Where to mount my XM antenna?
 

Hey guys, i bought my rx8 a few weeks ago and it had an aftermarket XM install. It has a magnetic computer mouse looking antenna that is currently affixed to the trunk. Problem is it's scratching the hell out of the trunk! BOOO. I tried mounting the antenna to the underside of the trunk and lost about 60% of the reception. Any idea's? I dont know much about stereo's, i was going to double sided tape it to the back window, but the cable's not long enough and i wouldn't be able to open my trunk...

Where are your antenna's mounted?

generally what we try to do here at my shop is mount the antenna on the middle of the dash in the front so it gets good reception and doesnt get messed with by ignorant people

Mine is on my dash in front of the driver where the dash meets the glass. I ran the wire down the dash opening for the defroster vent.

Mine's on the back "parcel shelf" inside the rear window. Run the cable up through the console and you'll have plenty.

ok so it looks like no one's but mine is outside the car huh?

Yep, mine is positioned on the shelf under the rear window. Works great there for me.

My Toyota Corolla had it on the outside :p

On the rear package shelf...
Works great and is kind of stealth looking....

Mine is on the metal shelf between the rear speakers (under the plastic cover, got it there when I replaced the rear speakers). Completely stealth, the wire goes on the passenger side of the center tunnel all the way to the storage compartment, where I have the Roady hooked to the power source in there. The only drawback is that I need to open the cover all the way back to change the channel (which I do every month, so I don't get bored of the same music :) )

hey cleo
mine's on the outside also, on the trunk....that's how mazda does the installs on the shinka (comes with sirius)....I think best reception is when its on the outside..CC mounted mine in the SUV on the inside (front dash) but reception is not as good as the shinka

P

Just had my Sirius installed by the dealer. They installed it with double back tape. Initially I thought I didnt want it "permanently" stuck to my trunk lid but now....

I know they say reception is better with the antenna on the outside of the car, but I just didn't like the look of it. I drive a very tree-filled route to and from work and only have 1 or 2 signal dropouts during my commute. They last for maybe a total of 5 seconds.

I have absolutely no problems with signal after the leaves fall.

I admit that the towns I drive in do not have a lot of really tall buildings. So, I have no idea how that would affect my reception.

I think that as far as the antenna "sees" the satellite, reception is good regadless of mounting place. But to function properly, the antenna needs to sit on a large sheet of metal. The dash is not too good but the rear mounting place I recommend does have the required metal shelf. The signal goes through the black plastic cover and the rear window. The only situation when this will work worst than the trunk install is when the satellite is in front of the car and relatively low (or you go uphill). The roof of the car will shield the antenna's line of reception - so put it far back on that shelf, 4-5 inches from the bottom of the window. Balancing this drawback versus having the antenna outside... I went for the inside mounting. I have signal drop once under a highway underpass on the 15 miles way to work - and I doubt having it outside would help there. But it is true I do not drive through cities with tall buildings... And indeed Shinkas have the antennas glued on the trunk, so it would be probably hard to remove and reposition.

I have never used an antenna mounted on the outside of a car and I am an early adopter of XM. I have put it on the parcel shelf of most cars I have had (centered under the rear glass) or on the front dash (in my wife's wagon). No problems with reception unless in the mountains (driving next to a rock wall), heavy trees, or under the occasional overpass. On the motorcycles I Velcro the antenna to the front brake fluid reservoir and it works just the same there as in the cars.

So either put it on the dash or the parcel shelf. I put mine on the parcel shelf today. You can run the wire under the edge of the rear seat and then under the plastic trim to the front of the car.

Dennis