'70-'71 antenna mast height
- Thread starter Chrome58
- Start date
'71's used a fixed length mast vs. an adjustable height mast. No idea why they changed. Probably to save a few pennies.
Off hand, I'd say that's some sort of misprint. I've never seen an antenna mast that long. 31", yea... I'll bet that refers to the cable length for the '70 model.
A mast that over 6 feet long would cause some issues... Think garages and car washes.
A mast that over 6 feet long would cause some issues... Think garages and car washes.
ceebuddy
Well-Known Member
So it seems the stainless steel one-piece antennas introduced 1972 were all 31" long which supposedly was best for FM reception.
Did people really leave those (flexible) one-piece antennas on when driving through a car wash?
Did people really leave those (flexible) one-piece antennas on when driving through a car wash?
31" is approx the length of a quarter wave length at 90MHz which is about the center of the FM broadcast band. So the antenna is sized for FM reception. Ideally, you either use the full wave length, which would be impractical for a car at 124". From there, it has to be split in half and then halved again for a quarter wave.
Yes, people drive through car washes all the time with the one piece up, myself included. But, I avoid car washes with rotating brushes like the plague due to swirl marks and those brushes are also a little tough on antennas.
BTW, my DDs have a bar code on the rear window that lets me roll through the local car wash as many times as I like. My Edge doesn't have a antenna like that, but the last two trucks did. Monthly, ($45 for both) billing.
Were the 31" antennas also standard on the AM-only cars?
The AM waves are longer, so the 31" does not have the best reception.
My Sport Fury came with AM radio and currently has no antenna mast. I don't know which antenna mast to buy to have the original look.
The AM waves are longer, so the 31" does not have the best reception.
My Sport Fury came with AM radio and currently has no antenna mast. I don't know which antenna mast to buy to have the original look.
The '70 Mopars had a telescoping mast to accommodate the various frequency ranges of AM stations. On the side of the radio there is an antenna tuning screw to further fine tune a specific station. The mast when fully collapsed is about 31" which is proper for FM stations if the vehicle had an AM/FM radio. Improvements in solid state radio receivers led to the adoption of fixed antenna masts about 1971.
Dave
Shakerdave
Active Member
Still need an antenna for my 68 Fury, driver quality is fine aka cheap for decoration. Otherwise I'll have to plug the hole for now.
Thanks for this information Dave.
I forgot to state, my Sport Fury is a model year '71. So it is very possible that the 31" mast came from factory?
It is only for the look, they shot off the AM system years ago in Germany.
'71 would probably be a fixed mast, but with mopars, one learns to never say never as it is entirely possible that some early production models still had telescoping masts. Mopar tended to use up obsolete parts until they were all gone.
Dave
Other than the 31" stainless steel mast having the length more optimized for the becoming more popular FM radio options, one other thing I read was that in NY (as it was mentioned back then), it allegedly tended to be more common for people to park their cars at the curb and return to find the multi-section antennas broken off at the base. Allegely from a "karate chop" of some "passer-by" practicing their skills. But with the stainless steel antenna, it might spring back on them.
The other thing is that the stainless steel 31" mast replaced the aerodynamic-styled multi-section mast that some liked. Normally on pre-windshield antenna GM cars or Ford LTDs?
But for 1968 and back, it's either OEM NOS or a universal-ball-base replacement assy.
It was somewhat common to see boondock residents to have their multi-section masts extended as far as they would go. With little center support at that length, each section had a bit more bend to it, which tended to lay-back the antenna a few degrees or so. Not a good "look", but probably did good on those 500 miles away AM stations at night. Can't forget about them hanging on normal-height tree limbs and such, either!
As far as the parts book goes, the 60" antenna mast is the multi-section mast and the 31" mast is the fixed-length stainless steel mast.
Enjoy!
CBODY67
The other thing is that the stainless steel 31" mast replaced the aerodynamic-styled multi-section mast that some liked. Normally on pre-windshield antenna GM cars or Ford LTDs?
But for 1968 and back, it's either OEM NOS or a universal-ball-base replacement assy.
It was somewhat common to see boondock residents to have their multi-section masts extended as far as they would go. With little center support at that length, each section had a bit more bend to it, which tended to lay-back the antenna a few degrees or so. Not a good "look", but probably did good on those 500 miles away AM stations at night. Can't forget about them hanging on normal-height tree limbs and such, either!
As far as the parts book goes, the 60" antenna mast is the multi-section mast and the 31" mast is the fixed-length stainless steel mast.
Enjoy!
CBODY67
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