Is there an easy way to disconnect the power wire, so the antenna doest work when you turn on the radiop. The reason why is I installed a device so I can play music fom my I-phone thru the radio. I can" locate a fuse, mayme theres one or maybe theres not.

 

Remove the right rear tail light and reach in and unplug. I've heard you can pull down the liner and unplug the power from the trunk area, but I've never tried it. I must assume that you're dealing with a convertible, and you want to stop the antenna from going up. If you would fill out your profile, or at least mention the car you're working with, it would make it more likely to get correct answers.

 

Yea - He's right - Right side of trunk, pull down liner and simply unplug. I still get decent radio from the strong stations, but CDs are normally on when I need music.

 

I might disconnect mine. I upgraded to a Kenwood DD nav system and 90% of the time, I have my iPod connected for music. Even with the antenna connected, I'm not getting great reception so I might try disconnecting it for awhile.

I hate the way the telescoping antenna makes the C5 look like a radio controlled toy car.

 

That way you can still use it when using the radio and leave it down when playing CDs or your electronic gadget.

 

That's a good idea. Any good links or write-ups?

I asked my installer to program the HU so that the antenna only ascended when the tuner was turned on, however post install, he told me he could not do it. I just don't want to pull out the HU again.

 

...so you might browse the audio forum where this subject has several threads...

 

The first mod I did on my vert was install an amplified antenna, so that I get good reception and the antenna never goes up, its such an eye sore.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...a-install.html

Cost around $30 for everything if I remember correctly.

 

Thanks for all the info. This a great site.

 

You can access the wires (at least on my '01 'vert) from the trunk area. I spliced in a pair of wires that I ran back to a toggle switch. I put the switch in the center console, replaced the accessory power plug that's in there with it. Nice option to have as the power antenna does whistle some when driving with the top down.

 

 

...so I did before posting and I still haven't found too many solid answers. A lot of questions and amazingly the best audio-realated threads specific to our cars are found here in C5 general...

There are not that many helpful C5, convertible, telescoping antenna, aftermarket HU, poor radio reception solutions that are fully detailed.

Plus, last time I re-opened a 2-year old thread on electronic gremlins to confirm a fix, the mods slapped me and closed the thread because it was too old.

The above linked thread on the hidden antenna booster is a good start. I'm just hoping to find a good solution that works for me that doesn't require that I pull out the HU again. I'm hoping to work the solution from the trunk/antenna area and perhaps boost the signal enough to not even ascend the antenna. Plan B would be to install the toggle switch to manually work the antenna.

However, first step today is to pull Fuse #24 to see what difference there is in reception with the antenna up vs. down.

 

Do you have the stock HU? In reviewing the other threads, there seems to be a common issue of reduced FM/AM radio reception if you swap out the stock HU for aftermarket HUs or double din NAV systems. Something to do with the idea that most aftermarket units are designed for metal cars and not fiberglass cars. Not sure if that is true, plus I also discovered that the OEM booster is different in the C5 coupe vs. vert due to the telescoping antenna.

As mentioned, I was originally hoping the audio shop would program my new HU so that the antenna only ascended when the tuner was in use, however if I can install a booster that doesn't require the antenna to ascend ever, that would be the best solution for the eye sore. Plus, I see a lot of older C5 verts driving around with the bent antenna. A result of years of exposure to high wind speeds I guess.

 

FYI, I've read on the forum that pulling the fuse for the antenna will also kill power to a portion of the Bose speaker system. I don't remember which portion, but just so you know.

 

Thanks! I swapped out my OEM HU and Bose speakers for an aftermarket Kenwood NAV HU and aftermarket Arc Audio speakers/sub, so I will perform a quick "Fuse in/Fuse out" experiment this afternoon and report back...

 

OK, below are the results of my "unofficial" experiment...

First, I pulled my daily driver Acura TLS out of the garage and onto the driveway. I then scanned for all FM radio stations in the area. The Acura OEM head unit picked up 28 stations.

Next, I pulled out my C5 convertible out of the garage and onto the driveway. I then scanned for all FM radio stations in the area. The Kenwood 6980 NAV head unit picked up 22 stations.

Finally, after shutting the C5 off, I pulled the #24 fuse out of the passenger footwell fusebox. After restarting the car, the Kenwood 6980 NAV head unit and ARC audio speakers/sub/amp all fired up as usual, however the antenna did not ascend. With the antenna down, the Kenwood head unit picked up 12 stations. The good news is that 8 of the 12 stations are the stations that I primarily listen to. I then (re) programmed the stations into the presents and I'm ready to rock and roll!

A quick, temporary fix to keep my antenna down. However, if I decide someday that I want to listen to more stations, or if the programmed stations fade too quickly, or if I plan to travel out of the area on a more regular basis, I will consider a rear inside fender mount antenna booster or go with Sirius or XM satellite. I also stored the #24 fuse in the extra fuse slot so I can always just plug that back in if I need the antenna.

 

Yes I still have the stock HU, although that will probably change within 6 months.

I live in the city, and I was easily able to pick every major radio station that I listen to without static. However, I've never driven outside the city.

I had the same experience on my last car, once I swapped out the HU, radio reception was much worse. Luckily I listen to aux/mp3/pandora most of the time, so I don't care that much.

XM radio is a good choice, although I think the monthly subscription is a little more than I'd like to pay these days. If you get the right smartphone apps you can listen to a bunch of stuff for free, and its digital, so it has better sound quality. There's an app called "I heart Radio" which lets you listen to any ClearChannel controlled radio station for free over your smartphone. I use it in my work truck when I travel instead of scanning the FM waves when I'm in the boonies.

 

Saw this on the interweb as well as that auction site--looks like a pretty easy mod, just hide the switch in the ashtray area

http://www.mamotorworks.com/corvette...-1-308-69.html

 

I have disabled the antenna extension on my '01 vert.

As mentioned above, open trunk lid, pull down the lining on the right wall, and you'll see two cables. The one cable made up of three wires is the one you want. There is a connector in that area, simply unplug the connector and then wrap the ends of the separated cables with electrical tape or some such to protect them. Put the liner back up and you're done. Simple task that can be easily reversed without modifying anything, and no codes.

I get all the stations I did before the disconnect. The primary reason I disconnected it was I keep the car covered most of the time. I'll sometimes partially remove the cover and open the door, and did not want to have the antenna raise while the cover was over the rear of the car - could see myself getting in the car, put the key in the ignition and turn it to accessory and have the antenna go up because I didn't shut the radio off the last time I drove it LOL.

 

Installed a switch in mine today. I hated the remote control car look.