Has Anyone Added XM / Sirius to a Pre-wired Q45?

Post by **DuDro** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 9:19 am

My 2003 Q45 is prewired for satellite radio. Has anyone added this component to their vehicles?

If so, where did you buy the unit and hardware from?

Can you share some pics? I am concerned about the antenna being so ugly. Has anyone tried aftermarket antennaes such as a Terk unit?

I am referring to the OEM component, not an aftermarket (pod-style) unit.

Please advise...

Thanks!DuDro

Post by **szh** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 9:23 am

DuDro wrote:My 2003 Q45 is prewired for satellite radio. Has anyone added this component to their vehicles?

My boss has a 2004 Q45 with the satellite radio.

Quote »If so, where did you buy the unit and hardware from?[/quote]His was the "Infiniti unit" - probably OEM by somebody else, of course - installed by the Infiniti dealer at the time of purchase. Sorry I cannot be more helpful with info!

Z

YouTube · Post by **Jesda** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 9:25 am

The antenna can also be placed on the rear deck inside the car.

Post by **szh** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 9:28 am

Jesda wrote:The antenna can also be placed on the rear deck inside the car.

Hmmm ... I am not sure I would recommend that. The metal in the glass may reduce the signal strength enough to reduce reception quality ... perhaps to inadequate levels.

But, if this has worked for you and others, then so be it!

Z

Post by **maxnix** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 9:39 am

szhosain wrote:
Hmmm ... I am not sure I would recommend that. The metal in the glass may reduce the signal strength enough to reduce reception quality ... perhaps to inadequate levels.

But, if this has worked for you and others, then so be it!

Z

Only traces of metal in glass formula and of course on defroster grid. I would be worried about occasional shielding from the metal roof. I think putting it under G50 type spoiler would be trick.

Post by **elwesso** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 10:00 am

maxnix wrote:Only traces of metal in glass formula and of course on defroster grid. I would be worried about occasional shielding from the metal roof. I think putting it under G50 type spoiler would be trick.

You cant do that because it has to have a direct access to the sky, unobstructed... its not an RF antenna, its a satellite dish basically..

I dont think putting your satellite dish in your basement would work

szhosain wrote:Hmmm ... I am not sure I would recommend that. The metal in the glass may reduce the signal strength enough to reduce reception quality ... perhaps to inadequate levels.

But, if this has worked for you and others, then so be it!

Z

I also tried this and was unable to get clear signal, i have it on the trunk lid and its fine... jesda put it on the rear deck and got good signal, i didnt.....

Attached is a pic of where i put my antenna... The roof might be better, i still dont like it on the paint.. I should have listened to Jesda and put some foam under the magnetic antenna... My dad decided to surprise wash my car, and unfortunately he didnt take off the antenna and put it in the trunk like i usually do, and theres not a scratch there Came off but the memory is there!

Post by **gniknave** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 10:19 am

I actually had mine running up the rear windows weatherstrip to the roof, but I had a hard time holding the wire in place. I'm going to give it a second effort this weekend and post pics if I'm successful.

YouTube · Post by **Jesda** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 10:23 am

I get a signal in a closed garage!

Post by **maxnix** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 10:47 am

elwesso wrote:You cant do that because it has to have a direct access to the sky, unobstructed... its not an RF antenna, its a satellite dish basically..

But there is no metal in the G50 OEM spoiler, so it should work.

Nice car.

Post by **elwesso** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 10:52 am

Just try putting your hand over it (hopefully no metal in there) and see if you still get service.....

Post by **maxnix** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 11:11 am

elwesso wrote:Just try putting your hand over it (hopefully no metal in there) and see if you still get service.....

Aye, there's the rub. Still in the CD era ever since alternative FM tanked a couple of decades ago. But bodies have goo shielding since they are full of polarized water molecules. Try a sheet of fiberglass like the spoiler.

YouTube · Post by **Jesda** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 11:20 am

It needs to see the sky.

Post by **maxnix** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 11:53 am

Jesda wrote:It needs to see the sky.

Trust me, it's not optical. There is a weather cover (outer casing) on the antenna already.

Post by **tubesguy2** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 12:08 pm

It does need to see the sky. It's not optical, but it does need an unobstructed path to the sats, similar to sat systems for TV. Those also have weather-proof coverings on their LNBs, but they are transparent to radio waves of that frequency, just as the coverings on the XM antenna are transparent to the radio waves used for XM.

I've had about 98% success with the antenna on the rear shelf, although there are some directions of travel that put the roof of the car in the path. - Pat

Post by **elwesso** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 12:20 pm

Ive found that whenever I pass between a TALL builidng that is south of me it interrupts the signal for a second...

Fortunately it seems as if theres a 3-4 second buffer just for signal break ups...

Post by **Rex** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 12:50 pm

Jesda wrote:I get a signal in a closed garage!

Jesda wrote:It needs to see the sky.

Help me out here please sir

YouTube · Post by **Jesda** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 1:39 pm

St Louis has repeaters that broadcast the signal on the ground instead of from the sky. If youre locality doesnt have repeaters, put that dorsal fin on the roof.

Post by **st3** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 8:35 pm

It doesn't need to "see" the sky, it can penetrate things. My friend keeps his (roady antenna) on the dash of his Altima, sometimes the angle doesn't work out the best and signal is lost briefly, but it is doable.

I don't know if there are "high gain" antennas for cars like there are for the home kit. I have the roady home kit and I get perfect signal strength aiming it through the ceiling.

YouTube · Post by **Jesda** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 9:43 pm

I've found that the Roady tuner/antenna is better at capturing and maintaining a signal than the Skyfi tuner/antenna. I have fewer dropouts and less signal loss with the Roady. I'll have to consult the XMfan forum and find out if thats actually true...

Post by **DuDro** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 8:25 am

Has anyone painted the antenna to match the factory paint?

I wonder if the factory "Brilliant Silver" paint would interfere with the signal....Hmmm....

YouTube · Post by **Jesda** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 6:50 pm

http://www.xmfan.com/viewtopic.php?t=41233

You can paint the antenna with non-metallic paint:http://www.xmfan.com/viewtopic.php?t=23 ... hp?t=33117

Post by **sadams** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 10:04 am

Mines on the decklid like Wes's. Along with 50 million tiny scratches underneath (thank you, previous owner). I'm gonna try some Meguire's Scratch X to see if I can get rid of 'em.

I'm kind of a wireless guy and can confirm. Metal bad, (and water--tree leaves, but that shouldn't apply here), metal very bad. It really does need direct line of sight to the sky from outside the car for "optimal" signal. You may be able to get a signal under canopies, carports, back dash, etc. but it's only picking up reflected signal from other directions and is not reliable. The signal is attenuated alot everytime there is interference/reflection from something and that degrades signal quality and reliability. You may still get a signal but you can't trust it to stay there and stay running.

Post by **sadams** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 3:43 pm

Scratch-X was a yawn. If they are tiny scratches that don't penetrate the clear coat it works ok, at least hides them a little. Back to polishing.

Has Anyone Added XM / Sirius to a Pre-wired Q45?

Has Anyone Added XM / Sirius to a Pre-wired Q45?

Re: Has Anyone Added XM / Sirius to a Pre-wired Q45? (DuDro)

Re: (Jesda)

Re: (szhosain)

Re: (maxnix)

Sky King (elwesso)

Re: Sky King (maxnix)

Re: Sky King (elwesso)

Re: (Jesda)

Re: (tubesguy2)

Re: (Jesda)

Re: Has Anyone Added XM / Sirius to a Pre-wired Q45? (DuDro)

Re: (Jesda)

Re: (sadams)

Nissan Forums

Infiniti Forums

Datsun Forums

Technical Forums

Classifieds / Marketplace

Nissan Motorsports

General Forums