Well, I'm starting to consider putting in XM, since my Sirius subscription is just about up. It looks like a federal project to install it, but I'd rather do it than give the dealer $300 to do it.

If anyone out there has the factory one, can you post a picture (or at least a description) of how the antenna looks? Sticking it on the inside of the windshield seems a strange idea, especially since the tuner is all the way back in the trunk.

Has anyone tried sticking it on the trunk or inside the rear window? I'm wondering if the battery pack would produce too much interference back there.

 

I had the installer mount mine on the trunk lid. Reception is good there. Thought about putting it on the base of the rear window but it would block the third brake light. Also considered on the roof just behind the am/fm antenna but the gap in the rear window was much larger than the diameter of the xm antenna wire. Try to stay away from the front windshield though. In order to put it there one of the panels inside has to removed which covers one of the side curtain airbags. Just a little too risky IMO.

 

I have a Roady which I mounted in one of the dash openings. I mounted the antenna inside on the right rear shelf area. It sits just below the bottom right side of the rear glass. This is a magnetic mount antenna (which I didn't want to mount on the roof), and there is no metal in that area... so I just mounted it with double sided foam tape. The wire is strung under the D-pillar trim and down behind the rear seat back to the carpet. From there, it goes under the door sill plates, up the right kick panel and under the glove box... and on to my Roady in the center dash.

Reception is good. Not as good as roof mount, but only slightly degraded performance. It's still rock-solid about 99.5% of the time.

 

Sorry... long post!

Okay... here you go! Here are four photos of my XM installation.

The only things I needed were a brushed-aluminum bracket (which I made from some scrap) and some double-sided tape. I mounted the clip-on plastic piece (from the back of the XM Roady) to the bracket with two screws / nuts. Be careful to mount the roady low enough to allow access to the rotating **** on the upper right of the device. Mount it too high, and you won't be able to squeeze your fingers in!

The bracket was bent at JUST the right angle to allow for a proper viewing angle. Then I used the double sided tape to mount the aluminum bracket to the upper part of the console storage area. You have to be careful how far forward you go. Too far forward and you might have trouble reaching all the buttons with the gear shift lever in park (the side view photo makes it look like it's very close, but it isn't!! There's a good inch or two of clearance!). Mount it too far back and it's hard to reach the buttons while driving and also gain access to the storage area. When it's just right, you can rest your hand on the parking brake and reach all the buttons easily.

As you can see, I still need to change out that darned white cable for a black one! BTW, the XM blue color comes reasonably close to the Honda instrument blue.

Lastly, you can see how I mounted the antenna in the rear. Questions? Just let me know! The setup works great, costs next to nothing, and in my opinion, looks just fine.

 

The Roady install looks very good, Jeff!!

If I ever decide to get XM...

 

Thanks! If you (or anyone else) need close up photos or measurements of the bracket, just let me know!

 

Looks fantastic! I'll have to think of something like that for my iPod. Why anybody would want to spend $900+ for something that is only slightly more integrated is beyond me.

P.S. Man you like it cold in there! If you turn on the A/C, it will get even colder.

 

Anahymbrid - Great install! I think I would like to something similar. Can you explain how you ran the wire from the antenna to the unit? Was it difficult to remove the panels?

 

Easy! NO panels were removed. It was a simple matter of tucking the wire into the seams. I used a piece of plastic (like a credit card) and a small flat blade screwdriver to shove the wire under or between seams.

Start at the antenna and work toward the front. After tucking into the seam on the rear shelf, I then tucked it behind the seat back (at the area closest to the rear door opening... there's plenty of room to tuck it in there and not see it). From there, it tucks under the plastic door sill plate (between the carpet and the sill plate). Keep tucking it under the plastic molding around the B-pillar (door pillar), and then up the front door sill plate. It then goes up the kick panel area until it's under the dash. I found it easy to string the wire under the glove box. I seem to recall that there's a ridge there where the wire can rest, but you could also tape it to the bottom of the glove box (I didn't do this, and nothing is hanging down, so it must be okay!). From there, it's a straight shot over to the center of the dash, and to the mounting point for the XM Roady device.

By the way, my double-sided tape mount for the Roady is "iffy". In the hot sun, it finally started to give way! I'll have to run a sheet metal screw (or two) between the bracket and the top of the storage area to secure it permanently. That area is NOT visible from anywhere in the vehicle, so no issue of screws or screw holes being obvious!

 

Wow installation without having to remove anything sounds like a great plan. I think I'll be on my way to getting XM back in my life. Living w/o XM has been such a pain. Regular radio bites. Thanks for all the info.