that i would wind up in hell and it seems they had the right dope and with these hopeless words the unfortunate residuum gave a great cough of despair and turned to dust and debris right in my face it being the only time i ever actually saw anybody put the cough into sarcophagus Don Marquis _archy interviews a pharaoh_ ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-antennas-in-the-windshield/7149/16 "2000-02-10T05:59:00Z")
> [@](#): > > I’ve found that a straightened wire coathanger works very well. Can I patent that? - frolix - - - When I was working the night shift at a convenience store, I actually saw some guys jump start a car using coat hangers instead of jumper cables. I do not believe that this method is endorsed by the A.A.A., however. - MC ---
**Author:** ![SavageNarce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@SavageNarce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SavageNarce)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-antennas-in-the-windshield/7149/17 "2000-02-10T13:26:00Z")
I had a car with the “in-glass” antenna, and felt that the reception was not as good as the regular fender-mounted kind. My current vehicle has a retractable antenna, and… never again. The bloody thing freezes in the winter, and is more trouble than it’s worth. My best experience is with a flexible stainless steel whip antenna - very vandal-resistant, but cheap to replace in any event. BTW, RussellM said > [@](#): > > We had a '94 Escort with a heating element built into the windoscreen. Worked well, cleared condensation / ice very quickly, and was invisible - most of the time. I have a North American Ford with a heated windshield (sold as “Instaclear”) and I think that (for Canada, at least) it’s the greatest thing since the automatic transmission. I can go out with the windshield covered in 1/2" of ice, turn on the Instaclear, and within a minute or two, there’s water running down the glass. From the inside, the heating “element” is absolutely invisible, but from the outside the windshield seems to have a metallic sheen to it. IIRC, there is a conductive layer deposited on the windshield glass layers during manufacture, so no wires and no uneven “hot spot” heating. Mind you, this ice-melting capability draws a LOT of power – lights dim, wipers slow down, and the engine (if idling) speeds up considerably – and I’m told that the cost of windshield replacement increases radically, but basically, I love the thing. The only problem seems to be availability. They’re not common, even in the “Frozen North”, and I’ve heard they are now being restricted to the top-end cars (Lincolns, Caddies). ☹ * * * Computers in the future may weigh no more than 15 tons. -Popular Mechanics, 1949 ---
**Author:** ![RussellM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed8c4c/32.png) [@RussellM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RussellM)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-antennas-in-the-windshield/7149/18 "2000-02-10T14:10:00Z")
I guess you get more severe weather in the Frozen North than we do in Edinburgh, but our heater took about the same time to clear a fine layer of ice. The Escort was far from a high spec car, and we changed it for a 98 BMW which spends 5-10 minutes blowing gradually warmer air onto the screen before it is clear enough to drive. Russell ---
**Author:** ![Diver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@Diver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diver)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-antennas-in-the-windshield/7149/19 "2000-02-10T21:03:00Z")
My 99 Honda Accord has an antenna embedded in the windshield. Works fine. ---
**Author:** ![katana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/db5fbb/32.png) [@katana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/katana)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2000, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-antennas-in-the-windshield/7149/20 "2000-02-13T23:51:00Z")
Hey frolic, not anymore, its common knowledge now that you’ve told everyone andcommonknowledge can’t be patented. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-antennas-in-the-windshield/7149.md?page=2)