Anyone get the craven mini bullet antenna? How about other "stubby" like ones? Is the reception just as good as the antenna that the mini comes with? Any advantages to a stubby antenna other than avoiding the RC car look?

I also plan on using my Thule roof top box. I guess I would need a shorter antenna for that huh? Thanks!

 

Not sure about the Thule roof top box, but i have the alta stubby antenna, and i still get the same quality as i had before. it's a purely cosmetic mod, no advantages or disadvantages (unless you really needed your car to be 8 inches shorter for secret spy maneuvers like myself!) lol

 

I have tried the Honda and a 3" custom bullet antenna. The 3" does lose some reception and the Honda is about the same as the OEM MINI antenna. I don't use the 3" one much even though I like the look the best because of the lower reception.

However where you are the signals are probably stronger and a 3" may not be any problem.

 

I have the ALTA stubby which works like a charm. However, ALTA had accidentally sent out a shorter Perrin stubby for a Subaru, and since my other MINI didn't have a stubby I thought I'd just use it for that car. Even though it screwed in fine, it did not work. I'm not sure what the differences are, but the radio knows.

 

I have the Alta 2" Super Shorty Antenna and the only time I lose reception or get static is when I enter an underground parking garage. Other than that, flawless reception!

 

It works fine for FM with no perceptible difference from the oem. AM reception, though, is worse with a lot more interference and ancillary noise. From what I am told, that is typical for AM reception with a short antenna.

 

AAAHHH...1010 WINS in NYC is a MUST!!! It has saves me hundreds of hours over the years.

 

I have the Craven super short antenna, and there is a difference in the range. If I am in a good area then no difference, but I get out of range sooner than I did with the stock one.

 

i'm shopping for a shorter antenna to replace my RC look as well, but i have a 08 MCS with navigation, and on the Craven website you'll notice that their stubby AND the bullet antennas say (02-07) next to them, which means 08+ MINIs of any kind are not compatible...???

i was a bit scared off by this, and decided to go with this one from Germany, which says it was specific to Minis with Navi....Plus, it was the shortest one I could find on the market.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1-2-B...item587f23d161

I'll let you know how this one works out, as I just bought it yesterday. If it's a no go, I'm gonna go with the Alta 2" stubby.

 

It seems, judging from here and other web forums, that all versions of the shorter antennas result in some reception/range loss for the majority of people. Some "short" antenna dealers even claim that their version will result in reception loss vs. the OEM antenna.

Honestly I don't mind the RC car look. I just wanted an antenna that would fit under my Thule box without reception loss. AM reception loss is a deal breaker for me since I rely on traffic reports in NYC LONG BEFORE I get too close to the city and lose tunnel/bridge options. I have found 1010 Wins to be FAR MORE accurate at reporting traffic than GPS traffic reports that can best be described as "useless" in NYC IMHO.

Thanks for the replies!

 

This may not be a problem for you as you live ina city and the station you are looking for is a 50K watt transmit station and the coverage pattern is designed very well for coverage in NYC and it surrounding tunnels and bridges. See coverage may here.
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin...atus=L&hours=D

The only way to know is to test it. But I can tell you that you are in the high signal area. where you would probably find problems with it would be when you get past the red outlined area.

 

I've used my 1.2" German replacement antenna from eBay for almost two months now and it works fine. Navigation is unaffected and radio is only affected in rural areas on road trip type situations, a non issue for a city car like mine.

Pictures will be posted in gallery.

I LOVE MY MINI!!!

 

I put the Craven 2" stubby on Nigel about two weeks ago. I live in Metro-Cincinnati and have not had any issues with reception loss on FM and only minor AM [I'm a news/talk junkie] when entering a parking garage or driving down the 'canyons' of downtown. I like the non-RC car look.

 

I bought this one, and it is fantastic. In my area I haven't seen ANY loss of reception, AM or FM, although the terrain in my area is very flat. It is amazing to see how much it changes the look of the car, for the better in my opinion. If you order this one, don't get upset when you get a confirmation in all German, the English version will follow.

 

I have the craven stubby installed on mine. I wanted something shorter, to fit under a car cover. Reception is like stock. Build quality is excellent - solid, light and well-machined.

 

Will get one and see what is the result in SoCal

 

buy with confidence. I'm in Hollywood, and I've received no signal loss in LA.
it got a bit fuzzy for only a few seconds when I was driving to San Diego, but that was in the rural areas, so it makes sense....

so true about the German email confirmation thing. Whatever language it is, be happy that you at least got a confirmation!

 

I got it yesterday but the diameter of the included screw is smaller then the OEM MINI antenna . Do you have that problem? I would like to find out before i email them.

 

The antenna came with a extra screw/adapter, without it, it won't fit on a R56. You should have gotten that extra piece with your order.

 

Had a stubby antenna on mine when I bought it. Reception was bad I could only get 1 station in all the time and one other one which was static most of the time. With the ipod i didn't really care. but recently my antenna base was broken. replaced it with new one which came with new factory antenna. Put that on and WOW what a difference. I can now listen to whatever station I want! needless to say the stubby won't be going back on.