Buddha

Well I got it installed and it is pretty cool. Had the pioneer unit installed with the control in the ash tray.

Link to More Pictures

vadim

Nice. How is the signal fed into the audio system?

Cullen

This is a very timely post, I was thinking about having this done on my coupe last night, and had some questions.

The unit you have in your ash tray area.. is that the kind the broadcasts the signal on an FM station, so you must have your radio unit tuned in to a specific station?

How is the sound quality?

Can you close the ashtray door and hide the head unit completely?


The ugly antenna was one reason why i wasnt going to get it, i figured it had to be on my roof. This looks like a good solution the way you have it.. but what happens if you need to remove the hatchback seperator to haul some large cargo? Do you have to do some labor to remove the antenna?


I've heard that Mercedes is going to come out with a head unit later this year which will be compatibile with the Sirius network. Anyone know if this is true, and if it will be C-CLass compatible?


And, how do you like the service?



Thanks!

avlis

Where did you put the tuner module?

Lynn

Mercedes is a partner with Sirius. The head unit is supposed to be available for all models. A small picture of the head unit is in the lower left here

It looks a lot like he current cassette head unit. I hope they have one with a CD player. There is also a agreement between XM and Sirius that all satellite radio recievers will be able to receive both services. I hope the Mercedes head unit will be able to do that.

young

nice job! i thought the antenna had to be outside which kinda bothered me. i like the location of the antenna that you have but what if you want to take the cover out?

how is it attached? and where did you thread the wiring to the head unit?

thanks for the info.

Buddha

I apologize for the poor quality of the photos and I will try and get some better ones posted this weekend with all of the components and installation questions.

-This is the Pioneer unit that connects through the antenna feed
-The control box is in the compartment with the first aid kit
-The antenna wire curls around to the bottom of the cover and is taped up cleanly over to the driver side
-I had them leave enough wire behind the panel so that if need be I could pull off the cover and set it to the side, but not completely remove it from the car
-I don’t know how they attached the antenna to the cover, I will check
-Sound quality, I have had FM modulated CD changers in the past and would assume the degradation would be comparable. I am not enough of an audiophile to let that concern me. It sounds very clear compared to FM signal
-Service: relatively easy set up. 14.99 activation fee (9.99 if you do it on the web) and the 9.95 monthly fee is billed quarterly. So about 50 bucks to get up and cooking.

Let me know if there are any more questions.

Ian

Cullen

sorry, maybe you answered this, but can you still close the flap on theash tray area to hide the head unit? Also, can you post a picture of the cabling, if any is running in the passenger compartment?


Thanks
Cullen

Buddha

Yes

The ash tray was removed for the installation so there is ample room for the door to close. I was going for the least obvious installation and with the antenna inside and the ash tray closed it would take a rather close look to tell it existed. Not sure what the impact as far as reception that having the antenna inside actually has, I have already found a short section (30 seconds or so) of road on my commute that I loose signal. Still worth the trade off of having a clean install for me.

Ian

Flashman

Very nice job. That's exactly what I want done. As a matter of fact, I might print those pictures out for the installer. Did they tell you how they dealt with the MB's non-standard antenna connector?

Buellwinkle

How does it work around highrise buildings, double deck bridges and any area that obstructs the view of the satellite? I know with GPS it doesn't always work in these type of circumstances.

Lynn

Both XM and Sirius are installing ground repeaters in populous areas to reduce the chances of signal loss.

Buddha

I updated the photos showing as much of the install as possible. The Antenna has two outputs one is for satellite reception and the other is for the over the air repeater signals. The installer did not mention anything about the non standard antenna being an issue. Let me know if there are any other questions or photos I can provide.


Updated Photo's


Ian

Cullen

Thanks Buddha. One thing I don't understand. The unit in your ashtray area.. is this some kind of wireless unit, or did they drill holes in the back of the ashtray area in order to hook the unit up to your sound system? Because otherwise I would expect wires to be coming out the door of the area.

Torch

I am installing a remote radar detector box in this location. How did you get the wires through the back of the unit? How did you get to the back of the console, what did you remove or how were the wires routed into the console? I appreciate the help.

MB-BOB

I passed a remote power cord into this area for my electronic compass. First, there is an ashtray holder which is attached to the flip cover as a complete unit. (Inside is the removable ashtray.)

Provided the wires are not too thick, there is a space between the ashtray holder and its cover at the back of the unit to fish the wire through without altering the factory parts in any way. I had to temporarily remove the fiber optic ashtray light assembly to get the wire through. But it just clips in place.

IMO, there is NOT enough room to pass a plug-in type connector (or any coax cable, if required). For this, you would have to cut a hole in the back of the ashtray holder, or disassemble the flip cover from the base (looked very complicated to me).

JustinTRW

You could always remove the connector, pass the wire through, and then reconnect it if possible....

Torch

Bob - a little more on the light and how you remove it? I reached up there and it felt flush with the back of the unit. I did not feel how it clips out. Am I missing something?
This is a telephone wire, so probably not enough room to get the end piece through. I guess there is a tool that you can buy to put the end on a telephone wire? I am betting...
Next duh question, how did you feed the wire to this small hole? I need to go to pass. side of console and exit there. Thanks,

supeRama

You mentioned that you connected your XM via the antenna feed - how does that work? Is that something special with the Pioneer unit or can they all be connected that way? (I am looking for alternatives to using a FM Modulator)

Lynn

The Pioneer unit uses and FM modulator. It is inserted into the antenna wire.

inFiniTE LooP

any chance of getting these links to work again? i just got an XM Commander for my birthday from my girlfriend and was lookin for as much info as i could on getting XM installed into my car...thanks~!

inFiniTE LooP

the link doesn't work, do you still have your pics. posted somewhere else? can you provide some more links/pics.? thanks

Capt Nemo o2

Got a Roady II and installed it tonight.

Here are the pics inside...

Capt Nemo o2

Guess where the antennea is...

Nope! Not on the back!!! Its in the cowl grill on the hood. Really easy to put in there and run the wire too. So much easier than running it to the trunk.

Capt Nemo o2

And yes, I know my car is DIRTY!!! Everytime I wash it it snows!!!

And sorry for the not so great pics... It was 34* outside and windy... I wanted to hurry up and get inside!