Antenna assemblies including standard electrical connections and captured retainers and fasteners

An antenna assembly for installation to a vehicle body wall having a mounting hole, the antenna assembly comprising:

• an antenna base configured to be disposed along an external side of the vehicle with respect to the vehicle body wall;
• an electrical connector coupled to the antenna base such that, when the antenna base is disposed along the external side of the vehicle, the electrical connector is accessible from inside the vehicle for a pluggable electrical connection to at least one communication link for communicating signals received by the antenna assembly to another device;
• a first retaining component having tapered faces and shoulder portions configured to be inserted through the mounting hole with the shoulder portions disposed on the interior compartment side while the antenna base is disposed on the external side of the vehicle body wall, to thereby help hold the antenna assembly in place relative to the vehicle body wall in a first installed position;
• a fastener member;
• a second retaining component having an opening through which the fastener member passes, and one or more legs extending in a direction generally away from the opening towards the mounting hole, the one or more legs configured for making contact with the corresponding tapered faces of the first retaining component as the second retaining component moves generally towards the mounting hole;
• whereby driving the fastener member in a direction generally towards the antenna base compressively moves the second retaining component in the direction generally towards the mounting hole such that the one or more legs deform and expand generally outwardly relative to the mounting hole against the interior compartment side of the vehicle body wall, thereby securing the antenna assembly to the vehicle body wall in a second, operational installed position.

A method of installing an antenna assembly to a vehicle body wall having external and internal sides with a mounting hole therebetween, the method comprising:

• from an external side of the vehicle body wall, inserting the antenna assembly into the mounting hole such that the antenna base is disposed along the external side of the vehicle body wall and such that an electrical connector coupled to the antenna base is accessible from the internal side of the vehicle body wall, whereby the antenna assembly is held in place relative to the vehicle body wall in a first installed position by shoulder portions of a first retaining component of the antenna assembly being disposed along the internal side of the vehicle body wall;
• from the internal side of the vehicle body wall, driving a fastener member to compressively move a second retaining component of the antenna assembly such that one or more legs of the second retaining component deform and expand generally outwardly relative to the mounting hole against the internal side of the vehicle body wall, thereby securing the antenna assembly to the supporting structure in a second, operational installed position;
• and
• from the internal side of the vehicle body wall, plugging at least one communication link into an electrical connector coupled to the antenna base to thereby allow the communication link to communicate signals received by the antenna assembly to another device.