Antenna question

I'm still testing the waters on my 2010 Prerunner. One thing I've noticed is that the radio antenna seems kinda chincy. I'm wondering how it will hold up from hitting my garage door. Are they sturdier than they look, or should I be looking for an aftermarket replacement with a spring at the base? Looks to me like this is basically the same antenna cars have used since the 1940's.

 

theyre surprisingly sturdy-- held up to at least 5 months of drive thru car washes-- but i swapped it out with an ami big stick

 

Get a 13" shorty antenna from AntennaX. They're only like $15 and work just as good. Check out my build to see it.

 

My 8" came from shorty antenna source. If I hit it on anything, I have a lot more to worry about than the antenna.

 

My antenna has been smacking the clearance bar in the parking garage at work 5 days a week for the past 6 months. So far it's held up fine. I do plan on getting a shorty at some point though.

 

Isnt that the real reason the antenna is there
to let you know your close to roof scraping???

 

no, i think it has something to do with your radio...

 

you know i was kidding , right ??

ohhhh, never mind - air force

 

i knew it was a joke, hence the grinning at the end. all in the name of fun, shipmate!!

 

I just removed the ball off the end, cut enough to clear (4") my door off and tapped the ball back on with a little superglue.

 

My antenna hit the bottom of my garage door for three years and then broke off with part of the screw still inside the base. Had 4Wheel Parts take the bottom piece of the screw out of the base and bought a 21" black billet antenna from them for under $20. Its the same height as the top of the cab so that I know if my cab will hit any low lying items... or solid concrete parking garage beams.

 

Craven Speed has a nice fitting stubby. I didn't lose any reception going from that long whip to the stubby.
Nice metal antenna with a textured black finish.

 

Good one
That why i had to throw in the Air Force
you guys always did have nicer barracks - hahaha

 

Yeah, the top of my antenna keeps hitting my garage door and I'm expecting it to break off soon. I'm looking into something shorter now.

 

http://www.cravenspeed.com/index.php?productID=215 for the one i bought. Ordered On Friday- Arrived on Tues.
I'll post some photos when my truck gets home tonight or tmrw AM...

 

Nicer barracks?
You kidding me they had nicer bases hands, down.

 

The antenna is strong and will hold up to abuse, mine's been banginging in and out of the garage for almost 2 years...my old one for 8 years

Also, having a tall antenna is a great guage for parking garages with lower clearences!!! If your antenna starts to hit...start watching!!!

 

The problem with those non-flexible stubby antenna's is, if something does hit it and it breaks off, you're screwed. I had no choice but to go through a car was last December after a huge blizzard and the idiot employee told me it would be fine (I had no way to get it off and it was on tight) and of course it wasn't. It broke off down inside the antenna pole sub assembly and there was absolutely no way to get out the broken piece. So, fast forward to this week and I finally got the parts and will be fixing it tomorrow.

Moral of the story: Don't go through a car wash.

Moral of the story II: Don't use a non-flexible antenna. If I still had the OEM antenna, I would put it back on.