GB 95 CAB

A local dealer's body shop pointed out that my windshield was delaminating in the lower edges (indicated by slight cloudiness). One area where the delamination is obvious is a half circle (about 1/2 inch radius) right around the radio antenna at the lower, right edge of the windshield. This could be ultimately effect the reception, I'm told.

BTW, the body shop told me that delamination is a familiar problem and that Porsche has been known to replace the windshield.

Anir

In trying to fix the poor radio reception, I came across this black cord in the right proximal corner of the trunk (just in front of the firewall). I believe it is the part described by EJ.

It measures about 6-7 inches. The thicker round plug was securely attached to a small black box mounted to the outer fender wall with a silver steel bracket. However, the thin, flat, gold end was dangling free.

I suspect that this gold tip is supposed to connect in some fashion to a foil lead at the base of the windshield - to access the built-in antenna. However, I can't figure out where and how? Does anyone have any suggestions?

It really is tight in there.

(To my knowledge, my windshield has never been replaced.)

Ray Calvo

For info, on my '95 the radio connnector is on the INSIDE of the car - underneath the dash top. By following the instructions in the shop manual and cursing and swearing a lot, I got the dash top off (biggest problem was accessing the screws behind the center air outlet). With the top off, connector to the aerial embedded in the windshield is totally accessible.

I do not seee a way of getting at that connector without taking that dash top off - maybe if you remove the radio you can access it, but I'm not positive.

Accd'g to the wiring diagram in the shop manual, the antenna is powered from a line leading from the radio itself. Case for ALL 993 thru '98.

Radio reception to me is good with the OE CR-1 and better with the Kenwood KMD-44.

(NPR???? Give me a break! Only good thing on there is "Click and Clack" on Saturday AM!!!)

Kevin

Anir;
What you have is the lead that attaches from your windshield to your antenna amplifier. I can tell you for sure that the lead has broken off of your windshield. I have tried to fix a similar situation with my car by trying to solder the terminal to the windshield, the reception wasn't good. You will need a new windshield. Sorry

E. J. - 993 Alumni

Anir, having gone through this, I am afriad Kevin is right. You need a new windshield. There is no way to reconnect that lead to the windshield. It flabbergasts me that Porsche would design a connector as flimsy and delicate as this. When we were installing my windshield, we felt like we had to be ginger not to pull that lead from the windshield on our won, never mind trying to feed it through the tiny hole at the base of the glass.

Sorry for the bad news.

Anir

Ray, Kevin, and EJ,

Thanks for the help.

What do ya'll think about connecting the wire to another antenna, or the sheetmetal itself. Would this work? Any drawbacks with respect to the integrity of the electrical system?

I'm not sure I can justify ripping out an otherwise good windshield just to get a functioning stock radio antenna. If the information is correct, Porsche sure didn't engineer the antenna to be "bulletproof".

I'm open to any suggestions. Thanks.

Ray Calvo

Should work OK, from looking at back of the CR-1. Looks fairly generic. Mount a new aerial someplace and route antenna wire directly to the back of the radio. Yank old antenna lead and connect new antenna lead to radio.

Personally, I would not try to mess with splicing the new antenna into old aerial lead. Too much chance of getting heavy interference plus you have to get upstream of the amplifier (which I think is close to the radio).

Anir

Thanks, Ray.

I'd like to mount a new, small aerial in the trunk, so that it is hidden. However, I wonder about excessive shielding from the sheetmetal.

Ray Calvo

Bad antenna? Some ideas:

a) have seen for sale (J. C. Whitney) small glass-mount AM/FM antennas that look like a cellular phone antenna. Have a CB antenna that looks like this attached to driver's side rear quarter window.

b) Radio Shack sells a transparent tape-mount antenna that glues around the windshield edge. Should work similar to factory in-glass antenna. Part no. 12-1325

c) Talk to a local auto stereo shop and see what they suggest.

Anir

Thanks, Ray, for the helpful suggestions.

As an experiment, I'm planning to tape down the antenna lead to the sheetmetal of the inside wheelwell. I'm not too hopeful, but just curious to see if the car can function as an antenna itself. I'll let ya'll know if my electrical system self-destructs.

Jump2xs

CHECK THE CONNECTION AT THE RADIO FIRST. I too had the bad reception syndrom and the first thing I checked was the windsheild antenna connection. this was NOT the problem. the connection at the radio had worked loose, a much easier fix than the infamously inaccessable windshield connection, which BTW I used my 9 year old daughters small hands and I removed the lift strut at the top for even more clearance to check the connection under the windshield

LJ993

I have suffered from lousy reception for several years. I used to have pretty good reception. I can't remember but either when my windshield was replaced to when I added some diamond audio speakers and an alpine amp installed by a local auto audio shop that I lost reception. I have been stuck with access to just two am stations for years. Today I pulled the radio, a CR-210, and found that the end of the antenna, about a 1/4 inch from the male end had partially broken, the inner hair thin wire is for fm reception and the woven wrap brings in the am, Well when trying to access the situation, I broke the darn thing off completely! I wil have to have a new end soldered on, I will probably have La Jolla Audio take a stab at it. I ordered a cdr-220 today so by the time it gets here, hopefully the antenna will be fixed and I can enjoy the am, fm, cd, and an ipod plug! keep those fingers crossed. By the way, I noticed that there is a short antenna adapter that has a normal female end on it and then a 90 degree smaller male end that will fit the plug on the back of the becker radios. I believe that becker sells the adapter. It eliminates the need for the flimsy 90 degree metal and nylon piece on the cr210. All the best. Phil

1996 993 Cab

solomonschris

"These things have radios?". Not my line but I can't remember whose it was.

jhg41977

Im also having poor reception issues. I checked the above list. The antenna booster is a small (3/4 of a deck of cards) box behind the passenger side hood hinge right? The small black wire seems attached (I gently tugged). I cannot reach the larger wire on teh back side of it but it appears attached. I may have my wife try when she gets home. I went under the dash and the connection to the rear of the deck is tight and the pin is intact. The small gauge wire coming out of the antenna wire (assuming this is the power lead to the booster) is continuous to the deck, no fuse that I can see and the plug is tight.

Any other ideas before I go buy a new deck? Is there a way to test the reception of the antenna?

NH-Archer

I am doing winter fixes on things that need attention and radio reception is garbage. I removed the radio to find the antenna wire broken and the black wire (amplifier power) is not connected. I purchased an amplifier(booster) on Ebay for $12 and plan on replacing the original. FYI these boosters are the same for all Porsches, part number XXX.645.173.01. The XXX is the car designation.... ie. 993/964/944 etc. More to come...