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Dinoman
Date registered: Dec 1899
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| R230 Antenna Working Great!
I drove my car to work for the first time today. I park in the lower level of a garage which sits underneath a five-story building. In my parking space,with walls at the rear and on one side, and a pillar on the other side, the radio reception was just as clear as it is on the street. I have installed no auxiliary antennas. Once the antenna base is painted body color, the reception should be phenomenal!  Dinoman |
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da_nailgun
Date registered: Dec 1899
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| RE: R230 Antenna Working Great!
how does a painted base make the reception better?
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beverage
Date registered: Dec 1899
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| RE: R230 Antenna Working Great!
da_nailgun - 4/26/2006 2:16 AM
how does a painted base make the reception better?
Because the paint helps trap the radio waves in, so that they are not lost  |
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Dinoman
Date registered: Dec 1899
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| RE: R230 Antenna Working Great!
For my next trick, I will remove my tongue from my cheek! Dinoman |
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Ripple
Date registered: Dec 1899
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| RE: R230 Antenna Working Great!
Don't forget to wax the new paint, it will help the signal to flow into the aerial better if its nice and smooth... |
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Julien
Date registered: Dec 1899
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| RE: R230 Antenna Working Great!
If you test the key fob in an open area you will see that the distance is significantly reduced. Try walking as far away as you can while using then replace with the OEM. You will see the OEM works at least 5 times farther that the SL. |
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Easty
Date registered: Dec 1899
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| RE: R230 Antenna Working Great!
"Bigger is Better" Is certainly a comment that is true with Antenna's. Well your going to the car anyway, do you care if just carn't open it from 500 feet away?
Edited by Easty 4/26/2006 2:12 PM
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Dinoman
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
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| RE: R230 Antenna Working Great!
Julien, As we all know, the distance from which the top can be remotely operated is ridiculously small. As for the locking/unlocking function, I have tested it with the SL antenna and find the distance to be acceptable. I have no desire to engage the door locks from huge distances. I have been able to work them from my neighbor's front yard, across the street from my house. I'm happy with that. Dinoman p.s.: I like your new photo by your name and car info. |
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Dinoman
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
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| RE: R230 Antenna Working Great!
Easty, Is that a prototype of the antenna on the all-new 2012 R172 SLK? Is it affected by sunspots? Final question, how am I going to get the car cover over it? Dinoman |
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etyu
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
Vehicle(s):
| RE: R230 Antenna Working Great!
Dinoman,
It's good to hear that the SL antenna works fine. I am still waiting for mine to come in. I'll post if there's a problem.  |
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Zut
Date registered: Dec 1899
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| RE: R230 Antenna Working Great!
I am glad to see that goofiness is not dead!  |
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Zut
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
Vehicle(s):
| RE: R230 Antenna Working Great!
Dinoman - 4/26/2006 8:53 AM
I drove my car to work for the first time today. I park in the lower level of a garage which sits underneath a five-story building. In my parking space,with walls at the rear and on one side, and a pillar on the other side, the radio reception was just as clear as it is on the street. I have installed no auxiliary antennas. Once the antenna base is painted body color, the reception should be phenomenal! Dinoman
I had my eyes on this little SL antenna since day one. Is it very expensive? The mechanic at my dealership said it was not 100% compatible with the SLK. I bet the 2007 will be equipped with such an antenna.  |
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etyu
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
Vehicle(s):
| RE: R230 Antenna Working Great!
Zut, I know for sure that the SL antenna will screw and thread easily unto the antenna mount of the SLK. The question is its reception of RF signals from the key fob. The radius of operation may be decreased to around 10 meters and there was some deterioration of AM/FM radio signals. I am still waiting on the part to come in to our local dealer so I can try it out myself without any modification. Dinoman did have good experience with his, and without any auxiliary antenna in the bumper. |
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etyu
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
Vehicle(s):
| RE: R230 Antenna Working Great!
The cost of the SL antenna from the dealer is around US $ 110 retail. I'm ordering mine through a contact who works for the dealer. |
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Zut
Date registered: Dec 1899
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| RE: R230 Antenna Working Great!
What the mechanic told me (and keep in mind that I am an illiterate when it comes to electrics) is that there is not the same number of contacts inside the SL and the SLK antennas which makes it impossible to get a perfect match. I hope I was not taken for a ride... Or maybe I just misunderstood what he said. Long story short: I did not have the antenna installed. I am glad to see that the antenna is not absolutely incompatible, just in case I change my mind. |
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etyu
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
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| RE: R230 Antenna Working Great!
I am doing mine purely for looks. I have talked to the technician at a local MB dealer that I have fairly good relations with, and the technician states the RF signal reception will definitely decrease. |
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Dinoman
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
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| RE: R230 Antenna Working Great!
Zut, I think I paid about $126 US, including 8.25% sales tax. So far, my experience has been very positive. Should I decide to add an auxiliary antenna, I have someone who can do it for me. My knowledge of things electric is such that I am not really sure that electricity even exists. Maybe that's why I've always had an irrational fear of the ghost of Benjamin Franklin! I still maintain that any deterioration of the range for locking/unlocking is irrelevant. As I stated yesterday, in response to a post by Julien, the remote top operation requires you to be standing right next to the door lock, anyway. The SL antenna works just as well in that mode. Since Firemist Red was (not for long!) a currently-catalogued color for both the SL and the SLK, I was able to order the antenna in the correct color. I don't know if Caspian Blue is a Canadian SL color. If not, I would suggest ordering the antenna in black and installing it as is. As well as the appearance factor, I wanted the SL antenna because my car is always outside overnight, and I like to keep it covered. The Dinos and the SL share the garage, and none has yet been gracious enough to offer the SLK overnight shelter! Dinoman |
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Ynot
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
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| Re: R230 Antenna Working Great!
Dino, that's awesome, it works w/o the bumper extension? I've heard from other members that the SL antenna bit isn't worth buying if you didn't get the extension. Glad it worked out for you. Now where's the pics? |
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Dinoman
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
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| Re: R230 Antenna Working Great!
Ynot, As I mentioned several days ago, pictures will take awhile, for a number of reasons. Regarding the radio reception, it's possible that, if you are surrounded by mountains, you might have a problem. Additionally, the signal strength of particular stations might have an effect on clarity of reception. I programmed 7 FM stations in my area, and the reception is quite good. Infrequently, I have had some minor flutter on a weaker station. I had to get an EZ-Pass-type card for my windshield to allow entrance and exit at my office ramp garage, and the garage manager told me that only satellite radio would have difficulty coming in clearly, even on the upper level (I park on the lower level, subterranean-the building above my parking spot is five floors + the upper level of garage). Obviously, the garage manager knows nothing about MB antennas, but the fact is that my reception is as good below ground as it is on the street. Thanks for all of your encouragement. By the way, your car looks fantastic with the lowering springs! Dinoman |
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Dinoman
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
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| Re: R230 Antenna Working Great!
Ynot, some non-antenna-related trivia: each of my five cars has a license plate with two letters and no numbers. My blue Dino has "YD" (a friend of mine first saw it at a local car show and asked if it meant "wide"). My SLK has "YF," which was previously on my Boxster. Last summer I was cruising around in the Boxster when a guy pulled up next to me at a red light and inquired about the plate. He asked me if the plate read "YF" to signify that it was my wife's car! The "F" is my first initial, and I liked the look of the combination. My mother still has "XF," which I first got many years ago as a college student, and the Boxster's new plate will be "ZF." I hate boring plates! Dinoman |
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