Prius antenna mod

Do a search (Google is your friend - top right of the page) on shark fin... There is also an audio section (which this fits).

Answer - yes - people have added it to the gen III. It will give you slightly worse performance - but the Gen II really already has a bad radio (stock, JBL and JBL Nav). So it comes to a looks vs performance thing. It seems to only degrade performance slightly, so if radio isn't a big issue, go for it...

 

LOL. It's too much.
Here in the USofA we'd kill for some of the JDM parts.
Apparently, in Japan the hot parts are USDM:

US PRIUS HEADLIGHT CUSTOM
(LED CUSTOM・INNER BLACK CHROME), HID 6500k

I wonder how they handle the right hand/left hand drive
incompatabilities. From here.

I could go for the black chrome headlight reflectors,
and full black chrome tail light reflectors as well...

the operating LEDs, mehh.

 

I doubled the copper in the aftermarket Visual Garage Shark Fin antenna which effectively changed it from a 1/4 wavelength antenna to a 1/2 wavelength antenna. Here's a pic:

[IMGLINK]http://priuschat.com/forums/attachments/gen-iii-2010-prius-accessories-modifications/21792d1266423301-sr-shark-fin-010.jpg[/IMGLINK]

It didn't seem to improve reception any. But it also didn't seem to hurt, so I kept it and it's stuck onto my roof.

My guess is that the Lexus or other OEM shark fin antenna will not improve reception unless it also includes electronics to boost and filter signal reception.

 

Somewhat off-topic, but does anyone know why car manufacturers stopped embedding antenna wire in the windshield or other window (my Volvo 850 wagon had it embedded in one of the rear side windows)?

From my limited experience, those glass-embedded antennas were full wavelength antennas (about 120 linear inches of antenna wire) and provided better reception than the current crop of whip or shark fin antennas which are usually 1/4 wavelength (about 30 inches of antenna wire).

 

Superdrol,

on shark fin alternatives...

Some while back back I decided that compared to the antenna fins on
other cars, the Visual Garage shark fin was somewhat chunky looking.
This stems from the antenna having to go on over the Prius' OEM
cone-shaped antenna base.

FWIW, I started a thread looking to find technical specs on
the OEM fins on other makes of cars. If I could find a better looking
fin with specs matching the OEM Prius antenna and base I would
have installed it -- the OEM base has an imbedded 12V amplifier.

I'd like to know if the Lexus 600h shark fin has the amplifier and is
a straight forward plug and go installation. Well, not exactly as you
have to partially take down the headliner to get at the nut that holds
the OEM base on.

Sadly, nothing of value came of the effort...
With any luck, maybe you'll do better.

 

The still do, but never on hybrids. Why, I have no idea.

For instance, the 7th generation Honda Civics (2001-2005) had rear window embedded antennas except for the hybrid that had the antenna just like the Prius.

I was told when looking at the 2005 civic hybrid it was because the interference from the HV batteries, so they move it externally. However, I do not buy it since it is still in the same circuit, just moved up. It is not like the batteries generate FM/AM interference just because they are batteries, unless there is something the japanese dont want to tell us!

 

I think it really needs a dual diversity antenna. Most of the problems I'm seeing with mine are multipath on FM signals. I had DD in a 98 Nissan, and that was the best mobile reception I've ever gotten...

 

Thanks 2k1.

But a window embedded antenna still seems to be an exception these days, even on non-hybrid cars.

 

The Visual Garage shark fin is almost identical to the first ones that were on BMWs.

 

Join the satellite radio club I havent listened to terrestrial radio since summer of 2004.

 

You have to love initiative - and attempting to improve on an antenna design within its designs wins all the kudos!

I think we all have proven the "Toyota" antenna is best - which it should be due to design constraints - and a massive budget - combined with a great engineering team...

I loved my antenna amp attempt - which (I'm engineer - dahhhh) did amplify the goods, but mostly the bads...

Now - if we could harness the strength of...

 

Damnit Jim, It's an antenna not a _______________

 

Just goes to show ... sometimes it's not the meat (amplification), it's the motion (filter).