Using your rear window defroster as an antenna, Who has done this? Fess up. Please. Options

[balljoint]

I am researching hidden antenna options for the 914 stereo and a number of times in searches I have found reference to a person or people here who have used their rear window defroster as a stereo antenna.

What I haven't been able to find out is who did it, and how well it actually works. Anybody want to fess up?

I know some modern cars have antennae built into windows in this way, but I don't know if they are using the same grid or a separate wire. Although I suppose that heating up your stereo antenna with an electrical current might cause some radio interference.... (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smile.gif)

[jsteele22]

Antennas are strange beasts. I once bought a set of rabbit ears for my TV, calculated the ideal dipole length for a given station, oriented it for maximal reception from the transmitter, and when that worked like crap I tried every other position imaginable. I chucked the thing and tried ten feet of kinked Romex lying on the floor and the reception was amazing. On my Saab, the power antenna that raises every time I turn on the CD player (pause to think about that one) eventually crapped out. Since it wouldn't retract and looked awful, I removed it. Reception is pretty much the same - haven't replaced it in a year. I'm not saying that Maxwell's equations don't aply (evolution is taking enough heat as it is...) but in the real world there are so many complications that random luck can often be almost as good as a carefully engineered solution. Take my dental fillings for example....

Anyway, I'd say the thing to do is find a piece of coax, hook it up to your radio, and touch the center conductor to the defroster wire. Make sure it isn't at 12V first. I'd be amazed if you didn't get something. Whether its good enough is anybodys guess.