Short "Euro" antenna reception quality?

[Dr. Dan 10+ year member]

My power antenna is starting to drive me nuts. I'm fed up with the sound of the thing constantly going up and down as I'm working on my system.

I like the clean look with it down, and I imagine the radio reception is generally better with a longer antenna, but I'm tempted to try a non-powered, fixed height one.

Has anyone had any luck using an aftermarket short "euro" style antenna? I've heard some negative reports on their performance. Maybe in combination with an antenna booster?

Recommend any brands?

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[yacob.naif 10+ year member]

I had a stubby antenna on my jetta, but it was hard for me to tell a difference in reception, mainly because vw antennas **** with aftermarket radios for some reason. I did notice some stations that atleast faintly came in before stopped coming in at all, and AM reception was almost non-existant.

You're definitely going to take a hit to your reception, it's just hard to say how much since mine was already so poor.

 

[PRIVATEpastry 10+ year member]

From switching from my power antenna to my stubby rubber antenna, I didn't notice any change at all in reception. I bought mine at AutoZone for ~$8.