FM Antenna gone

[watchthebox]

Can anyone please educate me as to how this antenna works, with what appears to be only a plastic to plastic connection? How does that relay the radio signal? (Or is this something I should post in the "Ask the Factory" area?)

 

[jmgratz]

it could have graphite rod in it which would work or metal I am not sure.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Re: Replacements

It almost looks as if there is something missing. There are internal threads that may have housed a metal shaft? When we bought our BH, there were no external FM antennas on the rig. We use a splitter from the amplified antenna on the roof to the back of the FM/DVD receiver.

 

[watchthebox]

Re: Replacements

Thanks for the help. Yes, it does look like something may be missing. I guess I could call my dealer. The factory guys on this forum would probably know too. Do they read these sorts of threads?

 

[2010augusta]

Re: Replacements

What is missing is a spring. here is what ours (which works great) looks like.

 

[robnmo]

Can anyone please educate me as to how this antenna works, with what appears to be only a plastic to plastic connection? How does that relay the radio signal? (Or is this something I should post in the "Ask the Factory" area?)
View attachment 7562

I climbed on the roof today to check ours, it was still intact but very loose, so I removed it and add a bit of blue loc tite, ours is also a 2011 the antenna looks same as yours, nothing inside that I couild see. The reception we get is great, hope this helps.

 

[watchthebox]

Thanks Alan and Rob.

Alan, your antenna looks very similar to mine, although it does appear slightly different, having a few notches around the base. Does the part you screw it onto on the roof of your 5th wheel have metal that contacts the metal spring? That is, is there some sort of metal continuity between the two?

Rob, so there doesn't appear to be any metal contacts between the flexible antenna and the base for yours either? Hmmm... My reception is good too, without the antenna even attached. Surely they wouldn't put something up just for show? I guess I just don't fully understand it.

 

[2010augusta]

Alan, your antenna looks very similar to mine, although it does appear slightly different, having a few notches around the base. Does the part you screw it onto on the roof of your 5th wheel have metal that contacts the metal spring? That is, is there some sort of metal continuity between the two?

Yes, the mount for the antenna is metal and should have continuity through the spring.

 

[robnmo]

Thanks Alan and Rob.

Alan, your antenna looks very similar to mine, although it does appear slightly different, having a few notches around the base. Does the part you screw it onto on the roof of your 5th wheel have metal that contacts the metal spring? That is, is there some sort of metal continuity between the two?

Rob, so there doesn't appear to be any metal contacts between the flexible antenna and the base for yours either? Hmmm... My reception is good too, without the antenna even attached. Surely they wouldn't put something up just for show? I guess I just don't fully understand it.

I didn't actually take the antenna and try to shake anything out, but I did invert it and put a drop of loc tite inside then a couple drops on the base mount threads and screwed it back on. No spring or other metal contact that I saw, and again ours was still intact but was getting very close to coming off the base.

 

[Rrloren]

Took a short trip a couple days ago and noticed the antenna is gone ! This is after applying a little Locktite on it. Didn't make 100 miles.
Anyone know what the replacement is and where I might get one?

 

[robnmo]

Took a short trip a couple days ago and noticed the antenna is gone ! This is after applying a little Locktite on it. Didn't make 100 miles.
Anyone know what the replacement is and where I might get one?

Well..............same thing just happend to us. This was our 1st trip, still working out any bugs prior to making a trip next month. We left home, went to the campground about 30 mile away, and No more FM antenna, we also had applied loc tite. We're due to go back to the factory Monday for a repair, guess we'll take it up with them then.

 

[Detmer]

I lost mine too awhile back.
What I ended up doing to stop this was to run a bead of RTV on the outside of the antenna where the two pieces meet to hold it together and stop it from twisting off as you drive. So far this is working. It has been on now for over a year without coming off.
The Loctite just doesn't seem to work. The first time I lost my antenna I was lucky and found it laying next to my trailer where I store it. So I put it back on with Loctite. I lost it for good about a month or so later.

 

[robnmo]

I lost mine too awhile back.
What I ended up doing to stop this was to run a bead of RTV on the outside of the antenna where the two pieces meet to hold it together and stop it from twisting off as you drive. So far this is working. It has been on now for over a year without coming off.
The Loctite just doesn't seem to work. The first time I lost my antenna I was lucky and found it laying next to my trailer where I store it. So I put it back on with Loctite. I lost it for good about a month or so later.

Detmer

Now that's an idea, never thought about the sealant. Thanks