Thanks all. Great posts and photos! If I am reading the posts correctly, this unit also controls the locking and unlocking functions. The receiver signal strength then could be easily tested with the horn function when locking.

It seems like the bare antenna wire that is pulled away from the wire bundle will work just fine. A 1/4 wave at 300 MHz is ROUGHLY 10". If you can get anything from 10" to 20" of wire free from local inductance (wire bundle and metal post) a bare wire should work just fine - and a lot easier to "install" and test then a seperate antenna.

You need FOUR times the signal strenth to go twice as far.

The 2-way sounds great! I'll take one.

 

jlenkows:

Just want to say sincere THANKS for your postings and pictures. I exposed 2 inches of the antenna vertically along the rear cargo window and am now able to start it up from inside my house instead of out on the porch! Really appreciate your sharing. Ride safe.

 

I'm glad that my perseverance with the signal range was helpful. Couldn't have done it without Dave's help in telling me where the antenna was located!! Hopefully others will try the antenna-relocation maneuver and see the great increase in range.

 

I apprecaite the info also. I want to try this. But I am skeeeeeerred that I will be the one to deploy the airbag!

 

So long as you don't pry the panel off with a jack-hammer, you'll be ok. If you look at one of the photos I posted, you'll see the canister and where is lives on the D pillar. Just be certain to avoid that area and life will be good. You could always pull the lower panel out and get to the antenna that way, but it's an aweful lot of work compared to a 14" piece of plastic.

Trust me - you'll be fine. But just in case, wear goggles and your seatbelt. [sm=signs003.gif]

 

HAHAHA,

So all I am removings is the speaker cover? I need to read this entire post again! I will give it a shot, dont laugh when i tell you I blew the bag!

 

??????????????????

 

I thought you had that double posting "problem" fixed. I'm starting to wonder if it is really a mistake...

 

The toughest part of the procedure was snapping the plastic cover back in place and getting that screw back in the deep access openining!

 

Same problem here. There's a trick though - take a small piece of electrical tape and poke the screw through the sticky side. Then put the screw on the tip of the screwdriver and tape the screw to it. Once you get the screw in and tight, just pull the driver off and bing!!! you're done. Another trick is to take a small tiny drop of crazy glue on the head of the screw. Then again the most popular way is to simply use a magnetic screwdriver.

Seriously... if only GM would take the RKE antenna and put it on the window just like the AM/FM antenna on the other side of the truck, this would be a moot thread.