What Is This?

[thelewisgang]

A friend recently bought a second hand car and I went out with her at the weekend for a drive. I noticed this box with an etching (see link) on the front windscreen and asked what it was. "no idea" was her response so I am curious. The image is larger than it actually is. There is a wire that leads from this box up into the headspace but where it goes, goodness only knows. There are no gaps in it for anything to be plugged into it. Any ideas?

https://ibb.co/r2d543V

[Buenchico]

It appears to be a GPS antenna, probably as part of the car's built-in satnav.

[douglas9401]

It's a diversity antenna.

[mjwman]

Maybe a DAB aerial for aftermarket stereo?

[thelewisgang]

thanks peeps. It does not have a built-in sat nav though 😒 

[barry1010]

Looks like my dashcam which is hard wired 

[thelewisgang]

Barry1010  this was my thought but she actually uses an independant dashcam in her car. It is a solid box so how would she know...any idea?

[barry1010]

My dashcam does have a few buttons and of course a lens at the front.  It doesn't have visible wires.

If it's not a dashcam I've no idea

 

[barry1010]

Black box?

"Our self-fitted black boxes are easy to install yourself.

 

These are fitted to the front windscreen of your car and connected using the car’s power source supply through either the cigarette lighter or a USB port..."

https://www.adrianflux.co.uk/learner-drivers/how-to-fit-a-telematics-device/

 

 

 

 

 

[CrapatCryptics2]

It looks a bit like an old dart box which would record any use of dartford tunnel and charge accordingly with no need to stop at the barriers. I think they have been discontinued as paying online is so simple now.

[bhg481]

As mjwman suggests it's probably an after-fit DAB radio. It looks just like one I tried in my car some years ago but reception was poor so I took it back. The aerial sticks to the windsreen and there will be a wire running from the box to the car radio via the roof and pillar liings.

[thelewisgang]

Thank you for all your replies. My friend got it looked at today by a garage she has used in the past. It is, as correctly mentioned in the answers, a diversity antenna. We learn something new every day!