[TunToy1]

The reception is so horrible with my XM radio, i can't even listen to a full song before being interrupted by the "no signal" you think they would have devised a much better antenna system..............has anyone tried to re-wire the antenna from the dash to the outside of the truck yet ???? i'm one pi$$ed XM buyer. My external Sirius signal is 100% better, i'd much rather use the XM since its built in, but it would be a huge sacrifice for reception.

 

[tkious]

I have the XM as a port install. I have had no real problems with reception. Mine is mounted on the dash by the drivers side. I had an aftermarket self install on my 01 Tundra with the antenna sitting on the roof, and my wife has a built in on her Honda. I seem to have the same dead spots in my 07 that I experienced in the other vehicles. The problem area for me are a few large overpass/interchange area and under covered parking and entry areas. I have not driven much in deep downtown highrise areas which I suspect might cause some problems.

 

[Tchapin]

I had mine installed internally and have already spoken to installer about moving the antanae to 3rd break light. I had the same issue with my previous XM. It never lost the signal after that unless in a parking garage or such.

 

[Salty_Dog]

The reception is so horrible with my XM radio, i can't even listen to a full song before being interrupted by the "no signal" you think they would have devised a much better antenna system..............has anyone tried to re-wire the antenna from the dash to the outside of the truck yet ???? i'm one pi$$ed XM buyer. My external Sirius signal is 100% better, i'd much rather use the XM since its built in, but it would be a huge sacrifice for reception.

Check your antenna cable. Closely. I had a similar problem once, and it turned out to be a pinched cable where I had routed it under the threshold plate. The pinched cable was shorting out.

 

[Tundra Man 2007]

Mine was installed by the dealer and the anntena is sitting inside the front window on the drivers side. I thought reception might be a problem but it has worked fine. I have had it over a month and it even picks up a little in my garage when I fire it up in the morning.

I did have a fuse problem right after installation but that was because the dealer forgot to increase the fuse from 5 to 10 amps after installing the upgrade.

As bad as yours sounds I wonder if they frayed the cable or did something else on the install. i would take it back and make them do it again!

Kirk

 

[jajeh5]

I have no problems with reception. I had this installed at the dealership and seems to work great. I would have to agree with cyberbilly that the cable or the connection to the back need to be reseeded.

 

[TunToy1]

Thanks for the reply's....i'll go ahead and check for a pinched wire......if the wire to the dash antenna is ok then i'm seriously going to consider re-wiring the dealer installed XM dash antenna. Going through the third brake light seems to be a good idea. Has anyone tried that route yet ???

 

[Tchapin]

Going through the third brake light seems to be a good idea. Has anyone tried that route yet ???[/QUOTE]

No, but my installer will be soon.

 

[desertrat37]

Inside antenna installations usually will not have the reception of an external one. No signal means it probably is having a hard time seeing one of the sats, where as usually if there is a pinched cable or a problem with the antenna internally then it will have the word antenna displayed on the unit. For another mounting option you might try mounting the antenna right above the windshield. you can then hide the cable under the weather stripping around the windshield and then run it into the cab through the door or firewall, thats the way i did it on my 06 and i get great reception. good luck

 

[wileetundra]

If you mount the XM antenna on a solid metal base plate and stick it at the very front edge of the dashboard nearest the windshield then it should have a pretty good unobstructed view of the sky. Mounting it outside the vehicle won't improve the view of the sky much at all but sometimes it will improve the reception slightly since the antenna can get a better ground and signal reflection when attached to the larger metal body of the truck. I installed my own XM system and used a heavy gauge large steel washer to mount it on, then I used 3M adhesive tape to stick the washer to the dash. The result is perfect 4 out of 4 bar reception when driving anywhere and 3 out of 4 bars when parked under my aluminum carport. Looks like a factory install too, and I prefer having it mounted on the passenger side in the corner where it is out of the way.

More pics and detail at the following links:

http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/tundra/93037-custom-console-light-xm-shifter-pictures/

and

2007 Tundra XM Radio & Shift Knob

 

[jliltd]

Going through the third brake light seems to be a good idea. Has anyone tried that route yet ???

No, but my installer will be soon.[/quote]

I am waiting to find out how to do this rear brake light install also. My DIY dash-mounted antenna looks nice but gets nowhere the performance of an external antenna (and I have a large metal washer under mine). All other XM installs I have done had external placement. I dislike routing the wire through the windshield weatherstripping and mounting above windshield for numerous reasons. The third brake light would be a perfect location.

As an aside I had a windshield replaced one time and the folks at the glass shop just cut my XM cable when they found it in the weatherstripping. Then after installing the new windshield they just stripped the outer sheathing off the XM cable and twisted it together, wrapped some tape around it and hid the splice under the weatherstripping. Needless to say they ended up buying me a new antenna (which I installed myself).

 

[mwatch]

Tundra Man, Did the dealer install it on the metal plate that came with the install kit? If so, what does the plate look like? Thanks

 

[TunToy1]

Well I checked for pinched wire and all is good.......It is now time to re-route this sucka.....I'm just so fed up with the almighty "no signal" display i get very frequently I feel going to an external mount will increase my signal. Before having my tundra I had my Sirius radio with an external antenna mount and had way fewer Signal issues. I mounted it right smack center on the roof of my Silverado. The larger area of metal made all the difference. Who's going to be the first to try the third brake light idea ??? I may go for it this weekend.

 

[gunsmyth]

I have a much better solution for XM antenna placement. I placed mine under the plastic intake grill at the base of the windshield. The wire passes through plug in firewall and nothing is visible. Note: there is a piece of metal screen on the underside of vent that you must cut a window in for the antenna to see through. Just place antenna on metal support in front of driver and reception is superb.
Enjoy your new tunes.

 

[Hockeycrew77]

Did the truck come with xm installed or did you add it later. I am waiting on my truck to come in and I added XM as a factory install and am concerned about the antenna placement. Like to know if the antenna cable is long enough to relocate to the base of the window on the driver's side. Why wouldn't Toyota just roof mount the antenna like most other manufacturers Do you have any pictures of the antenna location?

 

[Jumbo Jet]

Well I checked for pinched wire and all is good.......It is now time to re-route this sucka.....I'm just so fed up with the almighty "no signal" display i get very frequently I feel going to an external mount will increase my signal. Before having my tundra I had my Sirius radio with an external antenna mount and had way fewer Signal issues. I mounted it right smack center on the roof of my Silverado. The larger area of metal made all the difference. Who's going to be the first to try the third brake light idea ??? I may go for it this weekend.

I did the 3rd brake light install on mine and the reception was perfect. I ran the antenna wire from the tuner down along the base boards (popped them off with a panel tool) and then ran the wire up along the rear pass. side pillar and under the head liner. Got in the bed and pulled out the 3rd brake light and the wire was right there waiting for me. Pulled it thru and left it sit about 10 inches from the light assembly on top of the roof. My antenna kit came with a wire cover to kind of dress it up and make it look factory so the small bare wire wasnt just sitting there. The cover piece had tape on it to keep it in place and the antenna itself had a big magnet on the bottom to keep it from sliding. Worked great and never leaked. And best of all it looked professionally done.

 

[mwatch]

Jumbo Jet,

Whose after market system are you using? I was wondering about some sort of cover for the wire on a roof/third brake light install. I don't mind the work to do the install, but don't want a wire exposed up there. Reminds me of a cheap CB install from the 70's. Any mods needs for the brake light seal? Is there enough sealing material there to envelope the wire and still provide no leaks? I am just itching to get out and start installing things now. First thing will be a slight adjustment to the seat padding. Bad back. There is not quite enough support under my behind.

 

[Salty_Dog]

I did the 3rd brake light install on mine and the reception was perfect. I ran the antenna wire from the tuner down along the base boards (popped them off with a panel tool) and then ran the wire up along the rear pass. side pillar and under the head liner. Got in the bed and pulled out the 3rd brake light and the wire was right there waiting for me. Pulled it thru and left it sit about 10 inches from the light assembly on top of the roof. My antenna kit came with a wire cover to kind of dress it up and make it look factory so the small bare wire wasnt just sitting there. The cover piece had tape on it to keep it in place and the antenna itself had a big magnet on the bottom to keep it from sliding. Worked great and never leaked. And best of all it looked professionally done.

Where did you get that antenna kit? That's what I'm looking for.

 

[TunToy1]

I did the 3rd brake light install on mine and the reception was perfect. I ran the antenna wire from the tuner down along the base boards (popped them off with a panel tool) and then ran the wire up along the rear pass. side pillar and under the head liner. Got in the bed and pulled out the 3rd brake light and the wire was right there waiting for me. Pulled it thru and left it sit about 10 inches from the light assembly on top of the roof. My antenna kit came with a wire cover to kind of dress it up and make it look factory so the small bare wire wasnt just sitting there. The cover piece had tape on it to keep it in place and the antenna itself had a big magnet on the bottom to keep it from sliding. Worked great and never leaked. And best of all it looked professionally done.

Jumbo, is the kit you used an external antenna kit for a self installed XM radio ??

 

[TunToy1]

I have a much better solution for XM antenna placement. I placed mine under the plastic intake grill at the base of the windshield. The wire passes through plug in firewall and nothing is visible. Note: there is a piece of metal screen on the underside of vent that you must cut a window in for the antenna to see through. Just place antenna on metal support in front of driver and reception is superb.
Enjoy your new tunes.

Interesting idea:ts: