The First (Small) Modification: A Rubber Antenna

-

 Well, I've made the first of several planned modifications to the Gladiator.  And it's a big one! Okay, maybe not big. But it does mark the first step in a journey to turn the Jeep into a vehicle that suits my needs and requirements.

This first mod was the replacement of the factory OEM metallic radio antenna with a shorter, flexible rubber one. Specifically, I went with a 13-inch Rydonair Antenna that I purchased off Amazon. It has excellent reviews and is very similar to ones I've swapped out on previous vehicles I've owned.

So why did I change this out? Experience has shown that the rigid steel antennas will break or bend when used off-road. When they catch on over-hanging branches, they'll snap. I've had this happen to me in the past, and on our standard route up to our cabin we encounter lots of trees that crowd the trail.

So how was the installation? Answer: super easy. Honestly, the hardest part was removing the old steel antenna. I could loosen it easily with a wrench, but because of the shape of the flats on the antenna, coupled with the proximity to the bodywork, it was a little (read: really little) challenging to unscrew the old one. 

Putting the new one on was even easier. Simply screw the male-male adapter into the end of the new antenna, tighten it down, then install the assembly onto the Jeep. Again, the hardest part is really just tightening it down sufficiently to ensure it doesn't loosen up during normal driving.

Note: I briefly considered using some kind of thread locker, like Loctite, but then got worried that the chemical may actually cause electrical resistance between the antenna and the Jeep, thereby reducing its performance. In the end, I simply tightened the new antenna as much as I could via hand strength.

I'll report on how the unit works on AM, FM, and Sirius as soon as I drive the Gladiator again.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Holding Stuff Down - Cargo Net for the Gladiator's Bed

-
Image
As mentioned before in this blog, one thing I'm still getting used to with the new Jeep is how little cargo space there is. We're going up to our cabin this coming weekend, and we're bringing two full-grown adults to accompany my wife and myself. Four people are a tight squeeze in the vehicle's cab, which means all of our combined gear, cooler, etc. that normally would live in the back seat area will have to ride in the truck's bed. Combined with highway, bumpy washboard dirt roads, and of course rock crawling... well, stuff can leave the bed on its own accord if not properly secured. To address this issue, I purchased a heavy-duty cargo net that I'll keep in the toolbox and use in instances like this upcoming weekend jaunt. The unit I purchased was a Mophorn 50"x66" heavy duty cargo net that came with four tied down straps and carabiners. It's probably too big for typical loads (e.g., coolers and such) but I erred on the side of too big, rather th
Read more

First Offroad Shake-Down Run in the Gladiator

-
Image
 Took the Gladiator off-road for the first time this fourth of July weekend. Specifically, we drove up to our family cabin, which requires some pretty serious 4x4 capability (and, if I do say so myself, some driver skill). The route includes everything from mountainous 2-lane blacktop, to 65mph posted highway driving, to long washboard dirt roads, to deep sandy sections and wash-running, to steep & technical rock crawling and narrow single-track roads. 4x4 high, low, locked... you name it, it requires it. Very diverse and challenging..... and the truck handled it all with aplomb. On this inaugural run (literally, my first time ever driving a Jeep off-road), the things that stood out to me include: Nimble . Compared to the old monstrous F250 Crew Cab, this Gladiator feels like a sports car. It's much narrower and easier to maneuver in the tighter sections of the trail. Downright fun to drive. Sway-bar Disconnect.  Wow. The ride quality off-road once the sway-bar was disconnected
Read more

Stowing a Recovery Shovel

-
Image
An indispensable recovery tool every serious offroad vehicle should carry is a good shovel. I've only had to use a shovel once in an emergency off-road situation--but it was truly needed that time. Unfortunately, the shovel I had at the time was a tiny "fold-up" camp model that I kept in my truck's tool box. It was way too small for the job at hand, taking close to 30 minutes to dig us out of a sandy rut that should have taken, at most, 5 minutes with a properly sized tool. So... for the Gladiator, I decided it was time to carry a bigger implement for the (hopefully rare) times when I will need it. I chose a modest 36-inch model that we already had sitting unused in a shed. The bad news is that because of the constraints of the tool box size on the Gladiator, I can't keep it locked up inside. Instead, I have to keep the shovel in the truck's bed. The solution I settled on is to use a "quick fist" rubber tool mount that is screwed directly into the si
Read more