Blue Tip? Red Tip? Please help identify the antenna in Photo

[Harlan Halsey]

Here are some pictures of the antenna on my 63 SC. The tip is blue under the chrome cap. The radio is a Blaupunkt. I assume the radio was either factory or dealer installed.

[luc verschueren]

If anyone have a Bosch blue tip antenna for sale, please let me know

[Jim Alton]

In fact, "Antenna, electrical" was available in 356A T2s. Here's the listing from the February 1959 Accessories Brochure:

Page 18 from the February 1959 Accessories Brochure

"Ausziebare Antenne" translates as "extendable antenna" which probably isn't the hand-cranked remotely operated antenna.

I don't recall ever seeing a 356 with either an electric or hand-cranked remotely operated antenna but I have seen at least hand-cranked antenna at the Lit Meet.

[Mike Wilson]

I haven't seen an electrical antenna but it seems that it was only available on the Becker radios. Much like a modern radio, when you turn on the radio, it raises and when you turn off the radio or ignition, it lowers. Maybe someone with this set up can weigh in and post pics. I've seen two manually cranked antennae but not installed.

[Joris Koning]

As my name is being called out, some clarification. Electric and hand crank antenna's were available next to "standard" antenna's going all the way back to 1953 at least. Some year back I wrote an article for the registry showing the various antenna's used on 356's and the model years they are appropriate for.

The hand crank and electric antenna's were a rare and expensive option in the days. I know of several cars fitted with them from the factory. Most often these were 4-cams or very well optioned pushrods. I actually restored a Wisi hand crank antenna out of a list members 58 coupe not that lone ago. A very close friend has an electric Wisi from the factory on his '59 super.

Benjamin's car was probably fitted with a Wisi Pontax. He is right in pointing out that it is unlikely that his car was fitted with an electric wise (Diplomat). The way these are wired from the factory makes them retract when the radio is turned off. However as the hand cranks were manual it could have also been a Wisi Kurier. The issue with the Wisi antenna's is that the top section is pretty much the same between the three models. Only a sharp picture and a trained eye can tell the difference by just looking at the top of the antenna.

I can not respond to PM's sent through the list as these do not include the senders e-mail address.

[Thomas Frisardi]

As my name is being called out, some clarification. Electric and hand crank antenna's were available next to "standard" antenna's going all the way back to 1953 at least. Some year back I wrote an article for the registry showing the various antenna's used on 356's and the model years they are appropriate for.

Is there an index of back issues on line, which would make it easier to find articles like this one? I have spent hours perusing the back issues, but I have not come upon an index.

[Jim Breazeale]

Closeup of a Wisi antenna. This came with a 67 912 I bought last year. As you can see, it is a black tip

Regards

jim

[Keith Brooks]

Benjamin, I have a manual Wisi, pulled from an early 60s MB. Send me a phone # and I'll send you some pics. Keith 520-404-2875

[Charles Rollins]

Here is what I have put together and is mostly supposition based on personal observation. The original Bosch blue tip antenna was all resin, no metal cap (based on two cars, a '59 roadster and '59 Speedster). It had the divots so you could use the forked antenna key. I think they started to fail/break so Bosch added the metal cap for reinforcement as shown in one of the previous photos in this thread. The timeline on the Bosch Blue tip with the metal cap seems to be around 1963 and can still be found on early 911/912 (66-67). Blaupunkt was a subsidy of Bosch. Blaupunkt, means "blue dot" or "blue point" therefore the Blue Tip antenna seems to be a proper association with the blue corporate theme.

Several years ago I was able to get an original Bosch Blue tip antenna and copy the tip. I also reproduced a batch of Bosch antenna keys which I sell on ebay. Production of the tips was an expensive project and did not sell very well but I still have a few tips left

[Greg Bryan]

Thomas - there is not an index of magazine articles, at least not a current one. Now if someone would volunteer, I'd be glad to help work out a format .....