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My Midget has a 53" antenna!

Posted by Clarty

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My Midget has a 53" antenna! #1
Clarty Alex Todd Rochester, Minnesota, USA 1972 MG Midget	Posted: April 29, 2012 01:54AM Registered: 3 years ago Posts: 58

Yep, That's right -heh-heh. Measured from the mounting surface to the tip it's a hair over 53 inches. It's a good antenna, but I can see it's rusting out along the bottom of the lowest section (it's telescopic) and the little black plastic hemispherical mounting plinth is pretty deteriorated. Also, it tends to loosen up and flop around, so I have to continue tightening it--at some point I'm afraid it'll just snap.

I love to drive the Midget at night with the top down, listening to far-away stations on the dealer-installed Clarion AM radio, and suspect a shorter antenna will have worse reception. The tallest one I've found so far is 39 inches.

Does anyone know of a "universal-mount" antenna that's REALLY GOOD at the one thing an antenna is supposed to do: pick up radio stations? Most antennas I've seen lately seem to be designed with radio reception as a distant afterthought, if at all. I had an excellent C.Crane antenna on a car I used to have, but it seems they've discontinued that.

Any help will be appreciated!

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Re: My Midget has a 53" antenna! #2
AmishIndy Seth Jones Wheaton, IL, USA 1971 MG Midget MkIII "Guenevire" 2007 Mazda 3 "Porco Rosso"	Posted: April 29, 2012 05:59AM Registered: 2 years ago Posts: 3,078

Vicky brit sells a solid antenna very much like what came with my car in 1987 (possibly the original dealer installed piece). Its part number 12-614 and only costs 9.95

Seth Jones

1971 MG Midget

www.SpridgetGuru.com

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Re: My Midget has a 53" antenna! #3
58custom Tom Crocker Santa Clarita, SoCal, USA	Posted: April 29, 2012 04:00PM Registered: 5 years ago Posts: 471

Aussies still do DX. Check this site if only to get some search terms:

http://www.zcg.com.au/mobile-am-fm-car-radio-whip-antennas.htm

"Improving Car Reception - Antenna Talk" at the AVS forums.

1969 MG Midget
1968 Mercury Cougar (sold)
1958 Ford Custom 300
1994 Suzuki VS800

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Re: My Midget has a 53" antenna! #4
egads1 Edwin George Hoschton, GA, USA 1970 MG MGB 1972 MG J3 Midget	Posted: April 29, 2012 07:07PM Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 228

Use a coat hanger. They seem to work for some of my townfolk.

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Re: My Midget has a 53" antenna! #5
fairmounter mike . philadelphia, pa, USA 1972 MG Midget 2004 Subaru Forester XT	Posted: April 30, 2012 10:41AM Registered: 4 years ago Posts: 1,155

The new ones just don't do it for me either, I bought one from Moss and returned it because it looked like a new part (black plastic). So far I have not found any new antenna that looks right to me. My plan is to find an old one from a junk yard but have not been that ambitious.

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Re: My Midget has a 53" antenna! #6
James E Jimmy Campbell Bedford, Va, USA	Posted: April 30, 2012 12:02PM Registered: 1 year ago Posts: 1,681

Edwin, you said "use a coat hanger" like thats a bad thing!

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Re: My Midget has a 53" antenna! #7
77Midget Y.. Lee western, USA 1977 MG Midget 1500 "Some Friend" 1996 Mercury Cougar "My Antique" 2002 Subaru Forester "Suba One" 2002 Subaru Forester "Suba Too" 2006 Honda Civic "Civic"	Posted: April 30, 2012 12:16PM Registered: 2 years ago Posts: 829

In reply to # 2053339 by Clarty I love to drive the Midget at night with the top down, listening to far-away stations on the dealer-installed Clarion AM radio, and suspect a shorter antenna will have worse reception. The tallest one I've found so far is 39 inches.

Hi Alex,
I also loved listening to far-away stations... way back when the earth and I were young.
Except, those stations are gone. All I every hear on the radio is canned crap music from some "pablum mill," or "Shock Radio," or "Yell Radio," and NPR is barely better since they have become so scared of offending anyone...

I love radio and these days, I try to follow podcasts, but that takes a bit of planning since my smartphone needs a good data signal and I live in the country.

I have taken off my antenna and plan to put in an under the dash model that can do an reasonable job when needed...
also see: http://www.mgexperience.net/phorum/read.php?3,1804144,1804144#msg-1804144

Y.

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Re: My Midget has a 53" antenna! #8
rrllff Richard Fisher Mountain view, CA, USA	Posted: May 01, 2012 12:47PM Registered: 2 years ago Posts: 104

A longer antenna may work better for AM but will be poor for FM.

Richard

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Re: My Midget has a 53" antenna! #9
NYCCharlie Charles Linn Lawrence, Kansas, USA	Posted: May 01, 2012 08:05PM Registered: 3 years ago Posts: 949

My guess is that you will have the best chance of finding what you want by doing a search for "NOS car antenna" on eBay. Watch out--some of that new old stock stuff is very spendy! eye popping smiley

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Re: My Midget has a 53" antenna! #10
JLyonsTN Joshua Lyons East TN, USA 1972 MG Midget 1974 MG Midget 1997 BMW 328i Cabriolet	Posted: May 02, 2012 12:51PM Registered: 1 year ago Posts: 63

I want to install one of the glass mounted ones, I have the one you're talking about I think

.
I fear shipping it would be expensive though

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