Got Sirius as a Christmas present. Took the lazy man's way out and installed it in the armrest. (I use the storage bins under the radio and didn't want to lose them. Plus, I'm not big on flipping channels so I don't need on-the-fly access.) Fabricated the area around the receiver with foam and black felt w/adhesive. Any good?

 

You know, when you hit something with your neck at that angle, it's gonna do some damage.

But I like the Martha Quinn text-on-screen.

I'd like the sunglass holder better.

 

It looks good, but that's just a bad angle. It will be dangerous to get to the controls while you're driving. Install it in the Sunglass holder instead. Or do a custom install in the NOT AN ASHTRAY.

Does it come with an infrared remote?
Are you able to change the channels with the remote even when the compartment is closed?

 

I agree, it's not set up to change the channels while moving. It's more - red light / stop sign channel changing only. But, I really didn't want to lose the compartments under the climate controls. I store my CD's, plus keep my change in the "not an ashtray" compartment. I also use the sunglass holder for my sunglasses. In the end, I don't do much channel changing anyway. It's usually just Howard Stern for the morning commute.

Worst case, I can feel my way across the 10 preset / stored channels on the bottom of the radio and flip without ever taking my eyes off the road!!!

 

Looks VERY clean, but I agree with the other guys. After installing my Ipod, I was using the cup-holder mount. The ipod is simple to use by feel, but still found myself taking my eyes off the road for way too long. Now, I leave enough slack in the cable to hold it up more in my line of sight when changing. Obviuosly, that's not an option for you, but I'd recommend the sunglass holder or the "not an ashtray" as well.

 

Very nice hidden install. Are you using the FM modulator? get a blitzsafe! asap so the audio quality is better.

Since you are only going to change channels at stoplights, that set up should work well for you

 

That is a very clean and ingenius install, but you could have a fire hazard on you hands. All of the Sirius tuners - even ones with the latest G2.5 chipset cores - generate quite a bit of heat. That is why they have vents built into the design on every Sirius tuner made, AFAIK.

(XM's chipsets are more advanced in both feature sets and current draw/heat dissipation. And they even run slightly warm to the touch.)

But the Sirius tuners get pretty hot even when making use of the vents for convection cooling. Your design allows damn-near zero airflow. I would hate to see you screw up the alignment of your armrest by warping the plastic parts.

But I still gove you props for the clean look!

 

I hear ya. Actually, it's invisible to the eye, but I intentionally cut out the foam around the vents on both the top & bottom and vent them out the corner where the hole to route the wires is located. The vents sit back about 1/4 of a inch from the face of the unit, so it's tight around the front, but there's plenty of room for circulation in the back and then out the side.

 

That may work, but I would be careful. The vents are designed assuming full and easy airflow around the unit. Check the faceplate for high temps just to be sure while you have it on for more than, say, 30 mins at a time.

You will really like your Sirius. It is not as good as XM - unless you are a Stern fan or a diehard (i.e., out of town) NFL fan - but it is still miles better than FM.

 

not feeling the location for the install, but it does look clean.

 

96 RL premium... Also trying to install Sirius. No power in lighter. Have seen many posts with no specific fuse location. Hate to go to dealer for this... will be a $100 fix. Any suggestions?