What are the 3 wires in the shark fin antenna for?

[RKCRLR]

I'm putting my truck camper on my 3500 and I don't want to raise it high enough to to clear the shark fin antenna so I want to replace it with antenna(s) in different locations. My understanding from a different thread that the shark fin antenna is for AM/FM and Cell, not GPS/SDARS which is handled by the puck antenna. However, my shark fin antenna has 3 wires on it. What are the 3 wires for? I did see a reference for dual GPS antennas, it the 3rd wire for GPS/SDARS? Bonus points for anyone that can tell me which wire is for which function.

Also, as a side question, the side curtain air bag makes me nervous when I'm working in that area. I didn't disconnect the battery since the owner's manual said the control system is only active when the ignition is on and they won't deploy if the ignition is off. Is that correct? I didn't want to mess up my settings by disconnecting the battery.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Great White North Eh]

For the sharks bio electric detection system to find prey? Not sure but anticipating the real answer.

 

[RKCRLR]

I'm also concerned I wouldn't be able to connect just any antenna. I wonder if any of the coaxial wires carry power besides signals. And if a code gets thrown if the radio doesn't get what it expects.

I mainly listen to HD radio when I'm not streaming or using recorded audio and I don't want to lose FM reception so I was thinking about using a hidden AM/FM antenna somewhere. I don't care much about the cell reception other than I want to have enough reception to get updates so I was thinking about using a hidden antenna for that. I don't use satellite radio but I don't want to significantly degrade my GPS navigation if the shark fin also does that.

 

[RKCRLR]

Boy, this isn't turning out as simple as I had hoped. I've done some research and came to the following conclusions:

RAM used Fakra connectors for the antennas. Fakra conventions are as follows:

Cream Fakra B is AM/FM (may also carry power).
Signal Blue Fakra C is GPS.
Claret Violet Fakra D is cell phone.
Curry Fakra K is SDARS Satellite AM/FM.
Water Blue Fakra Z is universal fit without keys.

2018 and earlier shark fin antennas (eg, P/N 05091278AA) had a wire for cell (Claret Violet Fakra D) and a wire for GPS/SDARS (Curry Fakra K). The thick wire in the harness is for cell and the thin wire is for SDARS.

The puck antennas (eg., P/N 05064973AB) only had a thin wire for SDARS with a Curry Fakra K connector. The A pillar harness had a Signal Blue twin connector with one thick and one thin wire.

The AM/FM mast antennas (eg., P/N 5064394AH) used on earlier 3500s had a Cream Fakra B connector.

My shark fin antenna antenna (P/N 68537883AA) has 3 wires with a single Cream Fakra B connector and a twin Claret Violet connector with a Fakra D pattern and a Fakra Z pattern. My truck also has a puck antenna on the driver's side.

My truck has a twin Signal Blue and and a twin Cream Fakra connector at the bottom of the A pillar. The Signal Blue connector has a Fakra C pattern (small wire) and a Fakra Z pattern. The Cream connector has a Fakra B pattern and a Fakra Z pattern.

The Fakra B connector in the headliner is the Fakra B side of the Cream twin connector in the A pillar.

The Fakra D side of the Claret Violet twin connector in the headliner is the Fakra Z side of the Signal Blue twin connector in the A pillar.

The Fakra Z side of the Claret Violet twin connector in the headliner is the Fakra Z side of the Cream twin connector in the A pillar.

Based on the above information I'm assuming the following:

The single Cream Fakra B connector is for the AM/FM antenna signal. However it may also supply power for an antenna booster or to power the shark fin antenna.

The Fakra D pattern of the Claret Violet twin connector is for the cell antenna signal.

The Fakra Z pattern of the Claret Violet twin connector may be for a GPS and/or SDARS antenna signal. Or perhaps to split up the AM and FM antenna signals? Or perhaps a diversity AM/FM antenna?

I'm assuming the Fakra C side of the Signal Blue connector in the A pillar with the small wire is for the puck antenna. They probably just wanted to keep the Signal Blue connector for carrying the cell and GPS/SDARS signals the same as it was in the earlier model years and added the Cream connector to carry the newer shark fin AM/FM signal and whatever the other signal is.

Would really like to hear from people more knowledgeable about this, especially what the third wire is for.

 

[Jimmy07]

Boy, this isn't turning out as simple as I had hoped. I've done some research and came to the following conclusions:

RAM used Fakra connectors for the antennas. Fakra conventions are as follows:

Cream Fakra B is AM/FM (may also carry power).
Signal Blue Fakra C is GPS.
Claret Violet Fakra D is cell phone.
Curry Fakra K is SDARS Satellite AM/FM.
Water Blue Fakra Z is universal fit without keys.

2018 and earlier shark fin antennas (eg, P/N 05091278AA) had a wire for cell (Claret Violet Fakra D) and a wire for GPS/SDARS (Curry Fakra K). The thick wire in the harness is for cell and the thin wire is for SDARS.

The puck antennas (eg., P/N 05064973AB) only had a thin wire for SDARS with a Curry Fakra K connector. The A pillar harness had a Signal Blue twin connector with one thick and one thin wire.

The AM/FM mast antennas (eg., P/N 5064394AH) used on earlier 3500s had a Cream Fakra B connector.

My shark fin antenna antenna (P/N 68537883AA) has 3 wires with a single Cream Fakra B connector and a twin Claret Violet connector with a Fakra D pattern and a Fakra Z pattern. My truck also has a puck antenna on the driver's side.

My truck has a twin Signal Blue and and a twin Cream Fakra connector at the bottom of the A pillar. The Signal Blue connector has a Fakra C pattern (small wire) and a Fakra Z pattern. The Cream connector has a Fakra B pattern and a Fakra Z pattern.

The Fakra B connector in the headliner is the Fakra B side of the Cream twin connector in the A pillar.

The Fakra D side of the Claret Violet twin connector in the headliner is the Fakra Z side of the Signal Blue twin connector in the A pillar.

The Fakra Z side of the Claret Violet twin connector in the headliner is the Fakra Z side of the Cream twin connector in the A pillar.

Based on the above information I'm assuming the following:

The single Cream Fakra B connector is for the AM/FM antenna signal. However it may also supply power for an antenna booster or to power the shark fin antenna.

The Fakra D pattern of the Claret Violet twin connector is for the cell antenna signal.

The Fakra Z pattern of the Claret Violet twin connector may be for a GPS and/or SDARS antenna signal. Or perhaps to split up the AM and FM antenna signals? Or perhaps a diversity AM/FM antenna?

I'm assuming the Fakra C side of the Signal Blue connector in the A pillar with the small wire is for the puck antenna. They probably just wanted to keep the Signal Blue connector for carrying the cell and GPS/SDARS signals the same as it was in the earlier model years and added the Cream connector to carry the newer shark fin AM/FM signal and whatever the other signal is.

Would really like to hear from people more knowledgeable about this, especially what the third wire is for.

The puck is sdars/gps.
On the shark fin, the white is am/fm, one of the dual magenta is cell, and the other is WiFi for export vehicles. Your truck is only using the am/fm and cell wires from the shark fin. The WiFi one is ultimately not connected to anything.

The am/fm antenna in the shark fin is active, as opposed to passive (like a traditional mast).

 

[RKCRLR]

The puck is sdars/gps.
On the shark fin, the white is am/fm, one of the dual magenta is cell, and the other is WiFi for export vehicles. Your truck is only using the am/fm and cell wires from the shark fin. The WiFi one is ultimately not connected to anything.

The am/fm antenna in the shark fin is active, as opposed to passive (like a traditional mast).

@Jimmy07, thanks for chiming in!

I'm having a hard time finding aftermarket active AM/FM antennas that don't have a separate wire for power. I don't see any option listed for using phantom power instead of the power wire for these, and it seems like it might cause problems if I connected the separate power wire. Do you have any input on this or know of a specific active AM/FM antenna I should use?

I did find this antenna:

Universal Car Stereo AM FM Dipole Antenna,Hidden Adhesive Mount FM AM Radio Fakra B White Connector Antenna for Volkswagen Audi VW BMW Mercedes Benz Vehicle Car Stereo Audio Head Unit Receiver

Universal Car Stereo AM FM Dipole Antenna,Hidden Adhesive Mount FM Radio Patch Antenna for Volkswagen VW Audi Vehicle SUV Car Stereo Head Unit Receiver Tuner,Fakra B White Connector 10 ft Cable Working Frequency: FM 80MHz-108MHz, AM 520KHz-1710KHz; Feature: Car Adhesive Mounting Cable Length...

antennasky.com

It isn't specifically listed as active but does have a white Fakra B connector. So, if convention is followed, it is an active antenna. And that antenna would be easy to install.

I also found this antenna for the cell signal:

Car Telematics 4G LTE GSM WiFi 2.4GHz Bluetooth Patch Hidden Antenna for Volkswagen Audi BMW Mecedes Benz VW Vehicle SUV Car Telematics Carplay Module Mobile Cell Phone Remote Control Receiver

Shop for eightwood 4g lte antenna,4g external antenna,4g window antenna,fakra antenna,4g indoor antenna. All stock Fully Factory-Tested,No Minimum Order,Low Pricing Online,Prompt Delivery!

antennasky.com

It would require a twin Fakra to single Fakra adapter but those can be found although I might be able to modify the Fakra Z single antenna connector to fit on the harness twin connector.

Do you see any problems with me using the above two antennas for AM/FM and cellular?

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[Jimmy07]

You can use a regular passive am/fm antenna, you just have to use alfaobd to change ECUConfig 3: Antenna Type to Passive Primary no secondary.

 

[RKCRLR]

You can use a regular passive am/fm antenna, you just have to use alfaobd to change ECUConfig 3: Antenna Type to Passive Primary no secondary.

That's good to know. In the future I might want to mount a regular AM/FM mast antenna on the fender since they generally get the best reception. I'm just not ready yet to take a power drill to my new truck's fender.

I currently don't have alfaobd but may get it in the future (or probably JScan since it seems more user friendly). It sounds like I could try the patch antenna with the Fakra B connector to see if it works and, if not, get JScan to try setting the antenna to passive. Would the symptoms be obvious if that was the problem? I'm assuming it wouldn't cause any permanent damage if I try.

 

[Jimmy07]

That's good to know. In the future I might want to mount a regular AM/FM mast antenna on the fender since they generally get the best reception. I'm just not ready yet to take a power drill to my new truck's fender.

I currently don't have alfaobd but may get it in the future (or probably JScan since it seems more user friendly). It sounds like I could try the patch antenna with the Fakra B connector to see if it works and, if not, get JScan to try setting the antenna to passive. Would the symptoms be obvious if that was the problem? I'm assuming it wouldn't cause any permanent damage if I try.

The reception difference is obvious when changing the antenna type configuration