XM receiver question plus other stuff

[MCOjerry]

Well, I didn't want to pay that much, so I have a plug & play unit. I may look into it in the future, depending on how I feel.

[crimson blades]

I was quoted $299.00 by David Maus Toyota in Orlando, Florida. Complete install with receiver and antenna. I do have the JBL satellite ready readio, maybe thaty makes a difference??

I would recommend you look at the kit before they install it. On the Toyota XM kit the antenna is a black box about 2 inches square, very ugly. I went with an aftermarket antenna that was about 1/4 the size of the original one, it looks much better on the car. Here is a pic of them

[MCOjerry]

Thx Crinson Blades...I will if I get it. I will probably ask if they will use the antenna I already have, since it's much smaller, and built for Sirius.

What is the wire hanging off to the right of the antenna?

[crimson blades]

The wire hanging off to the right is the lead from the factory antenna, I just put the factory antenna on the car so I could get a pic of it compared to the smaller one. It was never installed.

[kgzero1]

Why don't you guys put it in the car. It looks ugly sitting on the trunk like that. Is it because you let the dealer install it?
I installed mine myself and I put mine next to the front vents right under the windshield on the dash. I have the small antenna, from XM to go.

[MCOjerry]

Thanks CB. I get it now...duh!

[swindler]

MCOjerry-

I was reading threads and just noticed your car is the same as mine. Another idea for mounting the antenna in ragtops is to install them inside the car. Where I put mine is inside the rear headrest. If you take apart the headrests there are pockets at the very top above the rollbar. If you place the antenna in there, run the cable straight down behind the rear seat, and then route to the satellite radio, you end up with an antenna positioned hight with a great view of the sky, and the antenna works great through the convertible top up or down.

Completely concealed.

[MCOjerry]

MCOjerry-

I was reading threads and just noticed your car is the same as mine. Another idea for mounting the antenna in ragtops is to install them inside the car. Where I put mine is inside the rear headrest. If you take apart the headrests there are pockets at the very top above the rollbar. If you place the antenna in there, run the cable straight down behind the rear seat, and then route to the satellite radio, you end up with an antenna positioned hight with a great view of the sky, and the antenna works great through the convertible top up or down.

Completely concealed.

Really? I have trouble getting satellite signals here, I usually run off the terrestrial signal.

Where I have mine (front of car on hood just where hood meets quarter panel), seems pretty incospicuous, but the head rest would be cool. Does the head rest come off easily (the leather)?

I'd still like to get the factory box, but they just want too damn much money for it.

Where are you located? I wonder if you have better satellite coverage.

[swindler]

Where I have mine (front of car on hood just where hood meets quarter panel), seems pretty incospicuous, but the head rest would be cool. Does the head rest come off easily (the leather)?

Very easily. There's plastic panel on the back that just pops off (for access to a car seat anchor point, I think). There are two 10mm hex nuts you remove, and then the front and back of the headrest can separate. I actually removed the seatback to run the wires from there, (I'm working on a sub upgrade anyway) but you wouldn' have to do that.

Where are you located? I wonder if you have better satellite coverage.

I'm in Dallas, which I imagine is a fairly good spot. I understand that one of the geostationary XM satellites is at 85 deg W, and I'm at 33N, 97W, which would calculate out to an azimuth of 21 deg E from due south, at an elevation of 49 deg.

But the elevation is the key, since your car points in a different direction for each turn. The idea of the headrest is that it's one of the highest points in the car, and generally isn't obstructed by any solid objects near it - not even people. The only time I lose signal is under bridges or in a garage.

[swindler]

One other quick note.

I don't live near any tall buildings, and usually have pretty open roads. I imagine you might have trouble anywhere you put it if you live or drive in an urban canyon.

[MCOjerry]

Thanks for the info, I think I may just try it.

Orlando isn't too urban, unless you count the sprawl but we do have some tall buildings.

After putting the antenna in the headrest, how did you rn the wire behind the seat and how did you get it to the front of the car. Basically, how did you hide it

Thanks!!

[swindler]

Once you take apart the headrest, you'll see that the leather seatback wraps over the top edge of the seat, and the tube steel that acts as the rollbar goes through a rather large opening at the top of the seatback. What I imagine you could do, is to feed the wire down through that hole and out the back (between the leather seatback and the carpeted rear compartment).

Once there, you can just guide the wire toward either side by running it between the leather seatback and carpeted panel, around the side of the seats, and down to the corner. Then, just run it along the edge of the frame (under the runners, etc), to the front. It should be easy from there.

I didn't actually do it that way, though. I just removed the entire rear seat. The seat cushions can be pulled out just by pulling up hard at the front edge of the seat cushions. There are two spots where the cushion is snapped in. It's kinda hard to pop. I thought I was going to rip the seat in half the first time I tried it. (Maybe there's a tool.) After getting the seat cushion out, there's two bolts that hold the seat back in, down at the lower corners (12mm bolts, I think). You have to also remove the two plastic pieces that feed the seatbelts, unhook the little piece of fabric that's located inside each headrest (you'll see what I mean) and then the rear seatback can just be lifted up over the rollbars and out. Running a wire now is cake.

I just don't think you'll have to go to all that trouble though. I think you can run the wires just by taking the headrests apart.

Good luck.

[MCOjerry]

Hey man, thank you VERY much for the help!