internal antenna?
 

has any tried to shave off the antenna and put in an internal antenna?

there alredy is an internal intena..it located in your rear glass...if u ever pull the headunit theres 2 antena jacks..the small one is the one for the glass...most stereo shops dont use it b/c they dont have an adapeter.

why are there two antennas?

i dont like the big long antenna. If there is a way to use the internal antenna that would be great. Anyone know how?

1FAST7

*custom fabrication* buy a big one and a small extension (avble at radio shack) cut and strip the wires then hook male big up to female small...connect to radio...taadddooowwww...

2 antennas = diversity antenna . . . . radio waves have a very determined path of travel and by using two antennas you can filter out the noise and get better reception. I purchased the car without a power antenna so I did the following. I took the stock radio and cut both antenna ends off. I then soldered those ends together to get a male to male antenna converter. This method also gives you a large to small conversion which is needed because the windshield "diversity" antenna is a small plug. I run this setup on an Eclipse deck and I get acceptable reception. I must admit I don't listen to radio that often. I will shave off the antenna once I get the car repainted. I have been using this setup for a year now.

I'm using an aftermarket deck. And I only hooked it up to the external antenna. So, to be able to use the internal one instead all I have to do is get some stuff from radio shack and soulder some stuff together to make an adapter cable. Then just plug it in and I'm done?

Just cut the antenna leads from the stock deck.

Don't have my stock deck anymore. Sold it. I can find everything I need at radioshack though right?

Are you guys sure it's just a matter of hooking up the two antennas?
As I remember what it said in the owner's manual, there's circutry in the radio which looks between the two antennas and then chooses the stronger signal.
It only works on FM, but it's supposed to eliminate the picket fencing effect you sometimes get, especially in urban areas.

Ok ... first off there are two different hookups on the stock radio. You can't just hook up two antennas in a y-adapter or anything like that.

I am not trying to be rude or put anyone down, but any general descriptions of what the antennas do, like "looking between the two antennas" is really incorrect. There are some wireless microphone systems that employ this system but there are many other ways to do a diversity system. Antenna theory is way over the head of most people and is some of the most complex theory out there.

On that note, I am not sure if they have everything at Radioshack. I know for certain they have the normal size male antenna lead, but I don't know about the smaller size antenna lead. Bacon suggest they do so go for it.

Well Spyfish, now you forced me to go down and get the owner's manual out of my car.

Here's what it says on page 4-60:

"The rear power antenna receives both AM and FM signals, while the rear window antenna receives only FM broadcasts. After signals have been received from both the antennas, the antenna providing the best FM reception is selected. This is known as diversity tuning. With this method you will be able to enjoy the highest quality FM reception."

Unless Mazda is using some sort of "smart" antenna I haven't heard of, then some circutry in the receiver is choosing the stronger signal. My point being, if you've installed an aftermarket receiver, even if you hook up both antennas, you may not be getting the advantage of this diversity tuning, depending of course on whether or not your aftermarket receiver has that feature.

If a receiver has two hookups for antennas then it is probably a diversity receiver.

On the note of the manual, yes that is an adequate description of a diversity antenna setup. I like that much better than "looking between antennas". That was my main point in all of that. I hear so many statements like "well this is like that" when many of times those comparisons are really, in general, misleading. Looking "between the antennas" seems kind of mystical in how it is done, when in reality the manual is correct - it selects the stronger signal. Also as a side note I was trying to point out there are many different types of diversity systems. Sorry, I didn't mean to pick on you. It is just the electrical engineer in me coming out . . . . I'll try to go back in hiding . . . .