windborn
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1957 Sportcraft 15
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Post by windborn on May 10, 2015 10:18:27 GMT -8
I have this little thing in the bed area of my Sportcraft. At first I thought it was a missing light, but I realized that it's on the other side of an antenna on the exterior. Anyone know if it's a radio hook-up? Is there any use for it today?   |
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Post by vintagebruce on May 10, 2015 12:38:37 GMT -8
Maybe the PO had a ham radio or something that s/he plugged into it to utilize the external antenna. Some Member smarter than me will take one look at your pic and give you the correct answer.
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on May 10, 2015 14:32:54 GMT -8
AM/FM radio antenna. Radios have a hard time receiving from the inside of a metal trailer. It's no different than the radio antenna on your older car.
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windborn
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Post by windborn on May 10, 2015 15:54:37 GMT -8
Thanks mobiltec, that makes sense. Does anyone have a radio hooked up to something like this now? Is hooking it up pretty straightforward? I'm leaning toward just getting rid of it, though realized it could be helpful for entertainment if I'm off-the-grid.
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on May 10, 2015 17:05:48 GMT -8
They hook up exactly the way the old radios in cars hooked up. Just a piece of coax from the radio to the antenna. Center lead goes to the antenna and the shield goes to ground. That would be aluminum skin ground. Of course you would have to find a radio that has an external antenna hook up to use it.
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windborn
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Post by windborn on May 10, 2015 17:36:55 GMT -8
Right, thanks. Something to consider!
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SusieQ
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Post by SusieQ on May 11, 2015 3:27:27 GMT -8
If you don't want to keep it as a radio antenna, you could consider putting a cable/tv connection in that spot.
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windborn
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Post by windborn on May 11, 2015 3:46:28 GMT -8
Susieq, I'm one of those freaks who would prefer a radio to a TV!
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Hamlet
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Post by Hamlet on May 11, 2015 4:19:15 GMT -8
Ray dee-o? What's a ray dee-o? Actually, we watch almost no TV,. Our favorite entertainment is the myriad old time radio shows that are now available on the Internet. Especially when we're out in Hamlet, it helps us feel even more like we're in another time.
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Post by bigbill on May 11, 2015 7:42:36 GMT -8
You might consider building a small cabinet just large enough to house a automotive radio/cd player and mount it over the antenna opening. It could be powered off of 12 volts or a small wall wort power supply. If mounted flat to the wall it wouldn't have to be over 3"x 8"x 10" and possibly smaller. It could be disguised as a magazine rack or anything you can imagine. with a little smart shopping the radio could even monitor the weather bands. You could mount small small speakers any place you desired for a quality sound.
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windborn
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Post by windborn on May 11, 2015 9:54:22 GMT -8
Not a bad idea, bigbill. I'll put that on my "one day, in the future" list and focus on the rot for now.
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