Has anyone put satellite radio in their coupe? I am interested in having it installed in my car. But I am worried that it will mess up the car's interior somehow. I don't want some big ugly box stuck to my dash.

What did they have to do to your car to install the satellite radio?

Thanks for the info.

 

There are several members here (myself included) with XM satellite radio. You don't have to worry about it messing up the car's interior in any way.

I have the Delphi Roady2 right now. It is installed on the dash via the vent-mount kit. However, I do not like this location as it blocks one of the vents and is in a kind of strange spot.

There are several head units on the market which come "XM Ready." All you have to do is stick the antenna to the top of your car and run the line to the unit. This eliminates the need for the big box stuck to your dash and makes for a very clean looking install.

 

Wow! What a quick rely. thanks for the info, I am off the shop and see what is out there.

I have had my XF for just a month and just learned about this Forum. Have learned a lot.

Thanks,
Wjf

 

Well I'm bored at work, so I've got lots of time to kill on the forums. You're welcome, though.

 

ALPINE CDA-9820XM w/ X Micro antenna.



The Worlds First Integrated XM Radio/CD Tuner. Designed not only for looks but for high performance, going beyond AM/FM reception. All you have to do is add an XM Antenna and subscribe for service to enjoy over 100 channels of digital XM Satellite Radio. The CDA-9820XM also includes the Bass Engine feature set - including Bass Center Frequency Control and MediaXpanderþ that lets you tune music to your taste. 50 Watts x 4 power and two 2-Volt PreAmp outputs. In addition, you can control a CD changer and operation is easy with a user-friendly design and rotary ****.

 

Hey Sandman...since you're in the custom sound biz, have you been able to figure out what voltage range the factory Crossfire "amp" unit expects to see? I see head units all over the place on voltage output, how critical is a close match?

 

I had the same issue with wanting a satellite radio but not wanting extra hardware. The dealer showed me the Alpine CDA-9820XM XM/CD Receiver and I ordered it. I had an appointment to have it installed next week but my roadster didn't show up this week as expected. It looks like a nice unit, and I trust the Alpine name. I saw one report where a person returned a unit because he said the display was so dim he couldn't read it even in subdued light. I have seen no other complaints.

 

I've read NUMEROUS reviews complaining about:
1. dim display
2. no MP3 playback

I'll hold out for another unit that has built-in XM >AND< MP3 capability.

 

The 2005 CES show is coming up the first weekend in January. Las Vages is the place and I will give all a sneak peaak as soon as I get back from the show.

I know there iwll be some new itms concerning XM & SIRIUS!

FYI: Very shortly Alpine headunits will be able to handle both formats.

Regards,

 

Hi everybody-I had the xm commander installed just above the key...you can see the screen right through the steering wheel...it looks great...im sure youll be pleased

bilge12

 

After some research I finally decided on the Sony CDX-F7750X. Had it installed two weeks ago. With the silver face plate it fits in with the rest of the dash very well. The sound is excellent. Being able to plug in my I-pod is terrific. The shop I took it to did a nice clean installation job and used a new very small antenna for the XM. If there was any down side it would be that the keys are illuminated blue. But I hardly notice anymore.

 

i had the alpine 9831 head unit with the sirius tuner installed in my roadster. very small antenna installed on the deck behind the passenger seat. thrilled with the sound quality, could not recommend it any higher.

 

I have the xm commander installed but I didn't mount in on the dash. I have it sitting on the drivers seat edge up against the center console. It's not mounted so that I can hide it under the seat when I'm in areas where I don't want anyone to be tempted to do something stupid. Seeing the display is a look down process and certainly not the safest thing to do while driving, but I generally stick to one channel and listen not look at every song/subject.

It's just a pity to clutter a nice looking dash.

 

Sirius is the only way to go. :-) I am using the Audiovox unit it's size makes it easy to find an out of the way mounting area and use the remote to change streams.

 

Last night at a company party with door prizes, I won a Sirius Starmate receiver and a year's subscription. So, today was install day.

My goal was two-fold. First to find the least obtrusive locations for both the antenna and the radio. Second, to use locations that required the least amount of effort and know-how to be able to install easily and without having to tear the car apart.

For the antenna, I settled on nestling it on the very front corner of the driver's side dashboard, just ahead of the windshield pillar. It's at a slight angle so that the wire goes straight under the molding and down from there, totally hidden from view. While tucking the wire away with the edge of a credit card, I came up with a novel "mount" for the receiver itself. I haven't had a problem with signal yet, but we'll see when it rains.

It was hard to find a place for the receiver that satisfied my desire to keep things looking uncluttered. The best place I found was directly under the ignition key hole. Unfortunately, even the best double sided adhesive foam tape wouldn't stick to the plastic knee guard. So, with the "stroke of genius" I had in running the antenna wire in mind, I took an old hotel door key card (any plastic card will do), folded it in half, and forced one half (a tight fit) between the knee guard and the dash panel above it. The rest of the card hanging down made a perfect mount for the receiver. I adhered the unit high enough on the card that you can't even see the card behind it. I can see the display easily through the steering wheel, though operating it while driving is a bit gamey. I can always use the remote too. And, it's also easily removed and replaced in case one is concerned about possible theft.

Attached is a pic. Forgive the poor lighting and low res of my cell phone cam.

 

Can anyone tell me where there's an easily accessible constant hot wire I can tap into? All the interior fuse box connections hinge on lights being on. Or is there an easy way to get a wire through to the fuse box under the hood?

While I'm asking... how do you get the panels under the dash on the driver's side off so I can get my wiring up there?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

The easiest way I found is to tap into the "hot" wire that powers the cigarette lighter. The panel over the driver's legs is another story. It's darn near impossible to get off easily. I wound up fishing a wire from the back of the cigarette lighter over to the driver's side access panel (where the fuse box is) to power my XM and V-1. Check my gallery for a pic of the install.

 

Hey...I had the XM Commander installed in the center console where I normally put my spare change. Took it to best buy the day after thanksgiving for all the sales. Paid $99.99 for the XM Commander unit and $25 for the two antenna adapters. They were supposed to charge me $71 for installation, but when I got to the register to pay, it was such a zoo in there, the girl forgot to charge me the $71...I got a good deal!!! Plus I got a $50 mail in rebate!!! It looks like it belongs there too! I love it.

 

I just installed my Sirius Starmate unit in my Roadster - I mounted the unit on the left of the steering wheel, just above the driver's air vent - it fit perfectly and is not easily noticed. I used the adhesive velcro provided but it would not hold, so I put a drop of super glue behind the velcro and that did the trick. The antenna wire I ran along the drivers side door to the rear and mounted it next to the regular antenna - no wire is visible whatsoever, and I have great reception. The only small annoyance is the cigarette adapter - I did run that wire so it cannot be seen as well, but it's annoying to have to unplug the adapter everytime I need to charge the cell phone. Small annoyance though - I love the satellite!

 

How did you get to the cigarette lighter wire?