XM/Sirius radio antenna placement

**dnbsquirrel** · 04-25-2004, 12:25 PM

I'm thinking about upgrading to satellite radio in the m coupe, even more so now because I came across someone giving away a Sirius receiver and antenna. All I need to do is find a really nice head unit, Preferably with amber coloring to match the BMW look, solid feeling knobs (nakamichi has the best feeling knobs) and maybe an input on the front for an iPod.

I'd like to mount the antenna somewhere stealth yet have it receive full signal. This should be quite fun. From what I've read Sirius reviews seem to be more favorable than those for XM.

**///MDriver** · 04-25-2004, 12:36 PM

I used sirius extensively for a week, 2 weeks ago. My rental car offered it for free, so why not?

The playlists on the stations are rediculously small, I heard the same songs 10-15 times during the 10 days I had the car. Plus, I had a mustang convertible, so they put the antenna right on the trunk, not exactly stealth. But, after looking the car over, there really wasn't anywhere to hide the BIG antenna.

I'll stick to listening to the iPod in the car for now.

**MPWRCPE** · 04-25-2004, 01:16 PM

I just installed XM in my Tacoma yesterday. I'm using the Delphi Sky-fi add-on unit with an FM modulator, playing through the stock stereo. Now I've only had it for a day or so, but it's awesome. Sound quality is great, and the list of stations is huge. I will be installing a second unit in the coupe VERY soon. One of the cool things about the Sky-fi is that you can pop it out and hook it up to your home stereo too

**BillF** · 04-25-2004, 11:09 PM

I had XM on my Miata for over a year and LOVED it. I have yet to install XM in my Roadster, but I'm begging to spend the money. Alpines newest units are coming out now and I'll search for amber LED's. This year they have units that the user changes colors via menu. Doesn't change ALL the colors, but most. If I understood the audio shop correctly, I'm looking at about $800 installed. The good news is that the XM antenna has gotten down to about 1/3 the size it used to be. Shouldn't be too hard to have a stealth install, but why hide the antenna?

Most reviews I read on miata.net went the way of XM being better than Sirius. I know for a fact that I have been spoiled by XM and am hating the current FM mode that I'm stuck in.

**Davbret** · 04-26-2004, 10:14 AM

I'm an XM junkie. Have a Pioneer DEH-P6600 headunit in the car. The antanae is only 2" x 1" x 3" and sits on the decklid just fine on my Roadster. Screw Serius, they charge more. XM is less money and commercial free, why go Serius unless you have your heart set on a Clarion headunit? FYI though, one thing I did find when shopping was that the majority of amber illuminated decks were Serious enabled, not XM. I settled for Pioneer which has an organic electro luminescent display that I can read with the top down in the direct sun.

R

**daver999** · 04-26-2004, 09:09 PM

Put your XM antenna INSIDE the black plastic rear roof spoiler. I did and there are ZERO dropouts. (Though I've heard that Sirius might have more of a dropout problem). You need to buy one of those new micro antennas made by AI. (Terk has one out now also). Just lift the hatch, peal off the 3 rubber plugs and undo the bolts.

Check out that new Alpine 9835 HU. Alpine's coming out with seamless (?) interface to Ipod this Summer, where you can just throw Ipod in glove box and use HU controls. (check Alpine's press releases). I assume the 9835 will work with this.

daver999

**///MDriver** · 04-26-2004, 09:20 PM

I did notice that Sirius had a lot of droputs while I was driving, even when the antenna had a clear shot of the sky.

**Dustan** · 04-26-2004, 10:02 PM

I have Sirius in all 3 of my vehicles.

**Llama** · 04-27-2004, 02:40 PM

I have the Sirius antenna mounted between the hoops and the reception is fine. Some things about Sirius:

1. Commercials: when I signed up, XM had like HALF the commercial-free stations than Sirius. That was worth an extra $3 a month for me. I don't know if this has changed.

2. Station Lineup: They are different. Sirius has two NPR stations and two comedy stations, one of which will use all the foul language not allowed on TV, for example. I'm sure XM has stations not on Sirius either. Be sure to compare channel listings and see what you will really like.

3. Reception: XM has geosynchronous satellites up in the same spot in the sky all the time. Sirius has a small fleet of satellites in highly eclectic eliptical orbits (sorry, I used to work at JPL), which means their position in the sky changes. OCCASIONALLY, sometimes it seems that every building on the horizon seems to block a Sirius signal for a moment. Or maybe it is my imagination. But other times I must still have line-of-sight with some satellite despite an overhead obstructions. IOW, sometimes better, sometimes worse.

4. Terrestrial repeaters: XM and Sirius have ground-based signal boosters in various cities in the US. This means you can still listen when in a tunnel, under an overpass for a long time, or in a downtown canyon. It can make a big difference. In Los Angeles, I never ever get a dropout, but I can on Orange County once in a great while. If one service has a repeater in your area and the other doesn't, that should swing your vote.

5. Clarion integrates better with the Roadster/Coupe. If looks are important, (and they were to me also), the clarions almost look like they belong there. Black body, amber illumination, etc.

Hope this helps.

-Llama

**mpire** · 04-27-2004, 03:19 PM

I say pop off the rear wiper and mount it right there on that hole.

Mpire

**turbo38sfi** · 05-05-2004, 02:27 PM

Originally Posted by Dustan

I have Sirius in all 3 of my vehicles.

Got any more pics of that antenna? Looks like the sharkfin on my M3, cept that's for the BMW Assist. Would look silly w/2 antennas on the roof I would guess!

**dnbsquirrel** · 05-05-2004, 02:38 PM

I've decided to hold off on this project because my M Coupe will be in the shop for some time having the cracked floorpan and differential mounts fixed. But thanks for the many many great responses (I learned quite a bit about sat. radio).