Front or rear antenna?
02/17/2024
The question of whether to have a front or rear aerial is no longer one that needs to be asked. Even in the past, few car owners had to choose between antennas installed at diametrically opposed ends of the car. Nevertheless, in the early sixties, people investigated how the two installation positions differed.
This comparison did not go well for the rear antenna. Although reception in the front-engined test vehicle benefited from greater freedom from interference, the reception voltage transported to the radio was significantly lower than with the front antenna mounted close to the cockpit. Apparently, however, the rear antenna was perceived as more attractive.
The conclusion in the extensively illustrated test report in AR 5/1962 nevertheless clearly spoke in favor of the front antenna:
" If you also take into account the higher price of the rear antenna, which is due to the long feed cable and its routing, you really have to ask yourself whether the aesthetic reasons put forward in favor of the rear antenna outweigh its major disadvantages ."
So if anyone still has to decide whether to install the new aerial at the front or rear of the car, they now know where to look ...
