Poor reception
Wayne from Denver, NC on 6/17/2025
Unfortunately the reception is so much worse than the old broken antenna that I could only give 2 stars. It won't matter if there are any pros for this antenna since its main function fails to perform. I really wanted to have a retractable antenna for nostalgia too. Oh well.
Pros: Looks nice and fit great in my 1994 Miata. Antenna goes up and down nicely.
Cons: Very bad reception. So bad that one channel that's available across my whole area and then some wouldn't even come in. The broken antenna prior to this one had much better reception. It's unfortunate because otherwise it's a good product.
0 of 0 found this helpful
RetroSound PA-03 Power Antenna
Mark from Los Angeles, CA on 5/27/2025
Solid product. Fit my 1965 Corvair Corsa's rear antenna position perfectly without hitting the wheel well like the normal/usual sized power antennas.
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0 of 0 found this helpful
RetroSound PA-03 Power Antenna
Steve from North Bethesda, MD on 4/26/2025
0 of 0 found this helpful
RetroSound PA-03 Power Antenna
Crutchfield customer from Matthews, NC on 2/10/2025
0 of 0 found this helpful
only if you can't get a bigger one in
Jeff from Shakopee, MN on 12/26/2024
If you need the space this is likely the antenna for you. If you can manage a bit more space than go with the PA01 or other antenna. The reason being that this antenna is only about 15" when fully extended or about 1/2 the height of my stock fixed antenna. The car is under winter additions so I don't know how much the height difference will impact reception. Another issue is that if you need to use an angle adapter the instructions are useless and it will take you lots of fiddling about to figure out what works and what doesn't and what parts are actually extra. Pay attention to the fact that it only has a 5' antenna wire on it. I need to run the antenna from the rear fender to the cabin which is much longer than 5'. I thought I could either put a different end on the antenna wire already in the car to match up with the fitting on the antenna or buy a longer antenna wire but neither crutchfield nor retrosound could tell me what fitting is on the antenna; proprietary? I'm going to need to use an antenna extension and have to bury the connection under carpet and hope it never comes apart.
Pros: requires less space under the fender
Cons: - short antenna when extended - useless instructions when using angle base - short antenna wire with proprietary connector
1 of 1 found this helpful
RetroSound PA-03 Power Antenna
Lorentz from Ellensburg, WA on 9/3/2024
0 of 0 found this helpful
Poor Instructions
Mark from Libertyville, IL on 10/31/2023
The directions are extremely poor. No exploded view is given, so trying to figure out where each part is supposed to go is quite difficult. Quite a few spare parts are thrown loosely in a few different plastic bags with no instructions or illustrations of how to use them, with the exception of the angled bezel that fits on the outside.
Pros: It works
Cons: Way too difficult install.
0 of 0 found this helpful
Great addition to my classic car
Justin from Ooltewah, TN on 10/30/2023
Perfect for what I needed. Did not have much space in the wheel well for a power antenna om my 65 Corvair (I have an original power antenna, but they fit the rear of the vehicle and were too tall for the front location). This is the perfect size. Looks like it is a decent quality, the antenna and power wires are sufficiently long @ ~6-feet (some of the lower cost options come with smaller length wires, which would not work for me). Now I'll be able to throw the cover on the car without dealing with an antenna sticking up.
Pros: long wire leads
Cons: shorter antenna length may reduce signal quality
0 of 0 found this helpful
RetroSound PA-03 Power Antenna
Raymond from Grand Junction, CO on 10/24/2023
0 of 2 found this helpful
RetroSound PA-03 Power Antenna
Louis from Hauppauge, NY on 8/3/2023
0 of 0 found this helpful
RetroSound PA-03 Power Antenna
John from Asheville, NC on 1/5/2023
0 of 0 found this helpful
Quality product and Good service
Malcolm from Salt Lake City, UT on 12/8/2022
Quality product which fits my application as I had been advised. Crutchfield had it in stock as advertised and sent it promptly. Great customer service. Thx
Pros: The compact nature of the antenna allows it to be installed in tight places
Cons:
0 of 0 found this helpful
RetroSound PA-03 Power Antenna
James from Minneapolis, MN on 10/2/2022
Very nice little product but offers very poor reception. Everything is hooked up very solid, but the static is terrible and inconsistent. It appears that the connect in from the antenna to coax is not as robust as it should be. I would not purchase again. I am not sure if it's a product of the retractable antenna, or just this one.
Pros: Retractable fits in a tight spot
Cons: Static and inconsistent High cost for poor reception
4 of 4 found this helpful
Power antenna replacement
John from Annapolis, MD on 7/15/2022
The installation went fine, but the antenna doesn't go as high as the one it replaced and the reception doesn't seem as good, so that might be the reason.
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2 of 2 found this helpful
RetroSound PA-03 Power Antenna
Kirt from Arcata, CA on 2/9/2022
I feel like it is well made. It included adaptors to install in any situation, which was nice.
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3 of 3 found this helpful
RetroSound PA-03 Power Antenna
Crutchfield customer from Coarsegold, CA on 6/17/2021
Got here quickly. Perfect size. Works great.
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3 of 3 found this helpful
RetroSound PA-03 Power Antenna
Crutchfield customer from Somerdale, NJ on 1/24/2021
This antenna gave me much more needed room and gets very good reception.
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4 of 4 found this helpful
RetroSound PA-03 Power Antenna
Crutchfield customer from Quitman, TX on 12/28/2020
Nice product. Interestingly, it fit my 1950 Chevy much better than the Retro antenna designated for 49-52 Chevys.
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1 of 2 found this helpful
Cost cutting disappoints, esp on chrome option & cable connection
Don from Moreno Valley, CA on 10/6/2020
Well, after all I've read about power antennas, I now know why they rarely get 5 star ratings... always cutting costs somewhere. I got the chrome version of this antenna (PA-03) and it doesn't clearly show the top of the fender bezel (black plastic) in the photos so you are led to think it will be chrome like the mast. Well, it isn't and it looks really cheap, contrasting with the chrome. Secondly, the antenna only extends 18 inches so you don't get great reception. I did wonder how my longer expectation of the antenna length could possibly fit in such a small motor assembly... well that.s because the 5 sections are very short. This shorter length segments will probably resist being broken better. While the length will look fairly clean it is about half the original in length. Lastly, the biggest complaint is that the nut that secures the antenna cable to the motor assembly is not correctly sized. It fits so loosely that it yielded to the slightest pressure upon tightening so that it now hardly holds on, spinning too easily to last. How do I fix it so that will last? IDK - maybe silicone sealer? I plan on putting this in a place that is not accessible to correct it, if it loosens so I need to fix it somehow. I will write to the manufacturer. It is no doubt that they cut costs and didn't ensure a quality part at this connection. If you choose this antenna, keep these issues in mind... I'll make it work but you could spend more money for something that won't disappoint.
Pros: compact design, pretty quiet, works but not as good as a full length mast
Cons: short mast reduces reception strength, black ABS plastic bezel pieces that look ugly with a chrome mast option, loose connection at cable barely holds onto the coax assembly
10 of 10 found this helpful
Custom install on 66 Chevy pickup
Crutchfield customer from Meridian, ID on 8/8/2020
I bought this antenna because it is compact and fully automatic, for my Retrosound Model 2 installed in my 66 Chevy pickup project. I was able to fit it under the right cowl above the fender between the hinge pillar and the cowl vent plenum with only a slight amount of massaging of the plenum closest to the body (block of wood and hammer method) . I made my own lower bracket, so it could be installed with the cowl as an assembly. I won't lie, it took a bit of fabrication to pull it off, but it looks like it belongs there,is clean, and works great. I couldn't be happier with the result.
Pros: Super compact size allows more flexibility with tight spaces. It is universal,you know up front you'll have to improvise when not installing direct fit parts.
Cons: diagram of bezel and spacer combinations is hard to decipher, but I figured it out by trial and error
2 of 2 found this helpful
Great Service
Crutchfield customer from Coatesville, IN on 7/8/2020
Arrived quickly and accurately. Very pleased with the visual quality. I haven't installed this antenna yet but I'm certain this will work perfectly for my needs.
Pros: I needed the short size of this antenna
Cons: None
1 of 3 found this helpful
RetroSound PA-03 Power Antenna
Crutchfield customer from Sierra Vista, AZ on 5/1/2020
So far, seems to work pretty good, this is my second unit that I've put in. The first one quit working right after I got the car on the road. I like the way it fits, flush mount. If this one quits, I'll have to go old school!
Pros: Fit
Cons:
1 of 1 found this helpful
RetroSound PA-03 Power Antenna
Crutchfield customer from Kannapolis, NC on 11/28/2019
2 of 2 found this helpful
Pa03 power antenna
Crutchfield customer from Tucson, AZ on 11/24/2019
Works perfectly...it is a very nice low profile antenna. Exactly what I was looking for and great price too
Pros: Perfect fit
Cons: None
0 of 0 found this helpful
Old car, new antenna
Crutchfield customer from Bartlesville, OK on 8/19/2019
This fits my old classic perfectly. Installation was straightforward and simple. It's working just fine so far.
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0 of 0 found this helpful
RetroSound PA-03 Power Antenna
Crutchfield customer from Independence, MO on 8/18/2019
10 of 10 found this helpful
RetroSound PA-03 Power Antenna
Crutchfield customer from Montcalm, WV on 12/8/2018
0 of 1 found this helpful
RetroSound PA-03 Power Antenna Failure
Mike from Miami, FL on 2/29/2016
Unfortunately this power antenna unit malfunctioned right out of the box. The antenna mast overextended and became unstable and would not retract after installation and when first powered up. All that Crutchfield did was refer this customer to the the manufacturer's tech support who required that the faulty unit be sent to them at the customers cost before sending out a replacement.
Pros: All support personnel were courteous and cheerful both from the seller and manufacturer. I liked the compactness of the unit and its appearance.
Cons: Obviously experienced a design failure which may be a common problem with this unit. Be sure not to power the unit on without the top mounting assembly properly installed as per tech support instructions which are not mentioned in the instruction booklet that came with the unit.
22 of 22 found this helpful
