Onstar Antenna

[ss09]

Originally Posted by aston70

What happens if you let your service run out, and then you have a collision? Do they still call the paramedics?

i answerd in the wrond section. its below. ss09

[aston70]

Originally Posted by ss09

yeah they still are listening to everything ur doing even when the service stops. i leased a 2007 cadillac escalade for my girl. we broke up and i would of been stuck with the debt. last week she totalled it. She is alive and well and im out with no bill. ... when she crashed they called the 50. the service was off for months.

I just wondered about that. It seems to me that if you know someone is hurt and you don't do anything about it, you could be held liable... I don't know. Especially if you're a large corporation with lots of money. Just seems like lawyers would have a field day with something like that. That's interesting.

[greenrail]

I may be mistaken, but that antenna may also be for the Standard Radio reception also.

Much like many changes in design and function, this is probably something you and I may have to live with. Much like a windshield antenna, power antenna or other design over the years.

Personally, I would hate to be the oddball with a stick type mast antenna sticking out of my front fender or rear quarter panel. But that's just me.

[fastball]

This is my biggest complaint about the car, and for me it's actually quite important.

When you look at other manufacturers, like Honda, Toyota, and BMW, their satellite radio/telemetry antennas are NOT as cheap and flimsy looking as GM's. They are all body color, solid, and aerodynamically more integrated into the roof than GM's. GM satellite antennas are all gray, unsightly, and grainy cheap plastic. If you get a light colored car, they stick out like a sore thumb.

I have continuously asked Fbodfather this question myself, but have yet to get an answer.

Untill I get the real answer, I will just continue to assume GM is just too cheap to make a good looking antenna and apparently see no harm in cutting corners.

For me personally, it's unacceptable. I will probably remove the antenna and have a professional body shop seal the hole, paint it, and blend the roof so you will never know there ever was one to begin with.

Now, if GM had opted to put an extra $.17 into the thing and make it look as nice as their competitors (even cheapo Honda Civics have a nice looking satellite antenna), I wouldn't even think about fiddling with my roof.

[aston70]

Originally Posted by greenrail

I may be mistaken, but that antenna may also be for the Standard Radio reception also.

I think it does have the XM radio antenna built in. Those higher frequencies allow those bands to use much shorter antennas.

The FM antenna needs about 30" (roughly) to be optimum length and may be separate in the window glass, while the AM is usually a coil inside the radio.

[radz28]

IMVHO, I don't think the antenna looks bad, however, it doesn't belong on this car. My wifey's Jetta has one, and it doesn't look bad, mostly because the car is black, so it doesn't jump out, but that baby just sticks out like a sore thumb. I think that they may use it regardless of the OnStar; it's probably the standard antenna. I don't know for sure though- just a guess

[fastball]

Originally Posted by radz282003

IMVHO, I don't think the antenna looks bad, however, it doesn't belong on this car. My wifey's Jetta has one, and it doesn't look bad, mostly because the car is black, so it doesn't jump out, but that baby just sticks out like a sore thumb. I think that they may use it regardless of the OnStar; it's probably the standard antenna. I don't know for sure though- just a guess

It will be on every car, because every car comes with OnStar standard for one year. So they will all have the OnStar electronics built in, even if you opt not to keep it after the year.

[Angrybird 12]

Originally Posted by aston70

I think it does have the XM radio antenna built in. Those higher frequencies allow those bands to use much shorter antennas.

The FM antenna needs about 30" (roughly) to be optimum length and may be separate in the window glass, while the AM is usually a coil inside the radio.

AM uses the same antenna as the FM, try unplugging your antenna wire you lose reception on both am and fm, too much metal surrounds the radio for the am to work with a loop antenna in the radio...

[TAG UR IT]

I don't mind the antenna at all. Don't mind if it's painted or left black.

[aston70]

Originally Posted by Skyman 08

AM uses the same antenna as the FM, try unplugging your antenna wire you lose reception on both am and fm, too much metal surrounds the radio for the am to work with a loop antenna in the radio...

Yeah, you're right. I didn't realize that. So I speculate they must tune the AM radio to the FM antenna electronically then. idk... BTW, I was thinking a long-wire coil antenna, not a loop. Loops are directional.

So do the satelite radios use the same antenna for all bands? I don't have one or I would check to see for myself.

[Mungo]

Back to the orininal question, can it be painted to match the body color without interfering with the reception? Does anyone know?

[PA FAST]

I wouldn't have a problem with the shark fin antenna if it was painted. I am going to keep it because I use XM radio and plan to keep On Star as a saftey feature.