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The mkiv Supra Owners Club

Aerial retraction


Guest Flotilla

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Guest Flotilla

Hi, I have an aftermarket radio installed which extends the aerial every time I start the car with my ugly looking aerial.

 

I want to add a switch on the dash which can retract/extend it at will for when I actually use the radio.

Does anyone know which wires control the up/down of the antenna out of the back of the stereo and how I need to wire them on a three way switch to do it?

 

Looking at my aerial there only seems to be two wires going in (apart for the aerial wire).

 

Any pointers appreciated.

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I've fitted a switch to my car so I can lower the aerial at will. I did this a long time ago so I can't remember details, but I do remember that the switch doesn't need to be 3-way. The aerial is raised/lowered by a short-ish pulse sent down a wire. I fitted an in-line switch to this wire. To have the aerial behave normally (i.e. controlled by whether the head unit is on of off), the switch is closed. To keep the aerial retracted, the switch is opened.

 

I will post up a link if I can find it.

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Controlling the height would be fiddly IMO with the stock aerial. A short pulse (rising voltage to +12v?) down the wire tells the aerial to go up as far as it can. A different pulse (falling voltage to 0v?) tells it to retract as far as it can. The aerial keeps moving even after the pulse has finished. The only way you'd get the stock aerial to stop halfway up is to cut the power to the aerial motor when the aerial is at the desired length.

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Guest Flotilla

Thanks Stevie_b. that was exactly what I was lookin for. Gonna give this a go right now.

 

Now onto my next problem, anyone know where to get spare temp control knobs, mine has cracked

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Guest Flotilla

For anyone that is interested that worked perfectly. Cut the blue wire at the back of the stereo (which was marked antenna power), interrupted it with a two pole switch dropped into a spare slot on the dashboard and voila. A remote control antenna.

 

Thanks everyone!

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For anyone that is interested that worked perfectly. Cut the blue wire at the back of the stereo (which was marked antenna power), interrupted it with a two pole switch dropped into a spare slot on the dashboard and voila. A remote control antenna.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

Did you take any pics? We like pics round these parts.

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