Sorry! Aerial / antenna search...advice appreciated!

[Hello Polo]

Sorry, I'm sure this must have been asked a thousand times...

I have a 2001 1.4L 6n2.

Crackly reception, particularly on any radio station that isn't very local to me - I want to start by replacing the aerial.

Question is, where do I get a good quality aerial from (that's the whole thing, including the base antenna)?

EBay has hundreds, most shipping in from HK and China. ECP are out of stock. And I don't want to pay a fortune...(unless this is the only answer!).

Thanks.

[shinygizmo]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Autoleads-RMA86 ... ariel+base


thats a cheap one on amazon. it says its universal and fits VW's - whether it will work i dont know. have you tried getting in touch with your local vw garage and see if they can order one in for you?

[alexperkins]

Quickest and cheapest is this one

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Shark-Fin-Ant ... 4844e3f551

And it looks good too

[Hello Polo]

thanks guys, however:

shinygizmo - the aerial on Amazon has the wrong connector.

alexperkins - the aerial on eBay isn't compatible with the 6n2.

I'd try my local dealer but I would reckon that this is the most expensive option. When I used to run Mk1, Mk2 and Mk4 Golfs, some years ago, there were loads of places selling great aerials, but admittedly they were real shops, not internet shops...

I was hoping to find lots of people on this forum that had already replaced their aerials and could recommend a good seller.

I'll keep looking...

[alexperkins]

The eBay one does fit the 6N2 - I have fitted those exact aerials to at least five different 6N2s mate

[Lucaio]

Alex, would that aerial fit a 9n3 also?

[Hello Polo]

ah, right, their vehicle compatibility checker says otherwise...

"This item does not fit VW Polo 2001 6N2 [1999-2001] Hatchback 1.4"

But thanks for the info, shows you can never trust what eBay says!

[alexperkins]

I know they fit 9ns so 99% sure they'll fit 9N3s

Lol don't believe everything you read

[Lucaio]

Awesome, cheers mate.
It's only a tenner anyway so if it doesn't fit it's not the end of the world.

[Hello Polo]

Update:
ordered and fitted http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Shark-Fin-Ant ... 4844e3f551

However, radio reception significantly poorer with the new shark fin...

Reconnected the original aerial and switched between the two several times to ensure it wasn't a connection / fitting problem.
For example, unable to pick up Radio2 with the new aerial, fine with the old one...

Contacted seller for advise....

[alexperkins]

The shark fin aerials sometimes need an inline booster installed behind the radio. They are cheaply available on eBay

[Oskah]

I had a similar problem with mine, it had a sony head unit in it when I bought it but the radio reception was pretty poor. I fitted an inline booster from halfords and its been fantastic ever since, they only cost about a tenner but you might find them cheaper on ebay (I wanted mine done there and then so I could use the radio when driving to work the next day)

[rover220]

Standard vw headunits have an amplifier built in. If you replace the hu for and aftermarket one you will need a seperate amp