Car radio antennas

[TC Chris]

I washed the Chevy today and put the new top down for the first time. I must have bumped the antenna. It's the standard telescoping antenna from the period, back before the wanted a fixed-length wire for FM performance. Longer was better for AM. But the Chevy's antenna has to be fiddled with. I assume that there are some internal brass/bronze wipers to make contact between sections. Has anybody ever dealt with this?

I'll post some pix of the top-down clean Chevy when I get home.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

We used to keep power antennas working nicely by spraying some WD-40 on a rag, fully extending the antenna, then wiping the mast with the WD-40. Cycle the antenna two or three times afterwards. Not only would this keep the antenna from sticking in a position, it would help to eliminate the noise and intermittent operation when the elements got some corrosion on them.

[TC Chris]

I'll try that. It did sit for 35 years, so if I'm lucky it's just a bit of corrosion.

Chris Campbell