Recently, I added a late model power antenna to my 66 GP. I wanted to keep my stock switch on the dash, and this antenna was wired different than a 66 antenna is. Using a couple of relays, it's easy to do. I am not an electrician by any means so it took me a bit to figure it out.

A little while back, on a different Pontiac forum (out of the US) someone asked if it was possible to do what I had done. I replied that it was easy and I could help him. However, when he told me how the antenna was wired that he had purchased, it was different again from an original antenna as well as different than the one I had done. Again, it was just a matter of some figuring out on how to wire it with 2 relays and yesterday I was able to tell him how to get it working.

For you guys who do electrical just 1-2-3, this will be basic and boring. I enjoy this stuff, but I'm slow at figuring it out. I'm posting this for the guys who are intimidated by something that requires wiring changes to make it work.

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Style 1 antenna is easy. The body has a ground wire, a wire for up and a wire for down. This is how it was in 66 and I know a lot of other years of Pontiacs as well. They are simple. Ground the antenna, feed the white wire from the stock switch to one antenna wire, black from the switch to the other wire and it's done, it works.

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Style 2 antenna is a bit tougher. It has only 2 wires, and no ground wire. If you hook up the 2 terminals on a battery, it will go one direction. Reverse the wires and it will go the other direction. To use the stock switch on this one, you must use 2 common auto parts store 5 pin relays like this.




Wire the 2 relays up like this-





If you are looking at the relays, that equates to-

LEFT RELAY

Pin #87 12 volts (fused)

Pin #87a ground

Pin #85 ground

Pin #30 white wire from antenna

Pin #86 white wire from switch


RIGHT RELAY

Pin #87 12 volts (fused)

Pin #87a ground

Pin #85 ground

Pin #30 black wire from antenna

Pin #86 black wire from switch

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Style 3 antenna

This one was tough for me to figure out, easy for you electrical gurus I'm sure!

It has a black ground wire, and in his case, a red wire and a blue wire. First, he grounded the black wire. Then he powered the red wire, the antenna went down. When he powered the red and blue wire at the same time, the antenna went up.

That requires doing the relays this way-



If you are looking at the relays, this equates to-

LEFT RELAY

Pin #87 to antenna "down" wire"

Pin #87a blank

Pin #85 ground

Pin #30 12 volts (fused)

Pin #86 "down" wire from switch


RIGHT RELAY

Pin #87 to antenna "up" wire AND a jumper wire to pin #87 on left relay

Pin #87a blank

Pin #85 ground

Pin #30 12 volts (fused)

Pin #86 "up" wire from switch



Hopefully someone can use this to keep their original interior still looking original by retaining the switch.

I did this because a decent affordable original 66 power antenna is a tough thing to find.

Please let me know if I have made any errors on this. I proof read it and I think I have it right, but I picked up an ugly cold once again and my head has not been the clearest.

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-- Edited by Carl Stevenson on Sunday 21st of April 2013 04:22:46 PM