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My XM Radio Install

Chief

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OK, OK, OK, so I was late getting these up. :rolleyes: However for the curious here are the pics of my XM Radio install.

The unit is mounted below my OnStar module because I installed the factory tape deck and I have a sunroof. The storage tray in the upper console is about 1/8" to small to accept the XM controller, and after using it would have been a major PIA if it had been up there.

For those who are curious and have the center console, the controller does fit perfectly into the slot where the tape deck would go.

chief_xm_radio_install.jpg


The Terk 2 antenna was installed on the rear of the roof about six inches behind the sail panel. You can see where the thin cable goes under and enters into the cab through the third brake light access. This way no drilling was required and it does not break any seams. Read - no leaks.

chief_xm_radio_antenna.jpg
 
Looks great Chief! (y)

So what's your overall opinion of XM?
How much do you use it?

Whats the deal with talk stations? Can you get Bob & Tom or Howard Stern?
 
I LOVE XM Radio. I would say on a scale of 1 to 10 I'll give it a solid eight.

PROS:

1) Excellent audio quality. The audio quality is perceivable even through the stock stereo system. XM Radio uses MP3 Pro as their compression technology at 64 kbps, which translates into CD quality sound with full meta data - and it shows.

2) Meta data, meta data, meta data! Want to know the artist, the name of the song, the station, station info, it's all there. This has opened up new horizons for me with musical artists I've never heard before. I'm hip with my kid now as I know all the artists instead of having to ask, "who is this?"

3) It's the same everywhere. When we did the Oregon Coast cruise it was great not having to probe around for a station, or lack of stations to listen to. Just listen to same thing between the kids watching movies.

4) Controller is very easy to use. You are able to customize the Pioneer controller so it's easy to scroll through my 18 presets.

5) Really impressive technology. Able to receive 101 separate signals with full meta data anywhere in the lower 48 while moving at speeds in excess of 80 MPH generally speaking regardless of urban canyons, trees, overpasses or other obstructions. No, it's not perfect but it kicks terestrial radios arse!

CONS:

1) It's not PERFECT technology. Mister "no signal" visited me quite a bit out on the Oregon coast. This was especially true when there was a large cliff to my east, essentially blocking the signal. Remember, XM is only for the lower 48 so driving down the coast your on the fringe. Put some 200 foot cliff along side the road and you're not hearing anything. This has not been an issue elsewhere.

2) The Pioneer universal receiver lacks ONE key feature. It doesn't scroll the meta data. If the name of the band or song of what ever is more than 12 characters, it won't fit on the display and there is no way to see the rest of the info. This is IMHO a major short coming in the product. HOWEVER kudos goes to XM because they have recently tweaked their data. For example Stone Temple Pilots now shows up as STP, Blue Oyster Cult now shows up as B O Cult, spaces have been taken out, etc - so you can see a lot more data.

To answer your other questions. I would say my listening habits before XM were 70% CD, 15% radio, 10% tape and 5% silence. I would now say my listening habits are now 85% XM, 10% CD, and 5% silence. The tape player has fallen mute since I put in a DVD system and the kids watch movies, no more sing along tapes! There is a God!

Would I get XM again, in a heart beat! I was blessed to be able to get the full hardware for just $99 with free activation. Very, very lucky to get that deal. XM Radio IMHO is here to stay and will continue to grow. GM/Hughes has made a huge investment and they won't walk away from the equity - just like DSS TV it will catch on. I probably could have installed it myself, but I was feeling very lazy.
 
Couldn't tell you as I don't listen to a whole lot of talk radio. I don't think either are carried. Bob & Tom are great but seem to be losing traction out there - we just lost them in Seattle. :6:
 
Just a FYI - You can download all the Bob & Tom cd's (about 10 or so) through Kazaa and then just burn them to cd. Since I have mp3 capability, I was able to do all there stuff on 1.
There stuff is hilarious, and really makes the time fly on trips.
 
Monsters of the Midday of Real Radio 104.1 in Orlando FL

Drew Garabo of Real Radio 104.1 Orl. FL

The Regular Guys of 96 Rock in Atlanta GA

The Love Doctors of 92.7 in West Palm Beach FL

Danny Bonaduce and Jamie White of Star 98.7 in Los Angeles CA

This is the lineup on XM 152 which is one of the comedy channels. The love doctors crack me as do the Monsters of the Midday. I have had my XM for about 3 months now and don`t intend on going back. If I flip over and listen to FM now, it just isn`t the same anymore. Kind of like going back to black and white tv or back to just an antenna to get the locals.
 
The Love Doctors???? :D
Seriously. As far as talk radio on XM goes, there is no Rush Limbaugh and no G. Gordon Liddy. When they're available I'll get XM.
XM does sound great. I do believe that it's hear to stay. I would not be suprised though if they were to merge with Sirius.
Durwin
 
Hey, Chief...

Just ordered my XM radio (early Christmas gift), and was wondering if you could expand on the antenna installation - you mentioned NO LEAKS... how is the wire passed through to the inside of the truck?

-=A.J.
 
How did you get the plastic piece off that surrounds the 3rd brake light. I am attempting a similar installation and took out two screws underneath and 6 above and still can't get the piece to move. It appears it is held in place with some type of adhesive pads and I am afraid to pry on it too hard.

What am I mssing here?
 
Chief,
I'm with SafetySam! How did they get the antenna cable up there? I was looking at an XM instal but didn't like the options for the antenna! (I was thinking a roof mount opposite of the Onstar antenna, so it's mostly that black wire strip coming up from the top edge of the windshield! :9: ) So if you don't know exactly how they did it, could you let us here in Puget Sound area know where you had it installed! Email me the place if posting their name would be too much in free advertising! Anyway I was really set on getting XM radio until I saw the install options of the antenna! Your install would eliminate this worry of making the AV have an unsightly black line visable from the front!

Thanks!
 
all you have to do is remove the upper screws on the center panel. once they are removed just pull on the panel to break the adhesion of the double sided tape.
once done i was able to use the same tape to re-adhere the panel.
BTW, i had that pioneer controller in my AV initially. went to an aftermarket Pioneer HU. it makes the XM experience so much better. makes for a cleaner install as well. most of all you do not get that funky static when switching from FM to XM, and back again. :8:
 
Dub said:
Chief,
I'm with SafetySam! ?How did they get the antenna cable up there? ?I was looking at an XM instal but didn't like the options for the antenna! (I was thinking a roof mount opposite of the Onstar antenna, so it's mostly that black wire strip coming up from the top edge of the windshield! ?:9: ) ?So if you don't know exactly how they did it, could you let us here in Puget Sound area know where you had it installed! ?Email me the place if posting their name would be too much in free advertising! ?Anyway I was really set on getting XM radio until I saw the install options of the antenna! ?Your install would eliminate this worry of making the AV have an unsightly black line visable from the front!

Thanks!

Car Toys - a better way to go! ;)
 
I did the same thing as 02-Z66, I changed the HU to a Pioneer (6400CD) and now have XM direct to the HU. The sound quality is better. The modulator works fine, I was very happy with that install. I mounted my Terk on the front center of the roof. As an after thought I would have prefered it in the rear like chiefs.
 
Thanks for the info Chief and 02_Z66! Will go talk talk about an instal now! I guess there's some benifit to working lots of OT - you get to buy more toys for the AV! ;D
 
i decided to get a new XM antenna. it is the Sony. it is even smaller than the Terk. i hooked it up and i got audio but no read-out on the HU. went to Circuit City to return it. when inside i realized that i did not install the little green clip properly. the pin inside of it was recessed. once i fixed it all the displays showed properly. ;D
 
I've got my Terk antenna temporarily placed on my dashboard, til it gets warmer for the install. ?I've searched top to bottom on this board, and haven't really found a good explanation of getting the antenna wires in through the third brake light.

I know you have to loosen the Torx screws, and pry something up that's stuck with double sided tape. ?Once you get the wires in from the top, where does it go inside the cab? ?Do you have to remove any panels on the inside?

Love the XM!! ?150 is awesome!

I got the Pioneer 900 unit that ties in directly to my Pioneer Head Unit - very clean install!
 
A.J., what i did was run the antenna wire through the driver's side corner of the mid-gate.
place the antenna on the roof in the center. make sure it is as close to the back edge as you can get it without overlapping onto the cladding. remove three top torx screws starting from the left. pull up on cladding at left corner. run wire between cladding and body. make sure wire is flat so cladding will lay down even again. run the wire towards the left side sail. push it through the sail and rubber gasket. when at the window/drain/mid-gate, run the wire as close to the bed corner as possible. with the mid-gate open there is a space between the plastic and rubber gasket. run the wire there until you get to the bottom. once at the bottom you can enter the cab. close mid-gate. push the wire under mid-gate. now channel the wire under the plastic cover, and out to your XM tuner. i put my tuner under the back seat, directly in the middle. :B:
btw, i forgot to mention that when you put the covers back on the wire will only show if you look real hard in the left corner. only about 1/2" will show. no one else ever noticed it.
 
It is really much easier than I throught. It took me less than 1 hour to have the entire antenna install done and everything back in place.

First, to remove the cladding around the 3d brake light, you have to remove 6 torx screws on the top and 2 on the bottom. The top is also held by a long piece of double stick tape that runs almost the entire length. I just pried it up gently and carefully and it finally let go. The bottom of the piece is held by about 4 plastic clips, so be careful. Once you get the top loose, pull the bottom upward, not out and it will come off the clips. If you pull out, you will break the clips.

Inside, there are three pieces that make up the interior cladding. On each side there are pieces that go from the floor up and over towards the center. Then there is the center piece that covers the glass handles. Start by getting you fingers under the side panels and pull them out. Pull the overhead sections down. There are plastic tabs with metal clips that hold them and they are pretty easy to get loose. I didn't have to take them off, just get the upper portion loose to access the center piece.

The center piece is held with clips, but also has two plastic buttons, one behind each handle. I just pulled gently and popped them out. By the way, take the glass out before starting, because you need to have the handles released to get this off.

Now you should be able to access the underside of the cab roof through several "portholes". On mine, I could easily see and reach the grommett where the 3rd brake light wires run out.

Feed the wire from the outside and reach in through one of the "portholes" and pull it inside. I then ran mine down the passenger side just by tucking it in behind the plastic panel I had pulled loose.

The plates below the doors just pull out, tabs again. There is a channel along there that already has some wires in it and it was no problem just laying another alongside. At the post between the doors, I just snaked my wire from rear to front along the other wires, rather than attempting to take the plastic off.

At the front of the front door, the plastic on the inside of the floorboard just pulls out. Then fully extent the glove compartment by pushing in (right) on the left side rear of the box. This allows a little tab to clear and the glovebox will fold down towards the floor. You can reach in and fish the wire into the area behind the glovebox and from there it is an easy run to the center of the dash.

I should mention that it took just a little under 18' of wire to get the job done.

Putting it back together was just a matter of lining up the tabs and pushing things firmly back into place. I had only really removed three pieces (the center panel in the back and the two pieces under the doors) and so the rest were just pushed back into place. Remember to put the center panel in the back in before securing the sides since the sides help hold the center up and there are tabs that connect the two. After you get the center in place and lined up with the sides, put the sides back in, then put the two buttons back under the handles, replace the glass and go outside.

On the outside, you need to push in on the bottom to get it to catch the tabs again. On mine, there are little holds at the very edge at each tab and it was pretty easy to get each tab in place. You probably should replace the double stick tape on the top. Mine was ruined by the removal process.

Pretty simple and quick getting the wire from the back to the front. My only piece of advice is, when you are removing a panel, pry it gently out and try to peak under to determine which direction the tabs run. You must be careful to pull them out, not sideways. I broke one on the back by pulling the wrong way. Don't think it will matter in the long run, though, since there are many.
A.J. said:
I've got my Terk antenna temporarily placed on my dashboard, til it gets warmer for the install. ?I've searched top to bottom on this board, and haven't really found a good explanation of getting the antenna wires in through the third brake light.

I know you have to loosen the Torx screws, and pry something up that's stuck with double sided tape. ?Once you get the wires in from the top, where does it go inside the cab? ?Do you have to remove any panels on the inside?

Love the XM!! ?150 is awesome!

I got the Pioneer 900 unit that ties in directly to my Pioneer Head Unit - very clean install!
 
I guess this would be in the same vein, so here goes.
Of all the people out there who have XM radio in their AV, does anyone have the Pioneer DEH P77DH model? I'm interested in it because it is a GM-sized receiver. It looks stock. Or close to it.
If you do have this one, can you clearly see the titles/channels in the display or are they abbreviated? If there anything that you don't like about this radio's XM reception.
Thanks Durwin
 
Durwin said:
I guess this would be in the same vein, so here goes.
Of all the people out there who have XM radio in their AV, does anyone have the Pioneer DEH P77DH model? I'm interested in it because it is a GM-sized receiver. It looks stock. Or close to it.
If you do have this one, can you clearly see the titles/channels in the display or are they abbreviated? If there anything that you don't like about this radio's XM reception.
Thanks Durwin

Yea, I have that head unit, and it rocks! Easy install, good fit, etc... Then I added the XM unit - the XM900 or whatever it's called. It ties in perfectly! The XM sound is definitely CD quality, but the only problem with it is as you mention, the display is limited to 8 characters. Even though the head unit has a 10 character display... and it doesn't scroll.

I got some pictures on pbase.

In the last shot, John Lennon's "Imagine" was playing...

-=A.J.
 
SafetySam - an OUTSTANDING post on how to do the rear install. Now I wish I had done it myself! :rolleyes:
 
Thanks for the replies folks.
AJ, if it doesn't scroll then how do you search through the channels? I looked at the pictures. Very good install. What is the device hanging from the cubby hole?
Durwin
 
Durwin said:
Thanks for the replies folks.
AJ, if it doesn't scroll then how do you search through the channels? I looked at the pictures. Very good install. What is the device hanging from the cubby hole?
Durwin

You scroll through the channels by using the next and previous buttons like you would on a CD. If you hold it down, it increments by ten. It really is intuitive, and takes little time to get used to. Also, there are three sets of 6 presets available, so you can store your 18 favorite channels - I have them arranged into music, news, and entertainment.

Good eye on my 'device.' It's an Archos Jukebox 6000. A 6GB notebook harddrive in a portable MP3 player. When I got it , it was state of the art, but it's 'old school' now.

I bought the Aux input adapter for the head unit, which allows the MP3 player to plug directly into the stereo - very clean, and sounds awesome. I had first tried a FM modulator type setup for the MP3, but it whined with the engine, and sounded horrible. Now that I got the XM unit, the aux input adapter plugs directly into the XM unit, which then plugs into the HU - pretty cool setup.

So, I got hundreds of CDs on the MP3, and hundreds of channels on the XM - media overload! :eek:

-=A.J.
 
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