How to add satellite radio to my car: Adding satellite radio to your vehicle can be as simple as plugging in a power adapter to your cigarette lighter adapter, plugging in an auxiliary plug and mounting an antenna on the top of your vehicle. You can however put a little more time into it and install it similar to the way general motors or Honda installs theirs from the factory.
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The first thing to do when planning to install a satellite radio tuner in your vehicle is to decide whether you would like to replace your factory stereo with a new stereo that has an XM satellite radio interface integrated into it or more of an “add on” option much like the unit in the picture below.
How to Add Satellite Radio to My Car – without replacing my current radio
If you would like to add satellite radio to your vehicle without changing the current radio in the vehicle you must first determine how you will get sound to your speakers from the satellite radio device.
There are two well-known and proven methods of doing this, one way is plugging the AUX or Headphone cord that came with your sat radio unit (shown in picture) directly into your factory AUX or Headphone jack input that your current radio has.
The other way requires you to remove your factory radio in order you to access your factory antenna cord.
How to Add Satellite Radio to My Car – Installing using aux cord
- Purchase your satellite radio add on tuner with vehicle kit.
- Configure your XM screen by mounting it onto the provided dock.
- determine which way you will mount your XM screen and dock onto your vehicle. The recommended XM radio kit will have a mount for your dash with a double sided stick adhesive and a air conditioning vent mount.
- Mount your XM antenna. It is recommended that you install the included antenna in clear view of the sky, the best place is usually on the outside roof of the vehicle. If this is a little to advanced for you another good location is on top of the dash board close to the windshield. After it is mounted plug the opposite end of the antenna to the back of the XM screen dock.
- plug the included cigarette adapter into your vehicle cigarette inlet, the opposite end should be plugged into the back of your XM screen dock.
- The included aux cord now needs to be plugged into your vehicle AUX inlet and secured. After it has been secured you may now plug the opposite end into the plug on the back of your XM dock.
How to Add Satellite Radio to My Car – Installing without existing AUX
- Purchase your satellite radio add on tuner with vehicle kit.
- Configure your XM screen by mounting it onto the provided dock.
- Purchase your Vehicle XM factory adapter. This unit will be responsible for interrupting your fm frequency when you power up your new XM radio screen and providing sound from your XM control unit to your speakers.
- Purchase your aftermarket antenna adapters, you need these to plug into your vehicle XM factory adapter. You need your antenna adapter and your reverse antenna adapters. Amazon has done a great job creating a guide to what fits into you vehicle and pin-pointing the exact parts you need. If you’d like, we can find them for you and send you the links to them. Just send us a message on Facebook , we’d love to help.
- Remove your factory radio. Plug your aftermarket reverse antenna adapter into your factory radio, plug the other antenna adapter you purchased into your factory antenna adapter. After these adapters are secure you can plug in your FM adapter box to the opposite end of both of these antenna adapters. (leave the extra wire coming from the XM vehicle adapter out so that it may be plugged directly into your XM screen). Now you may re install your radio leaving the aux cord free to be plugged in as previously mentioned.
- Mount your XM antenna. It is recommended that you install the included antenna in clear view of the sky, the best place is usually on the outside roof of the vehicle. If this is a little to advanced for you another good location is on top of the dash board close to the windshield. After it is mounted plug the opposite end of the antenna to the back of the XM screen dock.
- plug the included cigarette adapter into your vehicle cigarette inlet, the opposite end should be plugged into the back of your XM screen dock.
- The aux cord that is connected to the XM adapter now needs to be plugged into the back of the XM radio screen and secured.
