Broken antenna on top

[WearyTraveler]

I've got a Thor Outlaw 38RE. There's a small whip (?) antenna on the roof above the driver.


It's about a foot tall and black rubber coated. The rubber near the bottom (above the threaded screw on connection) is cracked and the top half of the antenna wobbles freely.


I put some silicon in the crack just to temporarily keep it from moving.


What is this antenna? Is it for the radio?



I can unscrew the broken part and replace it. What kind of antenna is it? Need to know what to order...

[PictureTheSouth]

Yes, that is the antenna for the dash radio. Ours was broken when we first got our rig home. You can replace it with practically any stubby antenna from Wally's or Amazon that includes universal mount adapters. Just don't expect a lot of improvement in reception if your dash radio is an Axxera. On those, I think the antenna is just for show.

[javelin]

The antenna is called a rubber ducky.....by Ham radio folks and you could try the following replacement from Amazon......but I don't know if it will fit your coach antenna base or not. A small cost gamble......getting up there to replace the old one is more risky IMO.


https://www.amazon.com/Metra-44-RM1R.../dp/B000K50HAI

[Bob Denman]

I would really like to see the Manufacturers re-think these antennas...
Our RV is listed at kist 11'4" in height...
But with our antenna up on top: it's just over 13'!
I wonder if some sort of "antenna grid" could be put down on the roof?
(I'm probably bucking some MAJOR rule of antenna design... )

[petefoss]

We tried as composites researchers at GM to use grid antennas on the back side of a composite roof. But the expense and difficulty in painting separately was too much to absorb compared to the steel roof which was painted with the rest of the body.

[Bob Denman]

Thanks for that info... I just knew that somebody could clear up that confusion of mine!

[16ACE27]

This is the one I replaced mine with - fit perfectly without using the adapters. Unfortunately it is no longer available.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Bob Denman]

How does it work compared to your original antenna?

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

How does it work compared to your original antenna?

It worked better, but nowhere near as good as any car installation.

[Bob Denman]

Thanks!

[John & Diane]

When I was getting ready to put the winter cover on a few weeks ago I discovered the rubber on our antenna was also cracked in many places. I found a replacement that worked perfectly at the local NAPA auto parts store for about $10.00. The antenna came with a few adapters but I didn't need to use any of them.

[Lt Keefer]

Do the cracks in the rubber reduce the antennas effectiveness?

[ArrrV]

I replaced ours a month or two ago. Called Thor as I wanted a direct replacement and Thor not only told me which brand and model but gave me the manufacturers contact info. Mine was a Magnadyne RV71 and easily available on Ebay, Amazon, and other sites. Thor can usually provide the details for me on replacement parts, but not always.

[cavie]

Originally Posted by Lt Keefer

Do the cracks in the rubber reduce the antennas effectiveness?

The rubber pieces are just for support. No effect on reception just like a car.

[TerryJames]

Hi Folks, We found the original Axis antenna “troublesome” when putting a cover on and off. And since it was a little “loose” anyway, we unscrewed the antenna and put a small plastic tube on covering the stub. Made no difference to the radio reception. Anyway, we’re looking for a shark fin replacement antenna that will fit.
Has anyone put a shark-fin antenna on as a replacement? (And do you need to get into the roof line inside to replace and/or tighten the radio antenna?)
Thank you, James

[DogLovers]

Originally Posted by PictureTheSouth

Yes, that is the antenna for the dash radio. Ours was broken when we first got our rig home. You can replace it with practically any stubby antenna from Wally's or Amazon that includes universal mount adapters. Just don't expect a lot of improvement in reception if your dash radio is an Axxera. On those, I think the antenna is just for show.

Yep that is absolutely true. I attached a wire to a kite and flew it up 5,500 feet but the Axxera radio reception was still terrible.

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by DogLovers

Yep that is absolutely true. I attached a wire to a kite and flew it up 5,500 feet but the Axxera radio reception was still terrible.

Did you tune that antenna to the proper wavelength?

[MichFigs]

Originally Posted by TerryJames

Hi Folks, We found the original Axis antenna “troublesome” when putting a cover on and off. And since it was a little “loose” anyway, we unscrewed the antenna and put a small plastic tube on covering the stub. Made no difference to the radio reception. Anyway, we’re looking for a shark fin replacement antenna that will fit.
Has anyone put a shark-fin antenna on as a replacement? (And do you need to get into the roof line inside to replace and/or tighten the radio antenna?)
Thank you, James

Not sure about a shark fin fitting however ...

on a recent trip out west we decided the reception was so bad from the factory antennae that we replaced it with a Browning satellite roof mount antenna using the same hole through the roof. Had to remove all the hardware (discovered the factory antenna was not grounded, GO FIGURE) and trim, drop the ceiling panels, etc. Also insulated the roof cap and A-Pillars while up there working. This was quite a job while on the road but we are very pleased with the Sirius/XM reception now where ever we are traveling or parked!

[AndyT1183]

Originally Posted by WearyTraveler

I've got a Thor Outlaw 38RE. There's a small whip (?) antenna on the roof above the driver.


It's about a foot tall and black rubber coated. The rubber near the bottom (above the threaded screw on connection) is cracked and the top half of the antenna wobbles freely.


I put some silicon in the crack just to temporarily keep it from moving.


What is this antenna? Is it for the radio?




I can unscrew the broken part and replace it. What kind of antenna is it? Need to know what to order...

It's for the radio. I put a piece of heat shrink on it.