Where did you guys install your Satellite (Sirius or XM) radio antenna? Where is the best place to install it?

 

The BEST place (also the recommended place) is on your roof, about 6-12 inches forward of the top edge of the rear window. This provides proper access to the satellites and also provides a proper ground plane under the antenna to minimize interference and maximize signal strength.
Some people have put the antenna on trunk lid, interior dash top, rear deck. You may be able to get away with this - it is trial and error. If you have metallized window tint film this will tend to block any signal thru the window.

 

i'm about to install my sirius antenna. Anybody got pix of their different locations that they mounted on?

 

Ill thow up a pic in the morning(too lazy to do it now )..I mounted my Sirrius ant. on top of the dash in the corner on the pass. side right along the windsheild..Works beautifully!!

 

there's a GPS antenna for the 5435 right? Where did you put that one? Center of dash?

 

It is inside the dash behind the AC vents

 

I put mine on the rear dash on the passenger side (see attachment). Don't know about best, I don't have any issues with reception and I didn't have to breach the seals. No possiblity of wind noise is another advantage.

 

My dealer said the best place for an XM antenna is on the front edge of the trunk lid. I had not considered the possiblilty of wind noise from the external mount antenna.

Anyone on here have an '06 GS with XM, or Sirius with an external antenna? Sure would like to see a photo(s) of the installation.

 

See my post above for BEST placement of Sirius or XM antenna.
The trunk lid will work, but not optimal.

 

paint it to match and put it infront of sunroof then put a sunroof shield over it

 

What's "best"? If the signal never drops out, then what's the difference?

 

Since you asked, here's the real deal:
What happens if you do not have the strongest signal possible is that you're more vulnerable to data errors. When you enter a fringe area, or the weather is not optimum for transmission of satellite signals thru the atmosphere, you don't get all of the audio bits that you're supposed to get. That results in the forward error correction (FEC) circuitry in the receiver having to fill those bits in for you, and if the impairment is not too severe, it will do this perfectly. Once the signal impairment gets too severe, the FEC can no longer completely correct, so what you get is filled in bits that it estimates are correct, and what we call 'concealment', whiich is the circuitry smoothing over errors in a way that is supposed to be transparent to you, but it's not top quality, since it isn't exactly what was broadcast, and it can only do the best job it can with what it has to work with. All of this happens without you ever hearing any mutes. Sometimes on certain days you may perceive the sound as being "harsh", and this is likely what you are hearing.
So the bottom line is that you can't merely judge by the number and duration of mutes. The only way to really tell what is best is to measure signal strength with an analyzer as you travel around. The reason I said that the roof position is "best" is because this is the position that was chosen by the antenna manufacturers and the satellite receiver engineers because the signal is strongest there (because the roof is a good ground plane), and there is least likelyhood of blocking from other parts of the car at any angle, due to it being the highest point.
SO having said that, if the position you've chosen for your antenna does not result in excessive mutes, sounds pretty good to you, and you like where it's mounted, then by all means use it. Just keep in mind the above. And if you're a purist audiophile, then the "best" place is the only place for your antenna.

Jerry

 

Jerry,good explaination, thanks. I don't drive around looking at my sig meter, so I can't say how well it works at the limits. I will say I've never had a drop out except in tunnels and the biggest problem with my XM's audio fidelity is the crummy cassette tape interface. I'm supposed to met with the XM design team next couple of month, I'll ask them what they think.