2023 c4 antenna replacement

[Thezan]

Hello, I’m trying to find out if I can replace my C4’s antenna with a shark fin type. Any ideas.

[Huskyxantia]

https://ebay.us/m/adaZ4o try here

[Paul-R]

I am unconvinced by these replacement aerials with an effectively very short whip with amplifier. There's an old saying in telecommunication circles that there's no substitute for metal in the air.

You may find that your radio reception becomes very patchy afterwards. The description of the aerial is completely devoid of technical information so there's no way of knowing how, or even if, it can also handle GPS and 4G signals as well as AM/FM. DAB might not be supported if your radio has it.

[Richard_C]

My daughter has a C4 with the short aerial, I have a newer one with the shark fin. It doesn't make me any happier. People don't think more highly of me - "ooh", said Muriel to Edna down the pub, "him next door's got a fancy car with a shark fin aerial".

Once upon a time we had aerials mounted through a hole in the wing and they were just that - radio aerials. Posh ones retracted and had a little key thing to grip the top and pull them up - otherwise they got snapped off or bent by uncouth youths. Less posh ones (me in Manchester 1972) just pushed a wire coathanger into the hole left when the youths had done their worst. Really posh ones on Jaguars and suchlike had electric motors to retract and extend them but they still were just aerials. The we go roof mounted ones, some even used the heated rear window as an aerial. Now there is so much 'stuff I don't understand' in there - on mine there is a cooling vent and I think fan in the headlining under the fin - I would leave it well alone.

Plus, if you have to get behind the headlining it never seems to go back exactly as it was before.

Pain exceeds gain.

[Paul-R]

There's short and there's short.

My 2013 C5 has a stubby aerial 6.5cm long which screws into the amplifier base on the roof of the car. This stubby aerial is there just for the GPS signal (and possibly 4G signal, not sure). The AM/FM signals are received by a printed on aerial on each of the rear side windows (it's an estate). One is AM/FM and the other is FM only. The FM signals are measured and compared by the head unit (satnav/radio) which can choose between different transmitters (diversity reception) as you move around the country. There are two separate in-line amplifiers for each of the aerial feeds.

My brother has a 2012 508 estate with no roof aerial at all. But then he doesn't have satnav in his car, only radio. I think there's one aerial printed onto the tailgate screen. Maybe two, it's difficult to say. I have read that aerials can also be installed inside a tailgate spoiler so maybe there's one there as well. It's possible that the head unit is single aerial input only though.

Moving to our 2015 308 estate, that has a screw in whip which is 28cm long. This has to deal with AM/FM, GPS and DAB signals. There isn't a second aerial as far as I can see although I haven't investigated the tailgate spoiler.

And finally, I I have just a screw in whip 40cm long which came from our 2001 Xsara estate some years ago. I never took the head unit out of that but the car spec was pretty low so I think it just had to deal with AM/FM on a single input.

[Richard_C]

I've just spotted that the OP is in New Zealand. I wonder if there are technical differences there, maybe DAB in Auckland but has it rolled out to the whole country? Maybe aerials have less to do.

I doubt you need to make the C4 more distinctive - total Citroen sales 185 in 2023 so the chances of parking next to one like yours, or that anyone would notice the aerial, are minimal. Last year Citroen sold 55, this year likely fewer. As I'm sure the OP knows, Toyota dominate the market with Mitsubishi and Kia distant second and third.

I had a holiday there in 2018, saw very few Citroens. Almost all the hire cars regardless of hire company were Toyota Corollas with a few Camry's, all automatic, almost all metallic silver. Ours was best described as dog-poo-brown, didn't see one like it and hated the colour but it was really easy to find the right one in a car park so not all bad