Any tried & true reviews ?
https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/shop/Hidden-AM-FM-WB-Antenna/p/76000862
Yes- it works well at removing the visible antenna.
AM/FM Reception is OK within city limits, AM starts to immediately fade just outside of town, FM takes a few more miles. I couldn't pick up most Kansas City stations 45 miles south of the suburbs with it.
Quote from: rigidthumper on March 07, 2021, 05:40:28 AM
Yes- it works well at removing the visible antenna.
AM/FM Reception is OK within city limits, AM starts to immediately fade just outside of town, FM takes a few more miles. I couldn't pick up most Kansas City stations 45 miles south of the suburbs with it.
Thanks, Robin
I'm in the west burbs of Chicago & also Metro Milwaukee area.. hoping to have the same signal strength as well
I have tried them all and none work as good as the stock antenna, couple that with an LED headlight and you might as well sing to yourself.
If you heard my singing, you would understand why I installed Serius/XM 😁
Hmmm cant sing, well at least you got good looks going for you. :wink: :hyst:
Quote from: calif phil on March 07, 2021, 01:28:45 PM
I have tried them all and none work as good as the stock antenna, couple that with an LED headlight and you might as well sing to yourself.
LED lights affect radio reception? Thanks!
Quote from: calif phil on March 08, 2021, 06:10:38 AM
Hmmm cant sing, well at least you got good looks going for you. :wink: :hyst:
Ya, My momma says I am kinda handsome :)
Some of the LED headlights will kill radio reception. There are some ideas on helping it, like twisting the headlight wires, clamping magnets on the wires. I am not sure if it helps but those were some of the fixes to try from a few years ago.
Quote from: calif phil on March 09, 2021, 05:54:49 AM
Some of the LED headlights will kill radio reception. There are some ideas on helping it, like twisting the headlight wires, clamping magnets on the wires. I am not sure if it helps but those were some of the fixes to try from a few years ago.
Do you know which lights in particular do that? I am looking at the pro beam by Custom Dynamics. Hope that's not one of them?
I sell a lot of ProBeam products and have not had any complaints, but most of my customers bluetooth.
The issues I dealt with were years ago when the Phase 7 trucklights hit the market.
A little something about antennas. For a vehicle that moves about a simple vertical whip is by far the best you can get. It's all a matter of orientation and some of these hidden antennas may seem to work as well or better but only when the bike is pointed in a particular direction. i,e, it's directional to some extent.
On a side note, with the increased use of carbon fiber in molded items, fairings, bags, etc. The carbon will block any and all signals. So if one were to put an antenna inside a carbon fairing they'd get nothing but static unless something got in from the back side.
Another thing is to make sure you have an antenna designed for the signals you're wanting to receive. Just because it says AM/FM Car Antenna doesn't make it so. Check the actual frequencies involved and make sure the antenna is intended for those freqs. A lot look the same when in fact they are not.
Last but not least, most car antennas make use of the sheet metal they're attached to as a ground plane. Fenders, roofs and trunks help the antenna receive. Fiberglass bike trunk lids do not. I've not tried this but I would think a section of brass window screen secured to the inside of a trunk lid might help a lot. May be something to play with. Have to get a bike with a trunk and radio first. Wonder what the wife would say about that? :)
I think you should bring a new bike (with said trunk and radio) home and report her reaction ;^)
Quote from: rigidthumper on March 13, 2021, 10:22:54 AM
I think you should bring a new bike (with said trunk and radio) home and report her reaction ;^)
Trust me, it would not be pretty. The bank accounts would suffer and hemorrhage profusely.