Sirius question (pardon the pun)

[cpudoc6]

I just bought my 2005 explorer EB, I have the fancy pancy audiophile stereo. If I were to buy a ford sirius unit where would the unit mount from the factory? Would all the cables, except the antennea, be there? is there a way to determine if said cables were in place????????

Thanks,
Ron

 

[misconceived]

Can't answer your question about the cables.
I'm just giving my about sirius.
One of the best investments I made.


Look into the cost before you decide to buy a factory unit.
You can probably buy a good aftermarket unit with integrated Sirius for the same price and have a lot more options.

 

[E.B. Cornburner]

The unit mounts under the passenger seat. All the cables will come with the kit, and they follow up to the head unit along the right side kick strip.
Get the whole kit right from Ford. The units on eBay aren't complete...They're just the reciever box. I looked into this a while back.

The antenna mounts on the right front of the roof and from the best of what I have discerned, it's a magnet-mount style, so no drilling into the roof is necessary. I personally would rather drill a hole to give it a bit more "finished" look, but since no Explorer prior to '06 had Sirius from the factory, I guess it's not that big of a deal in keeping it looking totally original. The antenna that comes with the kit is small enough, and the wiring tucks into the windshield seal nicely.
The hardest part of the whole install is probably going to be removing the head unit. These newer Fords can be quite a challenge sometimes.

 

[Mkrucejr]

First of all, I'd like to say I've had Sirius for a year now....again, best thing I ever invested in. I don't even listen to FM anymore...

Now...for all your Sirius needs get them from: TSS-RADIO

They are the best.

2nd...IMO, and from what I have read over and over again, the factory units are just OK...the sound quality is not as good as the plug and play units. The 2nd advantage of a plug and play is that you can take them inside, hook them to your stereo, or even put in a boombox.

Do some research 1st. You can get a plug and play unit, for the same price as the factory unit that gets put under the seat. They all come with the suction cup mounts, but they make custom brackets, that hook to the right side of your dash, hides all the wires, and keeps it nice and neat..

Also....does your stereo have an AUX IN?? For a plug and play, this is the best way to hook them up.

If not, they make an adapter for your FM antenna (which you will never see, gets put behind your head unit) without this, Sirius isn't worth getting because the FM Transmitters in the newer radios suck.

I have a Sportster Replay in both my vehicles.....I love it.

Any More questions, ask away!!!

 

[E.B. Cornburner]

The reason I like the factory unit is because there's nothing additional added to the radio that looks "tacked on". From a purely aesthetic point of view, the Ford (Visteon) unit integrates right into the OEM head unit. It also allows use of the factory steering wheel controls to toggle from channel to channel, rather than having a stand-alone unit that wouldn't have that capability. The name/title display scrolls right on the head unit's display. Once installed and operating, it's a very nice system. As for sound quality...You'd really have to be an audiophile to tell the difference. I used to have an XM SkyFi in my Grand Prix, and it was hard-wired with an FM modulator, rather than broadcasting to the antenna. This was a huge difference, but one unit hard-wired into the radio compared to another style, I'd be hard pressed to say there'd be much difference.

Edit: Speaking of RF modulators on satellite recievers, try this sometime...Next time you're driving close to someone that has a XM Roady or similar satellite radio that broadcasts to their antenna, tune your radio to some of the blank channels that these units usually tune to, such as 88.5, 88.7, etc. The range on these units is quite impressive, and I've been able to pick up someone else's satellite radio for close to a quarter mile. I even pulled up to a stoplight playing the satellite channel of the car next to me, and the guy kind of freaked out when I cranked up the same song he was listening to.

 

[Mkrucejr]

Edit: Speaking of RF modulators on satellite recievers, try this sometime...Next time you're driving close to someone that has a XM Roady or similar satellite radio that broadcasts to their antenna, tune your radio to some of the blank channels that these units usually tune to, such as 88.5, 88.7, etc. The range on these units is quite impressive, and I've been able to pick up someone else's satellite radio for close to a quarter mile. I even pulled up to a stoplight playing the satellite channel of the car next to me, and the guy kind of freaked out when I cranked up the same song he was listening to.

Not on the newer units....

FCC cracked down on them, and they had to tone down the strength on the transmitters.....

sometimes your lucky to hear it on your own radio...thats why the FMDA is needed.

 

[cpudoc6]

Thanks for the responses. I tried the FM modulator last evening and it sucked!!!! I called ford this morning and they quoted me $520.00 for the unit and installation. I was decided to call Crutchfield they said they could sell me the adaptor that goes inline with the antenna and it would be fine. So for 19.99 I have a solution.

 

[Mkrucejr]

Ok...thats fine...but what sirius unit are you using? the Modulator as you call it, really is called the " FM Direct Adapter" FMDA for short....it plugs into the FM Out on the Plug and Play units.....

What set up are you using....


I've installed 7 radios in the past year, so I have a good idea of the set ups .... TSS RADIO is a good place for sirius stuff too.

 

[misconceived]

The reason I like the factory unit is because there's nothing additional added to the radio that looks "tacked on".

I have a JVC head with SD card slot, CD, Changer capability, and it's Sirius ready. The Sirius unit is made by JVC and I have it mounted in my glovebox. It plugs into the Changer port on the headunit. There is also a jumper on the unit so you can still hook up a cd changer. $89 bucks.

There is nothing visible. All the info is displayed on my headunit. Hence the "Sirius Ready".

The hardest part of install was running the antenna wire down the side of my EXP and under the headliner. It only took about 10 minutes, but it was just a PITA.

(Headunit means the radio before the question arises. )

 

[cpudoc6]

Ok...thats fine...but what sirius unit are you using? the Modulator as you call it, really is called the " FM Direct Adapter" FMDA for short....it plugs into the FM Out on the Plug and Play units.....

What set up are you using....


I've installed 7 radios in the past year, so I have a good idea of the set ups .... TSS RADIO is a good place for sirius stuff too.

I bought a starmate 4, it has the FM out plug. It is the best and most inexpensive way to go.

 

[Mkrucejr]

Starmate 4 is a good radio...same as the sportster...only difference is the size, and the knob.

if you like it that much...go to tss radio...they have custom mounts...Im about to get one....it mounts it to the right og the climate control...some installation skills are needed....2 small drill holes...buts you dont see them, they go behind the dash trim.

Like I said, Ive had it sice Oct 2006, and havent listened to FM since!!!

AQgain, I like the Plug and Plays because you can take them inside, or another vehicle pretty easilly

 

[bpwrightwv]

Would the Sirius SCC1 tuner work with the SAT ready unit?
Surely there must be another way to use the SAT ready unit and have an 'integrated' solution besides the Visteon upgrade kit.

 

[bpwrightwv]

I decided to call Crutchfield they said they could sell me the adaptor that goes inline with the antenna and it would be fine. So for 19.99 I have a solution.

What adaptor is that? I think I may prefer the least expensive option. I don't see the need to spend $370 if I can get a 'plug and play' unit with a $20 adapter and get the same service.

BTW-if anyone is interested you can buy the Visteon unit directly from a Visteon distributor. I was quoted $370 for the unit and cables.

 

[E.B. Cornburner]

BTW-if anyone is interested you can buy the Visteon unit directly from a Visteon distributor. I was quoted $370 for the unit and cables.

I was quoted $375 right from Ford.

 

[bpwrightwv]

I was quoted $375 right from Ford.

Does your price include your Ford employee discount? I assume since you're a sales manager for a Ford dealer that you would get one.

CPUdoc was quoted $520, installed. I actually made a mistake, they quoted me $349 for the kit, $419 to install it. (the $370 was to repair my factory OEM CD player that crapped out on me after 39,000 miles).

At any rate, it's much more cost effective to buy a plug and play radio and a wired FM transmitter for way less than the Visteon/Ford price. Aesthetics aren't worth triple the price, to me anyway.

 

[E.B. Cornburner]

I don't manage a Ford dealership. I manage an independent used car dealership.

The parts guy at Ford told me that there's not a whole lot of markup in these, so my price vs. "guy off the street" price isn't too much different.

 

[bpwrightwv]

I just bought my 2005 explorer EB, I have the fancy pancy audiophile stereo. If I were to buy a ford sirius unit where would the unit mount from the factory? Would all the cables, except the antennea, be there? is there a way to determine if said cables were in place????????

Thanks,
Ron

I ended up buying a SAT ready JVC CD changer with AUX IN and USB. Bought the JVC SIRIUS kit (the tuner and a translation box). Purchased and installed for the same price as the the Visteon add-on. My 6 disc changer from Ford jammed up and went bad. Frankly it was a blessing. It was so expensive to have it fixed ($300) or replace ($600) that I found a better solution, frankly.