gac

I have the sirius radio starmate4 has anyone installed this in their pre 03' w220? I remember seeing that someone put the actual radio in the ashtray but cant find that pic anymore. I hate anything aftermarket looking in my car! but would love to listen to sirius radio. also would I be able to use an originall antenna from mercedes for sirius or do I have to use that big ugly one that came with the radio?
thanks

Skylaw

I recall seeing the post you may be pointing out, but I don't have it bookmarked.

Your '02 lacks any kind of AUX jack. One thing your could do is install a Dension Gateway 500, which gives you RCA, USB, and iPod connectors and feeds very high sound quality signals directly into your fiber optics loop. If your Sirius unit has an output that matches one of the GW 500 inputs, I would think you could do it (as well as expanding your music options). www.Dension.com.

The '05 was the first W220 to offer Sirius as an OE option - and therefore the first to have an antenna designed for the car. There are a number of posts concerning antenna options (most of which are mounted under the openings just in front of the windshield) - you might search on "Sirius antenna" and see what it brings up. Again, I don't have the posts bookmarked, but they're out there.

gac

thanks skylaw. I was wondering if I can buy the low profile trunk mounted type of antennas from mercedes?

Skylaw

You could ask - but many folks don't want to drill a hole in the trunk lid. Folks who mounted them up front found ways to feed the antenna lead through the firewall without drilling holes in sheet metal, as I recall.

gac

yes. but according to the sirius book it says you need a minimum of 3 inches of metal on all sides. this would mean the antenna would have a three inch wire fron the top of windshild, the antenna that came with the unit is rather large and ugly looking, so i just wanted to keep the car as originall as possible.

srknutson

I bought my 04 S500 with sirrus as OE that I had the dealer install. I did not want the gaint ugly trunk antenna so I bought a small (2"X2") magnetic antenna and placed it behind the GPS antenna on the roof. You can barely see it. I know others have placed similar antennas under grills where they are completly hidden. Have you talked to a dealer about a stock unit for your trunk? I have heard some members say they are very pricey but at least you would have sirrus running through your stock command. I payed $600 installed when I bought mine. Good luck.

Skylaw

SR, your '04 has a MOST fiber optics bus. OE Sirius could be retrofitted to the '04 (I don't think it was a factory-installed option until '05). However, W220s before the '04 model year had D2B fiber optics, which are incompatible with the MOST bus equipment. gac pretty much has to go 3rd party for Sirius. Without an AUX input, he has to get the Sirius output into his fiber optics bus - the Gateway 500 will do that for him.

Still, he has the antenna problem - thanks for your suggestion about that. I have seen other contributors solve the antenna problem without ugly protrusions or drilling through body metal - but don't have them bookmarked. A search on "Sirius antenna" or "Satellite radio antenna" might get it for him.

gac

thanks for all the help guys. I will again do a search for the antennas and see what I come up with.

gac

one more question:
Do I have to connect the radio thrue the cig. lighter? I would hate having this ugly bulky wire sticking out and having the ashtray always open.
thanks.

Skylaw

gac, you could hard wire the unit to the cigarette lighter. That would do away with the connector and would hide the cord away.

gac

thanks skylaw!