Well yes, lots of you guys have asked about my dish on top of my GL320.

Here's the scoop:

KVH makes a dish that works 60% of the time. It has some definite flaws in the engineering, but they can only receive what they can get from Satelites.

Satelites broadcast such a weak signal that it takes this big huge dish to receive any signals at all. What KVH failed in is having a small hard drive to "TIVO" a few seconds and they digitally speed/slow the signal to fill in the dropouts every time you go under a street light, 2 or more pigeons, a bridge or maybe a heavy cloud.

The dish can only receive what it sees 20 degrees south. If you are going down Interstate 5 in Oregon, with tall trees on both side of the freeway, it is useless. If you are going on Interstate 10 through Texas, you get everything.

Rain stops all signals.

Snow is worse.

On a GL, the Direct TV box I put back in the drivers rear quarter panel. It fits right next to the 3rd row seat Air Conditioner system. If you don't have rear A/C, you can also put a 12" sub woofer to replace to totally worthless stock subwoofer system designed by Harmon Kardon.

Who in their rational mind would design a sub woofer system, then HIDE IT behind sound proofing material??? But thats what they did. Sounds like that old engineer from American Motors Hornet found a job.

Back to the Direct TV.

Box installed in quarter panel, then RCA cords are run to two different systems, depending on what ya have in your GL.

I have rear DVD System. So the Direct TV Box wires into the AUX1 inputs of the rear DVD System. YOU MUST have a video amplifier if you want to run rear screens and front screens. If not the front screen is nothing but red and black.

You also have to turn on the rear DVD to get sound thru the REAR aux input.

OR:

If you dont have rear DVD, you can run the video into the NAV-TV unit and use the AUX plug in the glove box for sound.

I have put many many hours into this system. I you are really interested in Direct post something and I will try and be more specific in replies...

Glad to help.

PS: Yes, those are REAL Streets in Phoenix, the corner of HO and HUM.

 

How's that replacement GL320 working out for you? Any problems or malfunctions? How many MPG have you been getting?

Hope your ribs and wrist have healed OK.

 

Thanks, Scott. I think I will wait on the dish for now although my wife and mom are on my case ever since I told them that this was possible If you don't mind sharing, I would like to know about the sub replacement with some pics if possible. The factory sub stinks and that's being generous. I have a good A/V guy around here and he asked me if I can show him some pics before hand, he would be good to go since he hasn't done a GL yet. No rush, if and when you can.

 

Well if I could find a good looking mount in front or maybe the back door is tough enough, I could use the spare tire space.

I dont know what the strain would be on the auto opening rear door with the spare mounted there. It's not like it's a full size spare, it's only 1/2 size ya know...

 

Wait, you can play a DVD and get it to display on the NAV screen up front? Pls tell me how.

 

Easy - look up NAV-TV in your web browser. I'll take pics and post em this week.

But to play videos up front, you cant use the unit under the back seat. You need a separate video player. It can be wired into the rear head rest screens (aux in on the dvd unit) and a separate video feed to the 'radio'. You then hit the - + buttons together on the right of the steering wheel - and voila, you have video in front.

 

Thanks Dave for the write up on the KVH. Didn't realize how sensative it was good to know now.


Looking forward to the write up on the NAV-TV input.