ctC230K

I spent 3 hours Sunday afternoon properly installing my Sirius antenna. I've had it mounted inside the car behind the windshield on the dashboard on the center speaker for the last month but the signal would cut out often when I drove under a big tree, now that it's mounted under the hood the signal is near perfect all the time.
I broke 4 plastic clips that I didn't realize had to be unclipped when I took out the grill but it makes no difference, it still screwed back down and stays in place just fine without those clips.
Getting the antenna connector through the firewall took about 2 of the 3 hours, that was almost impossible. I spent one hour trying to get it through the left side of the car behind the battery but it just wasn't piercing the rubber plugs even after I cut one of them off with a knife so I tried the right side of the car behind the fuse box and after trying for one more hour I finally got it to go through.
Last photo shows where I have the Starmate in the cigarette tray, it fits very nicely and when I park the car I can unplug it and stuff it inside the compartment then close the door over it and you'd never know it's there.

ctC230K

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inFiniTE LooP

very nice, looks really good i might consider moving my antenna to that spot too now

superduper

Whoo thats alot of work, but Im sure its worth it in the end. Nice job.

ericnovember

Looks great. I'm surprised you get such a reliable signal thru the slats. Good call on the placement. Did you decide to go with an aftermarket unit to avoid the expense of the OEM unit? I've considered getting the OEM Sirius upgrade since my dealership said that they'd include two years of service with it (a significant offset of the cost of the unit).

Does anyone know if the OEM Sirius unit will affect the installation of the upcoming iPod upgrade?

Eric Y.

skahung

Hey eric, how much did the dealer want for the OEM Sirius upgrade (Part + Labor)???

JohnCL

Looks good CT, that is where my antenna is too....FYI for the rest of you, there is a rubber plug below the master cylinder that goes through the firewall and if you drop the panel above the drivers footwell from the inside you can pop the plug out and then pierce a hole in it while you have it out. With the plug out you have a nice .5" hole or so to get your antenna through, but just remember to thread the antenna lead through the plug and push it back into place.

Jim Banville

I'm glad you're happy with it, but I don't see how if a driving under trees is blocking your signal, moving the antenna will help. Where ever you mount it, it's still under the tress, no?
And I remember reading an amp install here where someone used a grommet under the dash on the passenger side to fish the power wire through with little problem.

inFiniTE LooP

moving the antenna helps because it is in contact with more metal which enhances signal strength...

Moviela

On the dash the antenna is not exposed to a good portion of the sky. The whole sky is visible from the grill in the hood. The glass does attenuate the signal a bit, and if the signal is right on the edge of working, that can make a difference.

I tried a Terk antenna in the grill, but it did not work as well as the factory antenna in the roof of the car. This could be because I spend a lot of time in the foothills where reception is not as good as flat land.

One thing I have observed with the factory Delphi unit is that it will work fine when the key is turned to the first position, but after starting the motor it is seeking the signal. If I move the car before the signal is found, it will never find it. I have to stop, turn off the engine, restart the car, and wait for the signal to be found.

ctC230K

I never even considered an OEM Sirius option, but if I did I wouldn't have gotten it because it's so expensive and they mount that ugly antenna on the trunk.
I got the Starmate for a couple reasons, first because it was $99 and had a $50 rebate and because I liked the color of the display and font and button placement and small size and third because of the color! it matches my dashboard nicely.

ctC230K

The old way I had it mounted there were a few problems, it was inside the car, a big no no and the dashboard is rubber/plastic/vinyl whatever you want to call it and not a big piece of metal like the hood so it doesn't help the signal, and I was told by Sirius support that the windshield may actually be blocking a good amount of signal from the antenna when it's mounted on the dashboard. (not sure if that's true or not.)
but anyway, I've had the antenna where it is inside the hood grill now for 4 days and the only time it cuts out is when i drive under 4 lane bridges and in parking garages.