Need help with antenna

[Idle]

All the radio wires are connected correctly. But the large gray wire is going off to an external amp and the speaker wires are coming out of the amp.

The amp is sometimes mounted right next to the radio and sometime a foot or so away. Just follow the gray cable.

So did you test the car speakers by pulling the plugs from the back of the amp or did you hook on to them using the fader?

And..... The antenna you have is without a doubt a replacement. You can toss in another one for less than $100, at least that's what Automobile Atlanta gets on them.

You might also consider an after market Harada. Made for Japanese cars but they do work well in a situation like this.

[Idle]

And..... Usually when you turn on the radio and all you get is a 'bump' noise and then static, if even static, your amp is shot. Of course it could be something else; you might need to just pull the amp and your radio and take it to the service center so they can verify it is working as it should.

The good news is that the amp for this can be purchased on Ebay or replaced with a new one or yours can be repaired. There is some talk that these are a matched pair but I have never found that to be the case.

With some older GM radios from the late 60's... Yes, the unit and amp were a matched pair, but Becker seems to have found a way around that.

[Baxterdown]

Thanks Idle!

Indeed, when I turn on the stereo all I get is a "bump" and when I turn up the radio very loud is when I get the grunt static sound.

I'm definitely going to check out the amp. I was hoping it was a connection issue I could fix easily as a temporary way of getting music. My plan is to buy a Retrosound Model Two. -- I know its not the most elegant solution, but it's close to the look of the Becker and I get all of the modern conveniences like iPod connection and bluetooth phone.

I tested the speakers by connecting a 3.5mm adapter cable (see pic below) to my iPod, playing music, and then touching the speaker connectors with the cable connectors. Both rear speakers came alive and played music beautifully!

Thanks again for your feedback. I sincerely appreciate it!

Jose

[Baxterdown]

UPDATE:

I took out the amp as Idle suggested and took it to a shop that specializes in old Becker and other vintage car radios (I can't believe there's even such a place here in Fort Lauderdale!!). The gentleman that owns the shop put the amp up to his nose, inhaled deeply and said: nope, your amp is OK. Bring me the radio. -- Can you believe it!?!??!! LOL!

So I brought him the radio. As it turned out it was the radio. The regulator diode was bad. He replaced it and the radio came back to life! Here's a pic of his very cool shop full of old radios, him working on my radio, and the radio installed back in the car and playing tunes!



CASE CLOSED

[meltedpanda]

love it!

[Idle]

Thanks for the update. Many of us here try to offer advice that we have picked up over the years but it is always wonderful to hear back how that advice worked out. It is also wonderful to learn something that will be useful to someone else in the future.

[jia300d]

Hi, since this is not a very old thread, I would like to jump in to get some power antenna advice.
I am getting juice up to the connector that plugs into the power antenna electronics but the power does not pass beyond the printed circuit. If I bypass it, the motor operates (at least in one direction).

My question is: can I remove / bypass the printed circuit and make the antenna go up and down normally? My 87 300SDL has the separate antenna control switch so I would think it should help.

Thanks in advance for any info you could share.

[meltedpanda]

you have to be able to reverse polarity in order for it to go up and down. Back in the day it seems on my 72 I put in a manual toggel switch that did just that , direct to antenna and took power from fuse box bypassing the radio

[jia300d]

Thanks. It is more or less what I thought. So I guess that circuitry is there for the phone? I have a 12v battery that I can use to build a little test setup. Thanks!

[mtoomey]

Maybe I'm missing something here but the broken-off nylon part is INSIDE the motor itself so Photo #1 wouldn't tell you anything. You'd need to pull the motor out of the car (should be easy now) and remove an inspection cover. Then just pull out the nylon core and reinstall the motor. The new mast (with its nylon core extended)then goes in through the chrome fender mounting nut and the nylon core is captured by the motor when it's powered up / powered off and goes through the retracting mode.

[Baxterdown]

Hey guys, good morning! I hope it's ok to revive my own old thread

Four years later I'm ready to replace the antenna! LOL! I found this replacement online. I think it will work but wanted to double check with you guys. Let me know.

Thanks!

Jose

[meltedpanda]

id say so

[Baxterdown]

Thanks Ron! That's more than half the price of any aftermarket replacement I've seen out there. Everything else I had seen was around $100. I buy a lot of computer parts from Newegg so I know their products are good.

I'll update you guys when I install it!

Jose

[optimusprime]

Do remove the mast from the boot .As the nylon drive brakes up inside ,than the broken parts that come of the nylon drive fall inside the drive gears in the unit .So you need to open it up and clean all the broken nylon bits out .Fail to do this will in turn damage your new nylon drive . Remove the nut on the outer wing switch radio on withdraw the old nylon drive . And if it is worn you will see the teeth will be damaged and may leave half the nylon drive inside so it will need removal to clean it out and re grease the drive gears .Dont use grease but silicon grease inside. At same time replace the wing grommet or seal . Any more info pm i have information that came with my mast .To chose the right nylon drive take the number from the very end of your old telescopic mast there will be a stamp on the tip

[optimusprime]

You can use google images and put in the search box Hirschman power Antenna repair .Or go to youtube to see more of how to on the mast repair and service. Dont think you will find any number on the tip only H .