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Delphi XM + Modulator Install Help

VegasShawn

Full Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2003
Messages
86
Location
Las Vegas, NV.
Well, I went ahead and bought the Delphi unit with the FM Modulator. ?I have some installation questions:

1. ?I want to mount the antenna in the middle rear of the roof so I can run the wire inside of the sail panels. ?Where do you route the wires in order to get them to the dash easily? ?What pieces do I need to take apart in order to do it?

2. ?Where is the best place to get power/ground for the FM Modulator unit?

3. Where is the best place to mount the modulator unit?

Thanks in advance
 
Well, anyways, I got the antenna installed today and I will tackle the unit itself tomorrow.

So, does anyone have any tips on wiring, etc?
 
i do not want to sound harsh dude. and do not take this the wrong way. my advice is to take the Delphi back. get yourself a XM-ready HU. preferrably a Pioneer, Sony, or Alpine. get the same manufacturer's XM tuner. this will be the best thing as far as sound and XM to radio compatability.
i speak from experience. i am a helicopter electrician so i have a little background on things with wires. i installed the XM modulator first. did not like the bulkiness. did not like having to tune the radio to a certain station to hear XM. did not like the static from radio going from FM to XM. especially when the volume is kinda high.
i installed the Delphi system in a co-workers vehicle. once installed the lady instantly realized it did not sound as good as mine. it was staticy. i went over all of the install to see if i had over looked something. nope. so i tried picking different stations to tune the music through. no difference.
i went back to the store where the system was purchased. i spoke to one of the salepeople who i have formed a good relationship with. i was told that was a problem with the unit's modulator. if you were to compare the Delphi modulator to Pioneer's or Sony's you will see what i am talking about.
anyway we went with the Alpine HU and XM. it was sounding real good once i got it in. no more static. now the staic i speak of sounds as if you are still listening to FM rather then XM. she was happy. i was happy. i am not happy with Delphi product however.
i have a Pinoeer HU, Pioneer XM tuner, and a Sony XM antenna. i chose the Sony antenna because it has the smallest profile of all the antennas i have seen. people will tell you the Sony will not fit Pioneer accessories. it will dude. and i am talking without cutting anything. it is just a matter of removing and installing the yellow and green clips on the wire ends. if people would just read the directions it explains how to remove/install them. it is a shame that the people i speak of are the guys that install them at some of the electronic stores.
write back if you have any questions.
 
I suspect that the Delphi unit, if directly connect to a head unit with aux input, would sound much better (may rival some XM head units) since the modulator is removed from the equation.

I was thinking of going this route since I want to be able to take the unit in the house and use it through my home stereo and only pay 1 subscriptiuon fee.

Any thoughts.
 
i think you maybe right about that. the fewer things connected between the tuner and radio the better. btw VegasShawn, i forgot to mention when you use the modulator the signal that was once digital is turned into an anolog one. this is because the modulator is being used to transmit the signal through an anolog FM station. the only way to stay digital is to use the XM tuner and hook it up to the HU via an IP bus cable. or possibly by using the AUX in on the back of the factory HU.
 
Well, even if you use the AUX input, it is still analog since the stock head unit can't decode a digital signal. It always has to get converted to analog at some point.

I was able to get everything installed yesterday and it works 100%. I haven't noticed any static at all. Just some light hiss during light sound passages and high volumes, which is to be expected when using the modulator.

If someone would get off of their butts and make an AUX interface for a 2003 (without a slave unit), I am going to switch it over anyways.

I am completely happy with the Delphi unit and I like the large display. The other reason I bought the Delphi is so that I can use it in multiple vehicles without buying multiple subscriptions. (Like on my GoldWing..)
 
glad to see you got everything in the way you wanted it. and you are happy with the sound, yes? that's great. the deal about use it in more than one place is cool too. enjoy!
 
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