TomoHawk

Look at Page BE-74 in the FSM, where it shows details of the radio parts, as well as a diagram of the antenna switch connector and the connections the switch makes to operate the antenna. You will see that the switch is a SPDT type (momentary, of course.) Otherwise, how could you hook up a DPDT switch with only 3 wires? 240Z switch maybe? I would agree that you would need a DPDT switch to operate an ordinary semi-automatic type power antenna. thx

Is that accesible from the inside of the car?thx

I found another ground connection on my 280Z. It's under the passenger seat, next to the relay. Don't forget about the ones on the steering column for the headlights & the rheostat.

Mine needs to be a SPDT momentary like I've been saying.

It's good to repeat the explanation. Each time it gets refined even better. And it is very important to use a momentary SPDT switch. The only problem with getting one through eBay is that you don't know for sure if that's what it is, so I'm also looking at generic rocker switches through Mouser Eletronics (unless I decide to trek across town to the electronic surplus store.) I'm pretty sure that the 70s & 80s antenna switches were mostly the momentary type. It might even be possible to use the swich for a power window or door lock. I'm not up to that part yet, and it's not even December... thx

I don't suppose they can make those from HDPE or something that won't rust?

I was out at the car, and took the old antenna. I found out that the power connector on the antenna will plug into the switch connector under the dash, so if you want to fit a switch, you can get the connector off an oem antenna unit. So I just need to get a switch. What would you think about this one: Mercedes Benz W126 300 420 560 ANTENNA SWITCH thx

I've decided to hold off on this stuff until I get the rest of the winter stuff done. That way I can leave the car in the shop for a day or two. Otherwise I need to get it back into storage on the same day, in case it starts snowing.

I wonder if the guy knows about the (mechanical) condition of this item. I wouldn't want to buy a M.C. and install it, and then find out it's not any better than the old one...

Here is a ZX brake boost & M.C. on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160052595089&ssPageName=MERC_VI_RSEE_Pr4_PcY_BID_Stores_IT&refitem=160052965485&itemcount=4&refwidgetloc=active_view_item&usedrule1=UpSell_LogicX&refwidgettype=cross_promot_widget And I was interested in replacing my current booster & M.C. for some decent braking. The seller doesn't say what year it was from. My car is a 78 280Z thx

Be careful if you use a plastic milk bottle to catch the gas- some of them will melt!

Either that or he's figured out the mystery of perpetual motion & a 100% efficient electric motor with power regeneration & amplification to power his car...

I drive mine usually when it's sunny, to the car cruises on most weekday nights. If I'm going to an event and it's raining- so be it, as long as you dry the car out as soon as the sun comes out. You need more than just a splash or two to get things to rust. It would be better if you could pick a couple choices on this one.

The radiation pattern describes where the light radiates from the top, sides & botom, so hopefully, you get light from 360 degrees in both directions; Like an incandescent bulb (the best radiation pattern for inside your gauges) does. Too bad LEDs radiate mostly from the top.

The radiation pattern describes where the light radiates from the top, sides & botom, so hopefully, you get light in 360 degrees in both directions. Like an incandescent bulb ( the best radiation patern inside your gauges) does. Too bad LEDs only radiate mostly from the top.

I was out shopping for a semi-automatic antenna, and at one store, the tech guy actually argued with me that there's NO SUCH THING as a semi- automatic antenna, and there's NO WAY you can rewire a fully-automatic unit to work with something like the OEM S30 antenna switch. the guy kept showing me the bullet connectors and explained (again & again) that "This one gets CONSTANT POWER, and this one gets SWITCHED power, and that's the ONLY way you can wire the antenna. I asked the tech is the unit uses a DC motor. He said Yes (so fare, OK.) I asked if there was a clutch inside (No, there are limit switches on the toothed belt inside.) The guy did not know what the little black thing on the mast was for, so I summized it was a kind of timer-relay thing to run the motor up or down. So I will be either getting a semi-auto unit, and wiring up a DPDT relay so the antenna works like the oem one, or the cheapest fully-auto one, and wiring it the same, after I look into the black mystery-box on there. Either way, I'm going to tackle this (easy?) item before moving on to the next item on my Winter to-do list. thx

The angle of illumination isn't as important as the lamp's radiation pattern. If it doesn't even have the correct radiation (illumination) pattern, then there's no use looking into it any deeper.thx

The only thing I can think of to light up the guages correctly or evenly is to run a string of the SMT leds chips around the perimeter of the case on the inside. You could have up to 12 of them in a string, and they usually come in colors like red & green, but I'm not sure about how to connect it to the bulb socket.

You might look around their web site: http://www.cml-it.com/cgi-bin/start.cgi/home.html That have lots of bulb alternatives with different bases & colours

I was looking for some small smt stuff, and foundthis. It's a replacement for an incandescent bulb? Maybe it could go in your gauges? http://www.chml.com/pdf/temp/1511A25W3.pdf thx

Thanks, Enrique I found that Harada makes a semi-automatic unit (SX-11) that should be fine, except the only difference is the look of the antenna stub that's exposed above the fender, and it uses a 2-wire power system, so you need to use a fancy cross-wired switch to control it. If I can't get one locally or through eBay (like this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/Harada-SX-11-Semi-Automatic-POWER-ANTENNA-KIT_W0QQitemZ260052096274QQihZ016QQcategoryZ6755QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) then I'll have to modify an automatic one (sounds kike fun :squareeye )

The semi- auto ones have a clutch-type thing that will slip if the cable is fully in or the mast is fully out. It is a must, or every antenna out there would have been broken. There's no need for any limiters then. Hopefully, you will let off the UP/Down switch before it is fully out or in. I would expect that there is a clutch in the automatic antennas too, for the same reason.

One more question- It seems the semi- automatic type antennas that came in the S30 are very rare or extremely expensive. Do you think it's possible to either rewire or fix a fully-automatic antenna to function like the oem one? thx

I would tune the antenna with it fully extended. from what I've been reading on the Internet and eBay auctions, you use a splitter with a CB antenna to provide the signal to the FM receiver. Maybe it's possible to do it the other way.

I saw some replacement masts on eBay, but they were for a ZX, and from the picture, the cable looked thicker. I've seen most newer antennas withthe heavier cables, and assume most newer power antenna masts used thicker cables for better performance & longer reliability. Would a ZX mast & cable for the S30 power antenna? Randy- J.C. Whitney sells the same mast with the corrugated lift cable; it looked something like a toothed belt. thx