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[jdracing]

Don, not to take this thread a different direction, but I was curious how your experience with the "Tune Trapper" has been.  Was nosing around their website last night, and saw they had a 24" version and a 17" version.  The one in your pictures looks like a 17", right?

How does it work compared to the stock whip, and does it seem to pull in the weather bands ok too?  I apologize in advance if this is rehashed ground, but it looks like a nice alternative to the amplified in-fairing antennas.  

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Jeff

[Twolanerider]

No problem Jeff.  If I remember correctly the one in my bike is a 24".  I've got no complaints with it.  I absolutely didn't want the rear antenna and I'd used these before in the headliners of a couple of street rod builds.

On the bike it works ok.  I ran through the sitting in the driveway before and after.  Got the same stations.  A different geography might report a little differently.  But in the driveway and on the road it certainly works ok.  The radio still pulls weather band as well.  So for me it's a no brainer.

[Laker]

Jeff, I see that you directed the question to Don but thought I would throw my .02 in anyway. I have the 17" TT and am very pleased with it. In my case it works just as well as the whip in FM/AM/WB.

[jdracing]

Thank you both.  I had directed the question to Don originally, because it was part of his radio retrofit thread, and then the mods (appropriately) moved it to its own topic.

Anyway, glad to hear about this alternative.  I really didn't want to be dealing with the amplified antennas if I didn't have to.  If anyone else has anything to report on these in-fairing antennas, I'd be really interested in their experiences.

Jeff

[BobP]

I will offer some different experiences not only with the Tune Trapper but also the Dakota Digital vs the stock whip.

I tested both the Tune Trapper and the Dakota Digital and found them to both be highly orientation sensitive.  I could choose a station that had good reception while riding, turn a 90 degree corner and notice a significant loss in volume and clarity.  Turning back to the original direction would restore the original volume and clarity of that station.  When I tuned to a station with good geometry, the sound level and clarity or either the Tune Trapper or Dakota Digital equalled that of the stock whip.  I found the orientation issue to be more of a nusiance than I was willing to put up with and went to one of the aftermarket shorty antennas.  Obviously this approach doesn't solve the rear antenna problem from an esthetics perspective but at least the short antenna isn't always in the way like the stock one is.  By the way, all of the antennas I tested worked equally well on the Weather Band in the driveway.

[jdracing]

You know, Bob, now that I think about it, that doesn't necessarily suprise me about the Tune Trapper, since it's basically a dipole, and they are very orientation sensitive--as a bit of a home theater/audiophile nut, I've got a lot of experience with those--just hadn't put it in that context.  And I'd always be concerned with the Dakota Digital amplified antenna that one is adding a bunch of junk to the incoming signal.  (On the other hand, tooling down the road at 70, one can't be too picky about an extra couple percent total harmonic distortion.)  

Did you mount your shorty to the original (trunk removed) mount, or relocate it between the bag and the fender, as I've seen others do to somewhat conceal it?  

Thanks for the response,

Jeff

[Twolanerider]

Bob, I've read or heard others complaining of similar experiences to yours using a dipole antenna.  Honestly can't explain why sometimes it's better than others.  Fortunately mine hasn't behaved that way.  Though even if there was some marginal loss to be had from using it I'd still do it just to lose the original antenna.  After all, the antenna is basically an in town tool anyway.  Out of town cruising it's either a CD, XM or just the sounds of open road.

[BobP]

Posted by: jdracing Today at 1:41pm

Did you mount your shorty to the original (trunk removed) mount, or relocate it between the bag and the fender, as I've seen others do to somewhat conceal it?

Thanks for the response,

Jeff

Jeff  
I transfer the shorty antenna onto the stock antenna base on either the tourpak or the fender mount depending on my configuration at the time.  I haven't seen the stealth mount approach between the bag and fender, sounds interesting.  Additionally, I never tried leaving it on the fender mount in a bent configuration with the tourpak on.  Hmmm, wonder if that would work?

[BobP]

Posted by: Twolanerider Posted on: Today at 1:47pm

Bob, I've read or heard others complaining of similar experiences to yours using a dipole antenna.  Honestly can't explain why sometimes it's better than others.  Fortunately mine hasn't behaved that way.  Though even if there was some marginal loss to be had from using it I'd still do it just to lose the original antenna.  After all, the antenna is basically an in town tool anyway.  Out of town cruising it's either a CD, XM or just the sounds of open road.  

Don,

Geography may also play a role.  I live half way between LA and Santa Barbara and suspect that in terms of your reference, I am "out of town" when I do my local riding.

Just so you know, I am very jealous of your new radio configuration.  I covet XM and a CB but don't want to put all that junk on the handlebars with my current radio.  I know, it's only money to do what you did.

[Twolanerider]

Just so you know, I am very jealous of your new radio configuration.  I covet XM and a CB but don't want to put all that junk on the handlebars with my current radio.  I know, it's only money to do what you did.

Thanks Bob.  Have been on it enough to know that the integrated XM is nice too.  I've got a Garmin GPS unit that gets mounted ont the handlebars when I'm road tripping.  So I never wanted to mess with yet another device hung the same way.  And I hated all the extra exposed cords that would be part of it and not being able to manage it through the handlebar controls.  The 06 radio, however, just fills the bill great.

I'm quite interested in the CB too.  The handlebar switch change to gain the PTT/SQ switch doesn't bug me.  But I don't want to change the dash to gain the connection point for the headphones.  If or when I add on to the current configuration will have to see that jack and fabricate a bracket to mount it elsewhere or wait to see if Harley gives us Bluetooth wireless audio to the helmet as a system accessory sometime sooner rather than later.

[JR]

 Additionally, I never tried leaving it on the fender mount in a bent configuration with the tourpak on.  Hmmm, wonder if that would work?

It works just fine!

                                                         JR [smiley=banana.gif]