why did older cars have such long antennae when newer cars either don’t have one at all or a tiny nub?

Question

why did older cars have such long antennae when newer cars either don’t have one at all or a tiny nub?

In: 568

Answer 1

The nub, or sometimes a shark fin, isn’t usually the radio antenna. That’s usually a satellite antenna (or maybe several), for GPS, satellite radio, and telematics like Onstar or such.

Some, like my car, have a [dipole](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipole_antenna?wprov=sfla1) antenna integrated into the rear windshield, where it looks like the defroster wires. Other cars may hide them in various ways or locations, depending on the design and various compromises in the construction of the car.