Antenna Hook

[ForgottenTaco]

I picked up a 13” antenna from Amazon. Haven’t had a single issue with reception.

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[Gunfighter]

The OEM antenna doesn't "whip around" while driving (I get up to 80 in places and travel quite a bit) and having been through a number of car washes has not cause any issues.

 

[tomk62]

Just upgrade to a 2024 ... problem solved!

 

[MajorDave]

Just upgrade to a 2024 ... problem solved!

??

 

[MajorDave]

I absolutely never thought of that…. Definitely going to check into that.

 

[swampflyer]

It only takes one time though a car wash and the antenna gets caught. There goes your windshield with one strike then possibly body damage when it’s pulled out. I carry a small open end wrench to remove my antenna in the off chance I go through a car wash. Hand wash yourself. Also you can inspect your body while cleaning.

 

[Ratbert]

A stubby will get diminished reception, but it's been good enough for me. Try one on Amazon and return it if it's not good enough.

 

[Gruffid]

I use the AM/FM antenna as a height-meter. If the antenna doesn't touch, I'll make it through. But I haven't had any damage going through car washes with it yet. On my Gladiator, I had window vent shades (I think that's what they're called), and the car washes would bend the antenna so that it got caught under the vent shade - kinda doing what you're suggesting. It didn't harm anything, I just had to get out and un-tuck it from the vent shade when I was drying the jeep after the wash.

 

[Bandit59]

Brand new first time Jeep owner. Excited for all the customization options. First 24 hours had me add a gas cap cover, a spare tire cover, and running boards. I remember in the Army that antennas were always bent back (or forward, depending on the application) and hooked to the vehicle. I like the reception of the OEM antenna, but would like to bend it back and attach it to the upper A-Pillar with some sort of hook device. I have searched for hours on multiple Jeep and 4X4 sites, as well as the internet at large. I can't even find a reference describing doing anything of the sort. I find it really surprising that no one has thought of this and developed something. Has anyone here ever heard of such a device? If not, there may be some fabrication in my near future

You could trim your mast. A inch or two. I go thur car washes not a problem. But yes the shorter the mast. Your reception will be affected with the shorter antenna

 

[Eyeball]

Brand new first time Jeep owner. Excited for all the customization options. First 24 hours had me add a gas cap cover, a spare tire cover, and running boards. I remember in the Army that antennas were always bent back (or forward, depending on the application) and hooked to the vehicle. I like the reception of the OEM antenna, but would like to bend it back and attach it to the upper A-Pillar with some sort of hook device. I have searched for hours on multiple Jeep and 4X4 sites, as well as the internet at large. I can't even find a reference describing doing anything of the sort. I find it really surprising that no one has thought of this and developed something. Has anyone here ever heard of such a device? If not, there may be some fabrication in my near future

Personally I think you are chasing a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist and it certainly would not have my list of first 24 hour modifications. However, the cool thing about Jeeps is that they can be infinitely modified to match an owner view of a dream Jeep.

By the way, the stock antenna serves an additional purpose. It is slightly taller than the roof and is handy in low clearance situations like a parking garage where it will drag before your roof hits.

 

[MajorDave]

Perhaps you are right. The more I read these replies and see several people using this a s a height tool, perhaps just making it black will fix my initial perception (as opposed to reception). No one has mentioned an issue of damage from the antenna striking the body or windshield, so maybe there is no “problem “. Thanks for the forthrightness.

 

[marktgorman]

The antenna on our Jeeps in the Army were for the comms and three times as long as the OEM antenna on the JL. They were mounted in the back, on a base with a spring and bent forward.
The only reason we tied them down was to keep them from getting torn up in the woods or snapping them off going under the bridges in Germany.

pic of my stuck Jeep on the East/Wes German border circa 1988 for amusement. You can see the antenna bent over the roof.

Awesome photo and Thank You for your service.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

I used shrink wrap to make my antenna black. You need two sizes, one for the mast and the other for the base. You could also use Plasti-Dip or just paint it. I like Rustoleum high heat for that, as it has a lot of ceramic solids in it and makes for a nice matte black finish.


When I was in the Army, you had to have the antenna secured on main post, the only place it could be unsecured was in the training areas. Those were 8' fiberglass masts with a massive spring at the base so it would not break if it caught something.

 

[PrimeTime4370]

Could do the Bronco antennae mod.

 

[THAW]

...I read a LOT of complaints about stubbies getting really bad reception.

FYI, the Rugged Ridge Flex Antenna comes in a 21" version - as far as I know, it's the longest "stubby".

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