OEM antenna for 2002 ML 500 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

#1 01-04-2003, 12:39 PM

Could anyone kindly tell me the made of the factory installed antenna and where I can order one for GPS/GSM phone?

The reason I am asking this that my car doesn't come with a dedicate antenna for the GSM phone. However, when I open up a black plastic cover located near the rear of the roof, I notice that there is a female connector already there. Does it imply that I can simply add an antenna base and whip, and then I will be able to use the pre-wire signal cable to the front, behind the radio. Moreover, I am quite sure that the antenna signal is running all the way from the rear roof to the center console because I also find an antenna connector there.

If my assumption is correct, I can simply install my Nokia 6090 car phone with the antenna setup. This simplifies the installation a great deal as I don't need to run a new signal cable all the way to the roof.

BTW, my car is a RHD Euro. Spec. model in Hong Kong and I think the setup is mostly the same as your LHD model. I have been trying hard to find this OEM antenna from the Internet, but without success.

So any lead on the supply of the antenna or any techincal advise is highly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

Gilly · #2 01-04-2003, 04:22 PM

Sam:
The antenna used on your 2002 I believe will be for the cell phone and also the GPS. The GPS wire will be behind the radio (MCS unit). I am unsure how the truck for your market is set up, but on a US market truck, there will also be a hookup for GPS under the seat. On a LHD vehicle, it would be under the right seat, may be under the left seat on yours. The antenna wires you see in the console would go roughly behind the radio as well, where the PSE (phone nodule) would mount on your version truck. The antenna part number the dealer should be able to provide. I am unfamiliar with "GSM" style phone, with this set up, you may need a different antenna, but in a US version, it has just the one antenna which is for both the cell phone and GPS, it is also used with the "Teleaid" telematics system, unsure if this was part of your truck when new or not, but since there is a plug there, not an antenna, I assume not. I would think it would be something you could use for adding your own system.

Gilly

myarmar · #3 01-04-2003, 04:50 PM

I have 99 ML430 and I orderd antenna 163 820 06 75 and splitter 163 820 12 89. I use this setup for phone and GPS. For your car you need different antenna with integrated splitter. I don't know the part number for it. It looks like this:

#4 01-04-2003, 11:15 PM

I am quite sure that the GPS/GSM are sharing the same antenna even thought MB doesn't offer Teleaid or Netvigation in our area. And I think for a clean look, the dealer might as well not installing the antenna due to the unavailibility of these functions. Does it mean that I only require to order the antenna mask only can take advantage of the pre-wire harness. In fact, this is all I want to do.

Could you tell me any shop/dealer online I can order these parts? Thanks.

#5 01-05-2003, 03:52 AM

You can see there is a female plug in it and if I screw inan antenna mask, I think I can connect the antenna socket of my Nokia phone into.

What do you think? Thanks.

Gilly · #6 01-05-2003, 08:21 AM

Sam:
Pull down the center piece of trim underneath the hole (in the interior of the truck) and see if you can find the 3 leads that the antenna plugs in to, like Myarmar posted a picture of.
My concern is that a GSM phone uses a different type of antenna than what is used here. If I am not mistaken, a GSM phone is not a cell phone, I am assuming a GSM phone is a satellite phone, and if so the antenna may be different. The GPS part of the antenna would be the same. Possibly the GPS antenna would work as the antenna for a GSM phone.
Is there no dealer or GSM phone/GPS specialty shop in Hong Kong that can help you with this?

Gilly

Gilly · #7 01-05-2003, 08:44 AM

OK, I did some research, it appears a GSM phone is a type that isn't used here is the US yet, but is not a satellite phone. It looks like it is a different antenna though, check out this link, look at option code #270......
http://www.imtcexport.com/Resources/AllMBCodesShort_TITLES.pdf

A visit to this site shows some antennas being offered that seem to be just for GSM:
http://www.aerpro.com/download/Antenna_May2000.pdf

Here is a really useful link to a guy who it sounds like is going through what you are, except possibly not in Hong Kong:

http://srd.yahoo.com/S=2766679:WS1/R=7/K=mercedes+ml+gsm+phone+antenna/H=0/T=1041773170/F=1b90a06ccda6c283b959fee8650a8dd1/*http://www.keysolutions.com/M-Class.nsf/aac7d56ca8fd884b852563be00610639/AD96201628AB6EA685256921000856F8?OpenDocument

Well, that's about all the surfing I feel like doing on this for now, i hope there is a "silver bullet" in all of it for you, especially that last one, go down about half of that page and you'll find where he installed his phone, lots of good info there.

Gilly

ps: decided to add this paragraph from that last link I posted. This seems like the most important part to read, but it is an interesting link in it's entirety:

Since I was also installing a GPS system, I opted to get MB part # 163 820 06 75, which is the combo GPS/cell antenna that made its debut with the 00MLs. The cabling in the 99s (and the 98s, I suspect) is RG-58U coaxial cable, which support analog, and the various flavors of digital (i.e. CDMA, TDMA, and GSM). Since I have a 99, I also had to get MB part # 163 820 12 89, which is the complement to the combo antenna. The antenna muxes the GPS and cell signal together, while this part splits them back out again. This splitter took forever to hunt down with zero help from MB--the only reason this project was completed was because of great help from my dealership's parts guy and service tech. For model year 2000 and beyond, you already have the splitter and it is located behind the radio--astonishingly, it is clearly labeled "splitter".

#8 01-05-2003, 09:18 AM

myarmar · #9 01-05-2003, 01:29 PM

Sam, it is hard to tell from you picture but if you have M6 thread there the old antenna would fit. It doesn't have separate cables to connect - mounting thread is RF connection. In this case the duck tale antenna from 98 - 99 ML would fit. It was only $12 from the dealer. I have one removed from my ML when I upgrated to phone/gps antenna. If you want I can send it to you. It is tuned for GSM 900. You would have to cut whip if you have GSM 1800.

ML320 · #10 01-16-2003, 12:30 PM

Here's some info for installing the factory GPS and cellphone antenna in 1998 to 2000 MLs:

http://www.whnet.com/4x4/gps_antenna.html

The new style antenna is less expensive and doesn't need to be glued to the roof like the previous version.

Wolfgang