I saw the instructions for installing the SCION Sirius and almost passed-out. I have the HU for it - but can it really be that much work to install?

Scott

 

really that bad huh ? its not the instructions that scare me for the Scion Sirius Reciever its the price tag that comes with it.

 

^^^ Go to this link and look in the upper-right corner. Find the tC installation PDF. Take a look...

Click Me

Scott

 

I found out where she got it. http://radarcity.com/product?prod_id=8933 . Thanks for all the positive replies so far! When I get the time, I want to move my antenna to the inside of my car. It may stay there until I get my Subwoofer. (Then I can do 1 install (subwoofer) and 1 un-install (antenna) at the same time instead of tearing apart my tC on multiple occasions.) If you can get this unit, I definitely recommend it!

 

I'd recommend to hard wire it once you start installing the sub. You'll be back there for the RCA's and whatnot, just pop that aux in connector in and enjoy the 100 percent all digital music! The mp3 playback with the hard wire is 100 times better and the regular sirius radio sounds awesome too

 

rca's are a must. I just spent $100 on my unit to find out that I should have just got the sirius unit made for my car. The FM modulator on my sirius replay is horrible. I had to spend another $86 so i could hardwire the unit. Even with the way I have it....its "aight" because when you hard wire a portable unit it makes the sound mono. If you like quality music ....just spend the extra $100 and get the unit that goes with your headunit. I wanted to try it the way I did it because I figured that I would take the unit inside and it would be a good idea .....im second guessing this.

 

oh yea .... howard comes on 1/9/2006 (tomorrow). He will be on station 100.

 

I have my input hardwired and its not mono, maybe thats the S-50 setup with my headunit...I dunno

 

question: does hardwiring a plug and play tuner to the stock (or any) HU increase signal strength over the wireless FM modulation? i assumed signal strength just had to do with the antenna, which is hard-wired to the tuner, which is only 4" from the stock HU. I expect the occiasional signal dropouts, but not static, which is annoying.

 

Hardwiring a unit will allow you to have better sound and quality. The actual signal strength that the unit is receiving (coming through the antenna you mounted outside of your car) is what will cause dropouts.

 

ok, thanks. that's what i thought. reception issues aside, i am thinking about hardwiring to reduce the tinniness of the sound...but i would kill to have the static just go away. i wonder if it has anything to do with mounting the antenna inside vs. outside? could it make that big of a difference?

 

I bought the Sirius S50 and I am very disappointed:

The portable part of the unit sits on two post and does not lock down.

My unit shuts off or has to be reset after hitting a bump or vibration when the unit is in the docking station.

To record up to 50 hours of live broadcasts, the car unit has to be on

It does not play at home without an additional $100 home adapter.

Can only set scheduled recordings for 2 hours at a time.

My unit freezes up on a regular basis.

FM modulator pops off for no apparent reason. Has to be reset by unplugging

I downloaded the updates and they did not seem to resolve any problems.

It is not very user friendly to the technolgically impaired.

Brad

 

I'd return it and get a new one....mine (knock on wood) does not do any of that.

 

I got the stock receiver and Antenna. The install was a breeze, I intalled the receiver under the passanger seat and the antenna I have mounted on the dash board. I wanted the stock on for a clean look. Well I've been pretty ____ed off with it! It always reads "no signal" and antenna, it use to cut in and out once and awhile. Now it does it all the timeI would say it is working about 10% of the time. I unpluged the power and antenna wire trying to reboot it and I made sure the wire was in the headunit correct and still the same ____!! Do I return it or try and mount the antenna on the wind shield like the dealer does it. Should I just call sirius and ask them what the deal is. Thanks for listening!!

 

I have static in the background as well. It drives me crazy. I assume its that the FM transmitter isn't that strong. I keep trying to change the station of the transmitter but it doesnt seem to help. Does anyone know which is better.....put the transmitter on an FM station that is just static or tune it to a station that is playing clear music already? At first I figured it would have to be an unused station so that the there wouldn't be any other signal competeing with the transmitter. But I have also found it sounds the same on a station that is getting a signal. My antenna is mounted on my trunk.

I wish Sirius streamed Howard on their website so I could listen in my office with some earphones

 

this answers my question, thanks. if you have it mounted on the trunk and you are still getting static then clearly the tuner sucks. this is beyond lame, since satellite is supposed to be--claims to be--"no static." you may not get a signal = no music, but you are not supposed to get any static. lame. i ordered a SIGMA antenna off of eBay for $46 which is supposedly Sirius' interior specific antenna. i am anxious to see if it makes a difference, but your post leads me to believe it won't. in which case, look for a SIGMA antenna relisted on eBay soon...

i totally agree re: howard streaming at work. it is a hugely missed opportunity to make you be in your car to listen to howard! come on, Sirius! isn't anyone paying attention to the user experience over there??? at least on terrestial radio i could still dial in howard at work on my fm radio--commercials, yes--but with no static. i'm not into paying $12/month for A) static and B) howard ONLY if i'm sitting in my car. WTF?!??

 

[quote="scrap"]I got the stock receiver and Antenna. The install was a breeze, I intalled the receiver under the passanger seat and the antenna I have mounted on the dash board. I wanted the stock on for a clean look. Well I've been pretty ____ed off with it! It always reads "no signal" and antenna, it use to cut in and out once and awhile. Now it does it all the timeI would say it is working about 10% of the time. I unpluged the power and antenna wire trying to reboot it and I made sure the wire was in the headunit correct and still the same poop!! Do I return it or try and mount the antenna on the wind shield like the dealer does it. Should I just call sirius and ask them what the deal is. Thanks for listening!![/quo

any ideas on my problems with sirius.....

 

I just used my S50 Unit on a recent trip to http://precisionmuffler.com (150 miles each way) and it worked almost flawlessly! I did get some static, but that's what happens when different cities use different radio stations. I had no vibration or loss of signal strength what so ever. ToasterBrad, I agree with JocoJef. You should return your unit for a new one. That one sounds like it was a bad one. I also agree with peeps about not being able to stream Howard on your computer. Sirius, you have our $$$, why can't you let us listen? BTW-I hope to have the S50 and my iPod hardwired to my HU to eliminate most of these problems by the end of next week.

 

hey, so my SIGMA (SIRIUS Interior Glass Mounted Antenna - ) just came today and needless to say i shredded the box and dashed out to the car to test it out.

it may be too soon to say for certain, but so far it is a vast, vast improvement in signal strength and static repression over the tuner that came with my XACT visor.

i toggled thru almost every station and listened for a few seconds and except for just an initially millisecond of signal adjustment static, the tuner brought everything in loud and clear -- AND CLEAN!

so, i'm couldn't play with it too long since i had to get back to work, but i will keep you posted on my progress.

however, preliminary indications are that the SIGMA is the way to go if you want an interior dash/window/deck mount that actually brings in the signal reliably and distortion free.

again, mine was $46 + shipping off of eBay.

 

it's official: the SIGMA rules.

nearly all of our static issues have now evaporated. god bless the SIGMA.

if want to mount your antenna inside the car and are having reception/static problems with your stock antenna, get a SIGMA.

ok, yes, it cost nearly the same amount as the actual tuner (+/- $50) but for $100 total we got us a PNP that actually does what it is supposed to.

in fairness to the stock antenna, it is intended to be mounted exterior of the vehicle, and is about 20% the size of the SIGMA. but for those, like me, who don't wanna deal with the exterior mount, and don't care about the size increase, the SIGMA is the solution.

clearest (no pun intended) indication that it is a 1,000,000x better antenna is that i can now pull any station into the tuner when parked in our garage. with the stock antenna, all i got was "acquiring signal" until i pulled out into the driveway.

i will post pix of the SIGMA install this weekend. i just have it sitting on the dash at present, but it will be mounted behind the rear view mirror (i think) for best possible reception (i think) and lowest possible profile (i think).