RoadRally98

My Dealer had told me that - to his knowledge - the only placement by MB for this antenna was on the trunk lid.

First, poor design idea such a quality car should never be given options prospectively, by the dealership, that do nothing but degrade the design and "curb-appeal" of the auto.

Second, is this the only choice!? He tells me that the CL has a carbon trunk lid and the antenna can be placed under the lid but not so for SLK.

Appreciate others input on placement as I travel & would like to have this option if possible w/o placing it as a clumbsy add-on in the ****pit.

mbbodytech

I feel your pain brother! First of all, about the SLR, the outer panel of the decklid is made of fiberglass, and the shell of carbon. Radio signals don't penetrate carbon fiber.

As far as your car, have you seen the new antenna? It goes on the decklid, but is much less obtrusive than the old gargantuan one.

If that dosen't do it for you, take a look at some of the "alternative" solutions. I think the member named saparissa (I'm not sure if that's spelled right or not) had an aftermarket antenna mounted under the grille in the hood, and on the 171 I'm sure that same solution would work.

Look at it this way, you could do the aftermarket install, and if ever there is a problem or you want to sell the car, you could always retrofit the factory antenna and nobody's the wiser!

good luck!!

Leef

I'm researching this now. Sirius has announced an antenna (the Sigma) that mounts inside the car, but so far, I haven't found one -- maybe they haven't actually produced it yet. I've heard that Toyota and other brands offer these interior antennas as an option so maybe such a dealer would have access to one.

Another solution would be to use a small external antenna but put it inside, either on the dash at the base of the windshield, or maybe glued to the windshield near the mirror. What I don't know about this is whether these antennas need a ground plane; most RF antennas perform better with a ground plane, but at these high frequencies, that may not matter or matter so much. Before I drill a hole in my car, I'll at least try this.

If I learn more, I'll post it here.

Leef

Another good option is a magnetic antenna. See: http://www.goelectronic.com/Merchant...ATELLITE+RADIO

Leef

Also, here's a listing for an interior antenna from a Nissan supplier. I just ordered one -- hope it works.
http://www.mynissanparts.com/p-479-s...ite-radio.aspx

AMGDAN

Roadrally 98,

I feel the same way. The beautiful lines of this car are totally trashed by the “black wart" on the trunk.
I have seen on a different forum a setup for a SLK 55, which works pretty well. They placed the antenna under the bonnet fins on the hood. This is a smaller non-MB satellite antenna, but is working excellent.
Here is the info that I found on the forum, in case someone else needs it:

Audio Tech Systems Inc
15531 South 70th Court
Attn: Joe
Orland Park, IL 60462

phone number 708-429-8100

Antenna $79.99 shipping $10.00
Splitter $49.99

I really like the alternative,
Dan

Leef

Uh oh. The Sirius antenna I got from the Nissan supplier won't work -- it's too big. It's triangular shaped, abt. 6" base x 4" height. It would be fine for the rear window of a fixed-top car, but not the SLK. Next plan -- a small antenna mounted under the small grills in the rear of the hood (they're plastic).