I tried using the search function for this but couldnt really find anything. My 97 Maxima has a factory Bose in it but is missing the rear window antenna. It seems to be getting its radio reception only from the Antenna mast located on the back right.

In NYC i have no problem with reception but when i go to Buffalo NY for school the reception becomes horrendous lol.

My current setup atm is a Pioneer DEH-X4600 BT Headunit connected to the stock speakers with wire harnesses and adapters.

Is it hard to find and install that 2nd rear window antenna? And how much do you think it would cost?

Another question i have regarding my setup is using bluetooth. I read somewhere on another thread that pioneer is one of the brands that always kicks up the back antenna. Is there something i can do that does not require wire splicing to keep the antenna down when using this mode? It'd be nice if the antenna only came up when i was using it for the radio.

As usual, thanks in advance for the responses. Looking forward to reading your replies!

 

get a stubby antenna, S2K or 350z

 

From what i was reading i heard that that would make my reception worse. In the other thread i was reading people were saying they relied on their second rear window antenna when installing the stubby.

Do you think it would be cheap and easy to install a rear window antenna in my car?

 

don't know but i mounted my stubby where the motorized antenna sits and ran an 8' Motorola cable to the back of my alpine unit, reception is great

 

Do you know if your car has the rear window antenna? Im pretty sure stubbys only work well when they have an amplifier. From what i understand our stock antennas dont have that.

 

don't think so it's a 97, no amplifier

 

What rear window antenna?

The wires in the glass are for the defroster.

Unless there is a second antenna hidden somewhere.

 

what I've always thought, i do remember someone once talking about a rear window antenna before tho but i think it was 5th gen

 

Throughout the forums i keep reading that that 4th gen maximas with stock bose were equipped with two different antennas. One being the rear antenna mast and the other being one thats near the rear window. Thats why when you buy an antenna adapter for an aftermarket head unit there are two female plugs.

With more digging thought i dont think the double antenna thing always came with bose equipped cars. Mine had bose equipped and it didnt have the second antenna. In another thread i read that someone without the bose had two antennas.

This is one of the threads that i keep referencing to
https://maxima.org/forums/4th-genera...tion-pics.html

On the next link post #7 99BlackMaxMS directly refers to the second antenna on the rear window.
https://maxima.org/forums/4th-genera...bby-cheap.html

 

I've never seen any second antenna or second antenna plug/wire on mine so i can't help ya with that

 

Thats alright thanks for the fast response. Still looking for some answers!

 

At least the 3rd gen Maxima did have two antennas - the motorized mast, and an antenna painted onto the rear window in the topmost several lines of what looks like rear defroster "wires". I can imagine the connection to that breaking off pretty easily. I also don't expect the reception from that would be very good anyway, except that it's high in the vehicle.
I'd recommend getting an inline booster (Crutchfield sells a switchable one) and put it inline with the mast. The two antenna cables (at least in 3rd gen) join up under the rear seat to the dual cable that goes to the head unit. It's under the carpet.
The Bose head unit (and I think the Clarion too) has diversity tuning, meaning that for whatever station you're tuning to, it will take the stronger signal from the two antenna inputs. With the booster, that would always be the mast.
Switching the booster off in NYC would prevent multipath (echoes or garbled).
You could just give up on the second antenna and run a new cable the length of the floorpan. I don't think the original dual cable was very good quality, and if it got any moisture in it...

Hope this helps,

Jim

 

The 4th gen has an antenna in the rear windshield. It is the upper most wires. This antenna is what picks up the signals from the remote to lock & unlock the doors. The rod antenna in the fender and the window antenna connect in the right side C-pillar.

See post # 56 in this link for photos:
https://maxima.org/forums/4th-genera...s-entry-2.html

As for the Kenwood head unit always ouputting the signal to raise the antenna, yeah, they all do that. Unlike the head units made by Clarion for Nissan that only activate the antenna for actual radio, Kenwood is on all the time. Kenwood uses that wire for both the antenna and to turn on an amplifier.

 

so basically the rear window antenna has zero function for the radio

 

It is used by the radio, at least the Bose radio. The antenna wire that plugs into be back of the Bose has 2 prongs on it. It is called a diversity antenna. Don't ask me to explain it. If you got the Metra or Schoche diversity antenna adapter (Metra # 40-NI10), that should make it work.

But I don't know if cars built without the Bose radio had the rear window with antenna built into it. I have not seen what I consider a definitive answer to that. I see lots of "yes it does" and "no it doesn't" comments, so I don't know. It could be a case of exactly what year car are we talking about. It is like the 95 & 96 are gen 4.0, the 97 & 98 are gen 4.5 and the 99 is gen 4.9.

In that link I posted earlier, I can see the radio antenna lines in the one photo. If you look at the diagram on page 130 in this link, Rear Window Antenna, it shows the wire layout. Once you know what it looks like, you can look at the car and know for certain.

 

Would getting a stubby and an inline signal amplifier be a plausible solution?

 

ok, thanks for that info lol

 

Maybe a little bit.

But I'm wondering if you really understand FM radio transmission compared to AM radio.

FM radio signals do not go as far as AM signals. No standard FM broadcast signal can go the 350 miles from New York to Rochester. You would be lucky to pick up a station 100 miles away.

 

I mean im not trying to pick up NYC radio stations. The local stations around here are fuzzy and unclear here and i was trying to see what my options were for improving the signal. I might just end up leaving my setup the way it is though. I mostly use the bluetooth function of my headunit anyways. I was asking the question more out of curiosity and would have done something about it if the fix was cheap and easy.

The thing that bothers me more is how the antenna comes out when im in bluetooth mode. Kinda regret not getting a JVC HU because i heard those engage the antenna only when you're actually using the radio.

 

again, get a stubby, same length all the time, picks up fm just fine, and it doesn't matter what hu you have

 

You could wire a switch into the antenna power wire. I got a cheap switch at Radio Shack. I mounted it in the ash tray. Just switch it off when you're not using the tuner.

 

Just realized you said no splicing in your OP. Sorrry.

 

Because I knew Nissan's OEM radio manufacturer was Clarion, I went with Clarion CX609 to replace my Bose HU. As DennisMik said, my antenna only goes up for radio. USB, CD, or bluetooth, the antenna stays down or retracts if up. Reception is awesome too. I got the diveristy antenna adapter from crutchfield. I used to frequently travel between NYC and Boston. On I95 I would get NYC FM stations up to Exit 60 in Connecticut. AM, like 1010 WINS or CBS 880 I could get deep into Rhode island, sometimes even into MA!

 

I put a Sony in my 97 and it only powered up the antenna when the radio was used. So there are probably other brands as well. It's just that Kenwood is not one of them.

 

Yea my headunit is Pioneer. I'm more worried about water getting in and the drain tube not doing its job. Whats the process of getting a stubby installed? and im a little worried about doing wire splicing myself.

 

Oops, my bad on the head unit brand. I have Kenwood on the brain because I'm installing one in my car and it has a constant antenna on signal.

I can't answer the stubby antenna question because I've never done it.

 

the stubby was simple, for the one i purchased, i used the factory mounting ring on the rear fender and there's a bolt that runs up from the base inside the trunk that the antenna itself screws into, only thing i had to do was go to home depot and get a bolt longer than the one that came with it because it's a 350 aftermarket and the z doesn't have a deep nipple like the max

 

I'll take some pics later today for you

 

So are you Bose, Or Pioneer??

Mine was non Bose and had both antennae. The stock head units were equipped with FM Diversity, a circuit that would switch to the stronger signal between the window and mast. The circuit was built into the HU, so when switching to an after market HU you lose this, and the available adapters simply use the mast antenna.

If you don't have a stock HU with FM diversity, then dont waste your time.