Antenna Question

[beaverguy]

Hi guys.
I have a 2016 Laramie 2500 4x4 diesel. I'm thinking about putting on a shorter antenna and was wondering if anyone has any recommendations. Also if they work as well as the factory in picking up all signals. Thanks in advance for any ideas or recommendations.

 

[Benito]

I put one of the stubby antennas shortly after I got my truck 3 years ago and have not had any issues with signal. It is about 5” tall.

 

[Flash1034]

A shorter antenna will effect your reception. That’s just a fact. If you live some place that has strong stations and relatively flat terrain, you should be ok and will likely not see a difference. On road trips, when stations are far away, your reception will fade faster.

 

[beaverguy]

How will the short antennae work for satellite stations??

 

[CMB]

XM (No Modulation) uses a digital antenna mounted to the roof. The antenna on the fender is only for the amplitude modulation and frequency modulation stations. Reception will decline depending on the environment.

Cheers,

 

[Benito]

I agree with flash 1034 and CMB about the effect a shorter antenna can have depending on where you drive but in my experience I have not had noticed an appreciable difference in reception. So you know where the geography of where I am for comparison, I originally lived in NE PA about 90 miles outside NYC and 100 miles outside Philly and now in northern GA about 30 miles from Atlanta. I have have camped in the Adirondak Mt in NY, up in Acadia National park in ME and down the entire east coast to FL and even in TN. The drop in reception has not been very pronounced and for the $20 I figured I would give it a try. FYI- For the the first year I carried my original antenna with me in case the reception really dropped off. I switched back one time out of curiosity while in the ADKs but difference was not enough for me to switch so I have left the stubby on ever since.
Also- I like the sound of the engine so I do spend a lot of driving time with the radio volume low:-laf

 

[beaverguy]

Thanks everyone for your input. I bought a 13" on e-bay so I'll give it a try. Thanks Again John

 

[JohnWelch]

FYI, if you ever use parking garages, the extra antenna height comes in handy for checking your clearance, especially if someone else drives the truck that doesn't know the cab height.

 

[RDeFayette]

Thanks everyone for your input. I bought a 13" on e-bay so I'll give it a try. Thanks Again John

Just a little FYI if that doesn't work out, [FONT=&quot]70 cm/27.5" is (+/-) a quarter wavelength in US FM band 88 to 108 . so unless you want an extremely long antenna this is the optimal size for descent reception.[/FONT]

 

[Gpa]

Talking about antennas, I see that going shorter will not improve reception. I now own a 2012 Ram 2500 6.7L CTD and I find that the antenna on this truck sucks big time when it comes to reception compared to my the original equipment antenna on my old '98 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9L CTD. I used to be able to drive twice the distance before loosing a station with the '98 Ram. So, it is either the antenna or the radio. I'm not concerned about that a replacement antenna looks good, I just want performance. Anyone out there know if there is a replacement that might improve reception over the stock antenna provided by Chrysler?