C2 Antenna Cable

[John L.]

I recently had the radio from my '66 rebuilt by Jerry at Electro Design who then bench tested it and said it was working very well. I put it back in the car and got no AM and little FM reception (should note that I had reception problems prior to the rebuild) With that said, its time to replace the antenna cable and I plan to order a new one from Paragon. These are my questions:
1) Should I also go ahead, and replace the orginal ground plate, do these things wear out?
2) The antenna is currently installed without the antenna spacer and seems to fit okay. What value does the antenna spacer provide?

Thanks for the feedback.

[Harry S.]

Re: C2 Antenna Cable

John, antennas do not go bad. They can be damaged but they don't go bad.

Check for continuity of the inner wire and the outer wrap. It's essentially a coax cable. If you have continuity then your problem is somewhere else.

Check the antenna connection, grounds, etc.

[Jack H.]

Re: C2 Antenna Cable

I'd first start with the 'acid' test (temporarily substitute an el cheapo WalMart replacement antenna with captive lead-in cable) to verify the problem(s) lie with the antenna/lead-in cable. Then, proceed to replace the lead-in cable when you observe a DRAMATIC improvement in AM reception due to the antenna substitution.

Last, if/when you do replace the lead-in cable, be GENTLE when you route it from the antenna to the radio. The lead wire inside is typically quite small in diameter and prone to fatigue fracture if you make SHARP bends and/or PULL too hard during the routing process.

The ground plane plate does NOT age/wear. Just make sure the electrical connections are 'clean'.

The spacers were there two reasons: (1) keep the metal plate flat and orthagonal to the antenna mast above, vs. 'curling' against the body's curvature, and (2) thwart the potential for vibration/slapping against the body panel.

[Jack H.]

Re: C2 Antenna Cable

Checking physical continuity with a VOM isn't always a valid method... Sometimes a given lead-in cable will have an in-line capacitor to block signal overload (driving next to overhead power cables).