All y'all who have put aftermarket radios in your cars, where did you get the dash kit to make the radio fit? I have seen a few pictures in previous threads that look professionally made, but I cant find anything, and Crutchfield doesn't have one for the 2004 yet. And I am still seeking input on XM, if anyone can tell me (or pics would be outstanding!) where they put their satellite antenna, that would be great

 

Wolfman064, I'm currently looking for the same info. So far, I got nothin'.

Sorry I don't have anything to share on the '04, but I do have XM in my '01 and have the antenna (Turk SR-2) mounted on the roof, just in front of the 3rd brake light. It's attached with two sided tape and hasn't budged in the year or so since installed. I hope to make use of it on my '04, which is due to arrive in a month.

I ordered the Audiophile system to hold me over until I can get all my hardware together for the "real" system and I'm considering adding XM to the factory system in the meantime. Otherwise I might experience the dreaded " Satellite Radio Withdrawal Syndrome". Once you've gone to XM, you just can't go back. Not that the Audiophile system doesn't sound good, which it does, but I'm used to just a bit (alot) more out of my stereo. Plus, I'm hooked on the remote control that comes with my head unit. Apparently, I'm too lazy to reach to the actual radio!

I'm very interested to know what other XM (or Sirius) junkies are doing with their '04's.

 

If you put the antenna in front of the brake light, did you run the wire through the light? My issue is ground clearance - any satellite antenna will add an inch or so to my truck, and some of the places I park in downtown DC I could really use that inch. Is there any way to put the antenna anywhere else?

 

Yeah, the wire is run through the light.

When I installed XM last year, there was a "through the glass" mount available. It looked bad, meaning - big and stupid, and I was told it isn't quite as effective as the hard wired ones. There have been advancements since then, I'm told.

 

I have XM also and it was rough for those few hours after I got my truck to do without it. I had to get it installed ASAP. As for the radio, I also have the audiophile system and left it intact. I *** the new Delphi Roady to my truck and love it. I originally had a headunit with XM built in, but I did not want to mess with the steering wheel controls so I went with an add-on.

The antenna that comes with the Roady is no bigger than a pack of matches, so clearance should not be an issue with that antenna.

Hope this helps.

I have some pics in my gallery.

 

Sorry about the a$$ in the last post I meant to put add

 

Picture as requested from my truck:


As far as location. There's no reason you can't put it on the hood. It's just probably a bit harder to run as you have to go through the firewall. Since the low profile antenna's have a flat bottom not sure how well it would stay on the curved hood though.

You might want to take a look at this style of antenna it would probably work better on the hood:
http://www.terk.com/popup.asp?iid=SIR4CLIP

I'm not sure if they're designed to be attached to the edge of the hood. But they sure look at way and they're targeted to the RV and Truck market (think semi).

Talk to an installer/retailer, they can probably give you a better idea of what they can do.

 

Quote:

Sorry about the a$$ in the last post I meant to put add

No apologies necessary, csarkis7. Seemed appropriate to me.

How does that Roady sound compared to the XM ready head unit? I have a Pioneer DEH-P740MP (head unit) with the GEX-P900XM (XM tuner) in my '01 Lariat and am pleased with the sound quality. But I don't have anything to compare it to other than FM or CD. It falls somewhere in between the two - definitely much better than FM, but not quite CD. I've read much about a wide range of sound quality from different setups. I would welcome suggestions regarding options for adding XM to the factory Audiophile system.

Also csarkis, what XM tuner goes with the Roady and how much did that whole setup cost you, if you don't mind me asking?

 

there is no tuner with it. The whole setup is all in the little Roady. All you need to do is give it power and mount the antenna. I believe the whole system ran me $120. I also forgot to mention the fm modulator which was $50 dollars. Pretty simple install.

 

Clem:
I posted some helpful information: https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...hreadid=133164

 

Thanks, ScottFcasni. That was very informative stuff.

The install doesn't worry me much as I have quite a bit of experience with these things. I'm more concerned about the sound quality of the FM modulator vs. the XM ready unit. Anyone have experience with both? I've read way too much stuff on www.clubxm.com in regard to the sound quality differences and it has my head spinning. I do find the tiny antenna and lack of an additonal tuner with the Roady to be very cool.

 

sddriver put in an Alpine head unit replacement. I saw a picture of his install the other day in a different thread, and the dash kit looked like it worked fine.

see this thread

https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...hreadid=132429

Happy to see that it looks good - when my truck gets in, the Alpine 9815 is the first addition. MB Quart 5X7s will be 1A.

 

Here's a link for a 2004 F150 dash kit. They sell wiring harnesses, etc. as well.

http://www.installer.com/kits/index.html

 

Sweet

First to market manufactuers are going to make soooooo much money of the F-150.