Phantom antenna vs carwash

[clockworkorange]

Hello all, new to antennas mounted to cars and I wanted to know the general consensus on this. I see online, and feel it is common sense, to remove a normal whip antenna before going through a car wash-the properly installed NMO mounts should be waterproof. But what about a 3” tall “nub” antenna? I have one of those little nub antennas and wonder if this would be an issue. I guess the safe thing would be to remove it but I think of all the cop cars I see driving around that have these low profile antennas, just like mine, and surely they don’t remove them before washing. Thoughts?

 

[W9WSS]

What you call "little nubs," are referred to as "transit-style" antennas. I find them slightly inferior to a typical 1/4 wave whip in performance. What I have (12 total on my installation) are EM Wave antennas. They have rubber-coated springs protecting the antenna, and I never remove them for the car wash. They are all on NMO mounts, none magnetic. I've had them for several years, replacing Laird spring-loaded antennas which are prone to cracking in the plastic base.

 

[tweiss3]

I use a Larsen 150/450/758 antenna with the spring and do not remove it for car washes.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

The roofs of new cars is becoming increasingly thin aluminium. I would be hesitant to run through a random car wash with that. At least with a 6 inch UHF 1/4 wave there was not much to grab onto and if it did get snagged, the rubber insulating grommet would give up.

 

[OhSixTJ]

The roofs of new cars is becoming increasingly thin aluminium. I would be hesitant to run through a random car wash with that. At least with a 6 inch UHF 1/4 wave there was not much to grab onto and if it did get snagged, the rubber insulating grommet would give up.

I’ve seen OEM radio antennas ripped out of the aluminum fenders they sit in. Well it was one 2015+ F150 but still...

the Way my NMOs mount in my F150 don’t concern me. They sit in a channel so I feel like they’re “reinforced”.

I wouldn’t remove a phantom antenna either way but I also don’t use drive thru car washes because I don’t hate my vehicle paint that mych

 

[hill]

If you remove the antenna before going into a car wash you should use a NMO rain cap. Whenever the antenna isn't mounted to an NMO mount the rain cap should be on it. The part of NMO mount that is covered when the antenna is installed is really not meant to out in the elements and exposed to water, since when the antenna on it is shielded.

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[mancow]

I never have, never had any issues yet.

 

[jeepsandradios]

I only remove my whip antenna's in the car wash. Leave my LP antennas on.

 

[wwhitby]

FWIW, I've been in line behind a vehicle at a car wash that had its FM radio antenna ripped off. Fortunately, the owner saw it and had them stop the car wash. I've also known another person who went through the car wash, and unbeknownst to him or the people manning the car wash, an FM antenna was caught up in the roller brush. Yep, you can guess what happened.....

I use NMO rain caps for the few times I need to go through a car wash. But to be honest, what I do most of the time is just not go to a carwash. I wash my cars by hand.

 

[a417]

Maintained hundreds of them thru thousands of washes and never had one ripped off / damaged by an automatic car wash. Had a couple taken off at 40 mph by a low-hanging cable line, a few beheaded by a tree branch, but never the the car wash.

 

[OhSixTJ]

Maintained hundreds of them thru thousands of washes and never had one ripped off / damaged by an automatic car wash. Had a couple taken off at 40 mph by a low-hanging cable line, a few beheaded by a tree branch, but never the the car wash.

I counted 8 Texas DPS units missing their whips and/or entire assembly. Most had bluewave passes on the windshield :S

 

[a417]

I counted 8 Texas DPS units missing their whips and/or entire assembly. Most had bluewave passes on the windshield :S

I see now my post was missing "sharkfin" / "low profile" , and I had to google what "bluewave " meant in context, but yah...whips die hard deaths in those washes.