This is my first DIY on this forum and in general. I installed XM radio on my FA5, but didn’t have a camera, but I got XM radio for the gf and asked her to take pics of the install. She’s a great camera person
. This XM radio will be going into a sedan.
The install will have the antenna on the outside and use as much of the Honda factory installed equipment as possible. It’s basically the same installation that Circuit City or Best Buy would do minus the hardwire into the electrical system.
Tool(s) : A letter opener with a rounded tip
-I recommend getting a car electronic installation tool kit from Wal-Mart for $15 to tuck the wires if your scared of scratching or chipping the paint. I didn’t scratch or chip cuz I’m that good :-P
Step 1: Mount the Satellite Antenna above the windshield right about the rearview mirror. Make sure it’s centered (you don’t want it to look lopsided).
Step 2: Tuck the antenna wire under the weather stripping towards the driver’s side door. There is a little gap between the stripping and the that allows you to tuck in the thin wire. When you get to the end, make a 90 degree turn with the antenna and pull up a little bit on the hard black plastic and continue to tuck in the antenna wire along the right side of the windshield.
Step 3: When you get near the bottom of the windshield you’ll notice another piece of that hard plastic covers the one you were tucking the antenna wire under. There is a gap where the two pieces meet, tuck the wire in there and make a U with the wire and begin to come up the outer side (see the pics)
Step 4: You’ll notice a break in the metal along just above that small triangular shaped window. Pull the metal out just a litttttttle bit and it will make room for you to continue and tuck the wire in.
Step 5 (The hardest part of this installation): There is really small weather stripping around that little triangular window and that’s where we have to tuck the wire next. You must be extremely careful when doing this, you can scratch the paint here if you aren’t using plastic tools. Continue to tuck the wire behind the weather stripping but CAREFULLY!
Step 6: When you get the wire around the window, just follow the edge of the window UP to the top of the triangular window. At this point you can get a firm grip on the interior weather stripping (should be gray and black) and run the antenna wire in behind the stripping and go down to right beneath the dash board.
Step 7: Run the wire under the dash and steering wheel. Bunch up the excess and ziptie it and leave enough slack to play with. Leave about a foot between the excess wire and the end of the antenna that plugs into the satellite receiver.
Step 8: Position the satellite radio and all the other wires. I tucked all the wires between that little cubby hole under the radio and the tray behind the shifter. There’s a little gap there that will allow you tuck everything in there without little or no problems at all. I plugged the power cord into that 12V outlet right there and used the AUX input there using a double sided 5mm jack (under $10 at Radio Shack). I fired it up and Ta-DA satellite radio installed in the car.
The complete installation took 1.5 hours. Not that hard if you have any questions, feel free to ask me! Good Luck!