# Sirius and XM radio antenna installation



## dcowan699 (Nov 22, 2004)

I bought a Sirius radio kit today and it seemed at first to work fine but when a storm popped up today I lost the signal and had to hand feed the wire through the window and place the antenna on the roof to continue getting a signal. I wasn't driving the car today....just trying to install this silly thing. Has anyone got any suggestions on the best place to mount one of these antennas withouth removing glass or any difficult panel removal. It would look just fine if I could leave it on the dash as it is made out of metal apparently as the magnetic backing sticks to it real well. I don't think I'm am going to get a great signal with the antenna inside the car.


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Sirius and XM radio antenna installation (dcowan699)*

Hi David:
One of the cars at the Auburn Hills GTG - I think it was Ed's - had a XM radio antenna installed just above the windshield. The installer ran the wire around the perimeter of the windshield. So, that is one possibility. There is a photo of this installation below.
If I had to do it, I would try to hide the XM antenna in behind the cover that surrounds the interior rear view mirror, in the same area as the rainsensor and the garage door opener is. I am pretty sure that the windshield is not coated with the metallic solar reflection film in that area. It is easy to remove the cover around the mirror, to have a look - see this post for instructions: Removing the Front Overhead Control Panel. All I would do at first would be to remove the trim cover that surrounds the mirror post, and stuff the antenna in there, then try it out for a few days and see if it works. I would not go the the trouble of carefully hiding the antenna wire (all around the perimeter of the windshield) until I was sure that the antenna worked OK when placed in that area.
If that area proves unsuitable, then the next place I would consider is the area across the top of the back window of the Phaeton, on the inside of the back window. If you open one of the rear doors and compare how high up the rear window goes on the outside to how high up the rear window goes on the inside, you will notice that there is about 3 or 4 inches of glass that is not visible from the inside of the car. This is where VW stuffs all the antennas - FM radio, telephone, television, GPS, etc.
In theory, you would need to remove the headliner to get clear access to this area, and although it is not difficult to remove the headliner (you remove the sunvisors, upper A and C pillar trims, then the front overhead control panel - as explained at the previously mentioned post - then a few screws in the rear cabin light assembly, then finally the rear PDC display), it takes a fair amount of time to do all that. What you might be able to do is 'cheat' - instead of removing the headliner, just loosen and remove the rear PDC display (just let it dangle, you don't have to unplug it), and then gently pry the headliner about an inch away from the rear window, using a VW trim removal tool. Then, using an inspection mirror (same as a dental mirror), have a look in there and see where there is a blank space that you can stuff your XM antenna. If you do find a suitable blank space, stuff the XM antenna in there, then just tuck the cable under the edge of the headliner, running back to the front of the car, and running down the A pillar at the front. Stay clear of the side airbag deployment path.
Another possible way of routing the antenna cable would be to stuff the antenna into that back window area as previously described (my suggestion is that you stay as far over to the driver side of the car as you can, in other words, the upper left corner of the window, about 3 inches in from the outside), then run the cable down the C pillar, down the side of the seat, and under the trim sills that cover the bottom of the left rear and left front doors. There is actually a wiring channel under those trim sills. Instructions for removing the trim sill cover can be found at this post: Retrofitting Keyless Start to North American Phaetons.
I've attached a PDF that explains what is involved in removing the headliner. But, I think you could get the antenna stuffed in there by just removing the rear PDC display only, and gently prying the aft edge of the headliner away from the window, no more than is needed to fit the antenna in.
You might want to consider wrapping the antenna in some foam, to prevent it from rattling.
Michael


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Sirius and XM radio antenna installation (PanEuropean)*

Here are a couple of pictures that show where VW has placed all the antennas, just above the top edge of the roof headliner, where it meets the rear window.
Once you have a look in there with an inspection mirror, you might decide the best place for the XM antenna is between the small GPS antenna and the component labelled "Antenna Module" in the second diagram.
*Antenna Diagrams*
This drawing shows where they are if you are inside the cabin, looking out through the rear window.


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Sirius and XM radio antenna installation (PanEuropean)*

David:
Just to give you an idea of what is in there, when you are looking with your inspection mirror, here is a picture of the part that is identified in the drawing above as "Antenna Module". It is about a foot long and 1.5 inches across.
Michael
*Phaeton Antenna Module*


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Sirius and XM radio antenna installation (PanEuropean)*

Getting back to the idea of mounting the antenna behind (above) the trim panel that surrounds the interior rear view mirror - here is a photo that shows what the inside of the windshield looks like in the area surrounding the place where the rear view mirror attaches.
You can see the rainsensor on the left side (this is a LHD car), the mirror mount channel in the middle, and the space used to mount the rainsensor if the car is RHD on the right side. On our LHD cars, the Homelink garage door opener shoots its signal out the unused rainsensor mounting spot on the right. If you could put the XM radio antenna there, without interfering with the function of the garage door opener (which, on my car, is pretty weak to begin with), then that would be the easiest place to mount it.
Michael
*Inside of windshield, in area around inside rear view mirror mount.*


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## dcowan699 (Nov 22, 2004)

*Re: Sirius and XM radio antenna installation (PanEuropean)*

Thanks Michael. I am going to study these ideas and see which one is best for me. I do remember seeing that one at the GTG you were talking about.


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## PhaetonChix (Dec 16, 2004)

*Re: Sirius and XM radio antenna installation (PanEuropean)*


_Quote, originally posted by *PanEuropean* »_
One of the cars at the Auburn Hills GTG - I think it was Ed's - had a XM radio antenna installed just above the windshield. The installer ran the wire around the perimeter of the windshield. So, that is one possibility. There is a photo of this installation below.


David:
George Bentham had Sirius installed in his W12, I think you can see the antenna placement in some photos from the tech session at the GTG. If not, I have other photos on my home PC, I'll send them off to you this evening. You might also want contact George directly.
~PC


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Sirius and XM radio antenna installation (PhaetonChix)*

Correct, it was George, not Ed, as I had mentioned in one of the other threads. Thanks for that correction, PC.
Michael


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## bobm (Mar 2, 2004)

*Re: Sirius and XM radio antenna installation (PanEuropean)*

I'm using Direct TV sat radio for my Phaeton:

















_Modified by bobm at 12:00 AM 6-8-2005_


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## dcowan699 (Nov 22, 2004)

*Re: Sirius and XM radio antenna installation (bobm)*

I managed to route my wires to where I am happy with it. I love this satellite radio thingy. I don't know how I've gone without it. I love the "jazz cafe" station. The reception is really great. The only complaint I have is the bass is boomy compared to CD and radio so I have to turn the bass down a couple of notches from the far right.
I guess it is just a pure signal or something.
I also have to remember to turn the unit off as it is plugged into the always hot DC outlet in the armrest storage compartment. 
Don't want a dead battery now do we?


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## vwguild (Feb 15, 2001)

*Re: Sirius and XM radio antenna installation (dcowan699)*

Dave, have you tried adjusting your DSP settings?


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## dcowan699 (Nov 22, 2004)

*Re: Sirius and XM radio antenna installation (vwguild)*

Yes Peter, I changed it around a bit but it turns out to be just as easy to turn the bass down rather than cutting off the loudness button. Actually when I turned the loudness button off, the volume seemed to have gone up! Never seen that happen before. I guess the energy needed for the bass gets re-routed to the other frequencies and that makes the overall volume (treble and midrange) go up. That frequency range is heard more than the bass to the average listener.
Turning down the bass is no problem and for me it seems to solve the problem completely.


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## CSh2oboy (Feb 4, 2005)

*Re: Sirius and XM radio antenna installation (dcowan699)*

I have my sirius antenna mounted on the trunk lid just below the center brake light. It looks good and does not draw any attention.


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## VAPHAETON (Jan 15, 2005)

*Mounting XM antenna*

I am installing an XM radio and wondered if anyone had used the suggested mounting point of the rear view mirror surround trim. If so how does it work? Any suggestions appreciated.
Thanks


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## paperclip (Aug 31, 2007)

*New radio*

I mounted my radio in the passenger’s leg well towards the top. I rarely have passengers (other than my wife who sits up front) so I ran the wire between the seats, under the rear passengers mat, tucked it under the seat near the door, and then it finally landed on the outside of the rear ledge speaker. It is held in place by magnet and I rarely get any interruption. There is also enough room to raise/lower the rear sunshade.

I can post pics if you think it would help.


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## johnt26 (Dec 3, 2009)

Just as an FYI, the iPhone and probably other smart phones, have an app available for Sirius/XM. I think I pay $3 or so a month for the service as an add-on to my Sirius/XM acct. for another car.
I have the iPhone hooked up through the Dice in the Phaeton so I can play Sirius/iPod/Pandora or whatever.
No antenna required!


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## VAPHAETON (Jan 15, 2005)

*Antenna Mounting*

Thanks for the replies.

As for mounting it in the rear parcel shelf area, do you have a V8 or a W12. My understanding is that the meatalized coating in the W12's glass prevents XM signal reception except in specific areas such as around the rear view mirror where the coating is not present.
Am I correct about this?

I did not know that you could get XM directly from an Iphone. Thanks for the tip. Does it stream over the network? If so do you have problems with reception in some areas?


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## Auzivision (Apr 19, 2007)

My XM antenna is on my dash sitting on the metal mesh held in place by the magnetic base. I simply pressed the tiny wire into the crack and then down and around the dash to the glove box. If you look really closely, you can see it in this picture: 










One anomaly we discovered during the Phaeton gathering in Chicago a few years back is my W12PE doesn't have an IR windshield. Don't know if that makes a difference, but my reception was adequate so long as the sky above was clear. Doesn't work in a garage, covered filling stations, North side of tall buildings (and sometimes even semi trailers).

Overall, I wasn't too impressed with satellite radio. Part of that might be my player because it never had the sound quality of the CD player or iPod.


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## johnt26 (Dec 3, 2009)

Yes, on the iPhone the XM streams over the network. The data usage is fairly minimal though.
I'm still experimenting but Pandora seems to sound better.


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

Photos re-hosted.

Michael


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## Phaetonlvr (Feb 26, 2013)

*How to hide the XM antenna wire on the dash?*

Just finished my XM radio install, see http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?1713260-XM-and-Bluetooth-working!!&p=86001437&viewfull=1#post86001437

The only left to do is to hide the XM antenna wire running along the front edge of the dash pad. I tried pushing it into the gap where the metal trim ends but didn't want to go in there. Looks like people have done this before, can somebody give me an idea how to get it in there without damaging the rather fragile wire?


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