rbaron

I've got an external cellphone antenna glued to the outside of the left rear window. The antenna was broken and it appears I need to remove the whole thing (including the glued on baseplate/mount) to replace it with a new one.

However, the glue is really strong.

Does anyone have an idea/suggestion/known workable solution for removing it from the glass without causing damage?

Thanks,

--Bob

ltc

Some early antennas were actually epoxy/glued to the glass. I can't offer any suggestions for these.

If yours is not, it is likely held in place with a thin adhesive VHB/UHB (very high bond/ ultra high bond) 2 sided adhesive. Yes, 2 sided ahesive films have come a long way!

Removal can be done by inserting a razor blade between the antenna base and glass; or inserting a putty knife between them. Take your time.

You can also squirt a few drops of Acetone down between the base and the glass to help soften the adhesive. You can also use a bit of Acetone to help remove any residue from the glass once the base is removed.

rbaron

Thanks, Lewis.

Is there a sure way to tell if the mount is epoxy/glued as opposed to attached with a VHB/UHB adhesive?

One suggestion has been to get some piano wire and slide it down between the mount and the glass. I don't have a piano any more but I may have an old guitar string around somewhere....



--Bob

ltc

Bob,
If you start putting a new razor blade (or putty knife) behind the base (in between the base and the glass) and it feels as hard as a rock, then it's been epoxied/glued.
Chances are it has not, as most antennas have switched to VHB/UHB mounting; I haven't seen epoxy bases in years....but there are still some out there.

You can also try the same trick used to remove badges/emblems....use a length of dental floss (Glide brand works well !).

If you do use a bit of acetone to loosen/remove the adhesive, please keep it off your paint; if you do get some on, flush it off with water.
You can also use GooGone, any of the citrus based adhesive removers or even WD40 to help remove adhesive.

Good luck.

rbaron

Well, I found some Glide brand dental floss in the medicine cabinet - obviously from a long ago 'thank you' kit from a visit to the dentist - and it did the job.

I would add these notes for future generations reading this thread:

--Wear gloves. Otherwise the dental floss will really hurt when you pull.

--It took several passes with three layers of floss. Anything less than three layers won't do the job, and even at that it broke several times. Make sure you have plenty on hand.

--I did not need any GooGone or WD-40; the remaining adhesive peeled right off and a little soap and water finished the job.

Thanks again, Lewis.

--Bob

ltc

You're welcome, glad it worked out well.

wingless

My 04-10-2004 post in this topic shows the Porsche antenna, that fits into an available space in the rear spoiler. This topic shows the FME male to UHF male connector, required to interface the 955 647 212 00 interior antenna lead to the phone kit.

rbaron

Thanks, Wingless, but that appears to be a way to tap into the Porsche cellphone car kit, which is not the arrangement I have.

--Bob

wingless

My installation utilized the Porsche antenna and wiring, but a standard Motorola hands-free telephone kit.

rbaron

Mine is somewhat of a stop gap solution pending a way to plug into the pcm (fat chance of that ever happening); I use a bluetooth hands free kit and the phone stays in my pocket (unless I need to dial a number that is not in its voice actuated phonebook). The external antenna under discussion is for a repeater, which may be technically dubious to some but it does seem to work. Somewhat.

--Bob

wingless

It is not difficult to integrate an aftermarket phone with the PCM. PCM 2 permits mute and 2.1 also permits the remote voice to be piped through the right front door speaker. Either may utilize the existing dual speaker, in the roof console.

The Porsche spoiler antenna should also work with the repeater. That would be a cleaner installation.

rbaron

Can you then use the numeric keyboard on the PCM to dial outgoing calls?

What about the Bluetooth functionality?

wingless

Ha ha ha. That is a good one. I'll have to remember that.

No, the numeric keypad is reserved for our European friends. We're lucky they provided the US market with any phone functionality at all.

Sure, Bluetooth can mute a PCM 2, through '04, and the remote voice for PCM 2.1, '05 and later.