Nav antenna placement

[Neaners]

My new Kenwood 6019 just arrived today... Sat down and ripped open the packaging (feels just like Christmas! , and was checking out all the "stuff" .... Only thing that I am unsure about is where is the best place to put the antenna on my crewmax? I mean if you put it say on the roof, how do you run the wire outside? Any input/suggestions on this subject would be GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

[greybeards22]

I just put on the dash on passenger side close to the pillar and ran wire down to the black box which I velcroed to the side kick panel.

[LGL002]

I had to remove my front seats and console to put my Sirius tuner underneath it. I ran my AVN-5510 Eclipse wire under the console across the rear carpet and up behind the rear seat back and out my back slider window for now. It's just a temp set up until I can drop the rear part of the headliner and run it and the Sirius antenna wire through the rear brake light opening to the roof. Eclipse cautioned against installing their antenna inside because some window tints can cause reception problems that can retard the receivers ability to react as quickly to a directional change. I tried mine on the dash when I tested it to make sure I had everything connected properly and it didn't respond as quickly as it does with the roof as a reflector.

Larry

[Phil0411]

I don't have an 07, but on my 05 I mounted the GPS antenna UNDER the dash up close to the windshield in a spot where the was no metal above it. In the 05, there is actually a small "shelf" right there and I found out after I mounted mine there, it is exactly where they mounted the factory GPS antenna. Mine get full signal strength. If you can find a spot like that, you can at least try it before exposing on the dash or hassling with running it outside. The satellite radio is another matter though. It really needs to be outside ideally on the roof. Mine is on the roof right above the third brake light. The wire goes into the third brake light housing, above the headliner, down the pillar ... well, you get the idea. If you have the fabled combination antenna (GPS and radio combined), it goes on the roof for sure.

Phil

[randomwalk101]

Originally Posted by Phil0411

I don't have an 07, but on my 05 I mounted the GPS antenna UNDER the dash up close to the windshield in a spot where the was no metal above it. In the 05, there is actually a small "shelf" right there and I found out after I mounted mine there, it is exactly where they mounted the factory GPS antenna. Mine get full signal strength. If you can find a spot like that, you can at least try it before exposing on the dash or hassling with running it outside. The satellite radio is another matter though. It really needs to be outside ideally on the roof. Mine is on the roof right above the third brake light. The wire goes into the third brake light housing, above the headliner, down the pillar ... well, you get the idea. If you have the fabled combination antenna (GPS and radio combined), it goes on the roof for sure.

Phil

Phil,
With the GPS antenna under the dash like that, won't the dash block out some signal thus lower strength than as if you were to mount it on the front dash?

[Phil0411]

Originally Posted by randomwalk101

Phil,
With the GPS antenna under the dash like that, won't the dash block out some signal thus lower strength than as if you were to mount it on the front dash?

That's what I thought too, at first. I tried it there just because it was convenient and took no time to run wires or mount because it is basically right behind the head unit. Plastic and glass have no effect in my experience, just don't mount it where metal is above it. Mine gets full signal strength where it is. I have a Pioneer AVIC-D3 were the signal meter has like ten bars(they look like little satellites) I have never seen it go below 7 yet and I have never lost signal ever. Where mine is mounted definitely hasn't been a problem for me.

Phil

[mbartel]

Do you guys know if it is necessary for the nav antenna (I also have the Pioneer Avic DX3) has to have metal underneath it? I have space IN the car (I don't have a truck, but you guys are having the best discussion I could find), and if so how big should that metal space be?

Placing it on the exterior seems kind of ghetto and unprofessional. Especially since I need to mount the XM antenna next to it as well. It just seems like a bunch of dangling stuff on the roof that will be a problem during a wash or even just the esthetic.

The Pioneer manual even states that every time I leave the vehicle I should place the antenna back in the car. Rediculous.

Also, is there a reason the Nav antenna is OK inside and the XM wouldn't be.

Thanks for any insight and tips.

Mike

[Blackadder]

In my 05 Frontier I had a a Pioneer N1 with the XM module. I ran the XM antenna through an existing break in the firewall and up through the engine compartment. Once outside I ran it up the driver side windshield post making sure the wire was tucked in under the rubber moulding. The antenna magnet attaches to the roof about 3 inches above the front left post. I ran the Nav antenna up the right side in exactly the same manner.

[LGL002]

Originally Posted by LGL002

I had to remove my front seats and console to put my Sirius tuner underneath it. I ran my AVN-5510 Eclipse wire under the console across the rear carpet and up behind the rear seat back and out my back slider window for now. It's just a temp set up until I can drop the rear part of the headliner and run it and the Sirius antenna wire through the rear brake light opening to the roof. Eclipse cautioned against installing their antenna inside because some window tints can cause reception problems that can retard the receivers ability to react as quickly to a directional change. I tried mine on the dash when I tested it to make sure I had everything connected properly and it didn't respond as quickly as it does with the roof as a reflector.

Larry

Thought I'd better update my older post after moving both of my antennas from my roof to the under dash location. After a lot of thought I figured I'd rather lose some reception than advertise that the truck had both a satellite and nav system on board. I realize that all one would have to do is look inside the cab to see what's there but at least from a drive by a shopper it wouldn't wave a flag. I did lose some signal strength on both systems but so far all I've seen is the satellite radio signal will drop out more quickly going under overpasses and the nav unit signal hasn't yet. It's only been a week since the move and I'll update this post if things deteriorate.

Larry

PS: I did put a 2"x 2" ferrous metal plate under each one to anchor them.

[mbartel]

OK, Here is an update on my AVIC D3 install. All the units, Bluetooth, XM, XM tuner adapter, and all cables fit behind the head unit, and I ran all the antenna cables along the left side in the head liner. Much easier to remove some of the handles and plastics and run up there (at least in my subaru). Mounting the antennas on the outside of the car does seem kind of hokey for me, but after much research it seemed like the only way to do it.

I am curious about your success of having them on the dash on metal mounting plates. For those considering, remember that having the antennas outside, like one of the posts notes, is advertising your stuff.

So far everything works well, but the bluetooth phone connecting was a random clicking mess. Eventually somehow it worked. The point being don't think every phone will work just becaust its bluetooth, unfortunately. No phonebook transfer either. (casio G'zOne phone - its a 'rugged' type phone).

has anyone had any experience or difficult getting the Nav Traffic to work. That is currently the one item not doing anything. 2 calls to XM already and just rediculous nonsense for tech support.

Also, my first Crutchfield tech call I was told the parking brake cable wasn't necessary, but that is not correct. You CANNOT get to most setup menues without that. So make sure and install the parking brake lead.

M

[core64]

The factory toyota GPS antenna is mounted behind the HU under the dash. As long as there is no metal above the antenna, it should work fine (plastic, glass, should not affect signal strength). When I installed my factory nav, I did this and it worked fine. I later switched to an eclipse 6610. Eclipse has outside and inside mounting locations. Outside was not a option. Inside was suggested to be on the dashboard (right side near windshield). I opted to put it in the headliner(under the windshield) near the rearview mirror. Was easy to run and almost alway have 4 satellites reception(3 required for gps to work). I dont know how other brands work, but eclipse has a screen that shows satellite reception. One other note, eclipse does include a ferrous metal plate to install under the gps unit. On my location I couldnt use it, but does not seem to be affected.

[millsp]

I have the Avic Z2 and I mounted the GPS antenna under the center grill on the dash and i mounted the XM antenna under the right front speaker grill both work flawlessly.

[LGL002]

My final update (I think) My Sirius signal started going all over the place and the nav signal had dropped. I removed the head unit and found that the am/fm radio antenna cable had pushed the nav and Sirius antennas off their pads when I installed the head unit. Rerouted the regular antenna and stuck the other two to their pads with a small gob of silicone sealer. All is good once again.

Larry

[LGL002]

Originally Posted by LGL002

Thought I'd better update my older post after moving both of my antennas from my roof to the under dash location. After a lot of thought I figured I'd rather lose some reception than advertise that the truck had both a satellite and nav system on board. I realize that all one would have to do is look inside the cab to see what's there but at least from a drive by a shopper it wouldn't wave a flag. I did lose some signal strength on both systems but so far all I've seen is the satellite radio signal will drop out more quickly going under overpasses and the nav unit signal hasn't yet. It's only been a week since the move and I'll update this post if things deteriorate.

Larry

PS: I did put a 2"x 2" ferrous metal plate under each one to anchor them.

Another antenna location update May 2008. I recently returned home (MN) from a round trip to CA and NV and found that the under dash Navigation antenna had no reception problems at all. My satellite Sirius radio did have drop out problems quite frequently depending on vehicle direction and which region I was in. It seemed like if the satellite angle was toward the rear of the truck I would loose my signal until my travel direction changed which was at times 20 to 30 minutes of watching the acquiring signal display on my Navigation screen. Although I like having my roof top clean I'll be moving that antenna once again.

Larry