I have a 2003 4Runner, and am trying to think of the best route to run a Sirius satellite receiver antenna. Seems like most people run it from the rear, all the way around to the front. Has anyone run the antenna from the front, either above the driver's door or passenger's door? If so, what route dod you take?
Best route to run satelitte antenna
- Thread starter TimmyD
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Uneek
Super Moderator
You might want to be careful with running wires along the top if you have side and curtain airbags.
You have those airbags if there's a tag near the shoulder on the seats by the door and an oval badge that says 'SRS Airbag' by the pillar near the upper corners of the windshield.
You have those airbags if there's a tag near the shoulder on the seats by the door and an oval badge that says 'SRS Airbag' by the pillar near the upper corners of the windshield.
outoftown7
New member
I have my Sirius antenna installed on the roof just above the windshield centered. I ran the wire through the sunroof and down the front passenger A pillar. I have had no problems with any leaks or wind noise and it's been on my truck for 2yrs now.
Just like Uneek stated above I don
Just like Uneek stated above I don
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I'm using XM and assume the antennas are the same. I have mine inside on the dash. It is in the very corner at the windshield and pillar on the passenger side. It's unobtrusive and not very noticeable to the thieves. At the same time, I have my GPS antenna mounted under the dash. Both antennas have excellent reception and I am not running a wire across any weather stripping.
nserpa9248
New member
I hate to sound like a grinch, but DIY sattelite radio antennas are a bad idea.
Those antennas suck, plain and simple, the companys who make them (dei, terk, delphi, etc) either, dont know how to make a good antenna, or need to make them how they are.
Problem with the antenna wires is that over time, the flexing and crushing, and bending that is applied to the antenna wire over time from running it though any door / window/ sunroof gasket or such, will lead you to the all too well known ANTENNA NOT DETECTED error on your sat radio.
My suggestion, pay the 25 bucks it costs to get your $40-$50 antenna run by a car audio place, cause if how they did it ends up causing that problem, they will have to replace it.
My $.02
Those antennas suck, plain and simple, the companys who make them (dei, terk, delphi, etc) either, dont know how to make a good antenna, or need to make them how they are.
Problem with the antenna wires is that over time, the flexing and crushing, and bending that is applied to the antenna wire over time from running it though any door / window/ sunroof gasket or such, will lead you to the all too well known ANTENNA NOT DETECTED error on your sat radio.
My suggestion, pay the 25 bucks it costs to get your $40-$50 antenna run by a car audio place, cause if how they did it ends up causing that problem, they will have to replace it.
My $.02
Thanks everyone for your input. After looking everything over, I decided to go ahead and install the antenna in the back. It actually was very easy, and only took about 10 minutes. Instead of going over the weather stripping in the back hatch, or cutting a hole in it as I saw one person did with his, I just pulled the stripping up and ran the wire underneath it, then pushed the stripping back in place. Hopefully this will decrease the wear and tear on it.
Mountaineer
New member
I also installed mine in the back by running the wire under the weather stripping. I put some electrical tape over the wire where it went under the weather stripping to prevent any problems where it contacted metal. It's been on there for about a 1 1/2 years and the last time I checked there were no signs of any wear on the electrical tape.
nserpa9248
New member
TimmyD said:
Standard procedure when running those antennas is tu put something over the sharp metal (small piece of split loom is fine) run the antenna over that, and then, put the seal over that. It will fit, just use something like 1/4" split loom.
Doing it the way you have it, the edge under the seal, will chew apart that wire, quick.
-Nick
I installed Sirius on my 93 and had to run the antenna to the head unit controller underneath my passenger seat. I installed it on the rear deck. When I first installed it I had to press the antenna wire into the space between the window trim and the body metal. If you have a 2nd gen then you know what I am talking about. I was using a credit card to do this and it got stuck in this one place where I thought a screwdriver would be better. I flattened the cable, but thought it was still OK. After 3 months it crapped out and I am very, very sure it was corrosion in the spot where I flattened it and broke the outer sheath.
I replaced the antenna and all is well now as I took much more care in installing the cable this time.
When I was testing I was placing the antenna on the dash and it was dropping out a lot.
I replaced the antenna and all is well now as I took much more care in installing the cable this time.
When I was testing I was placing the antenna on the dash and it was dropping out a lot.
If you have a 2003 4runner, I don't know why you just don't put it on the right front of the roof and run the wire down the windshield, tucking it under the rubber weatherstripping and work it around towards the door going thru the rubber gromet into the cab. Works fine there and doesn't leak
toytrukn78
New member
jonhul said:
Same here, I've got both XM and my NAV antenna on the inside dash by the passenger front pillar and they work like a champ. I had both antennas run outside on my 02 and I hated it, just looked sloppy. Inside you don't even notice.
I looked at a couple of options, and running it from the back seemed very easy. It's a pretty slim antenna, and really isn't noticeable. I had heard some cases where people ran it from the rear and ran out of antenna wire before getting to thier receiver. That's why I looked at options from the front. But, I had about four feet of wire left over, so it wasn't an issue.
I did not put it on the dash because I have heard a number people talk about how the signal drops in and out out when they turn, etc. I wanted as direct line of sight as possible.
FYI, I installed my receiver where the unused buttons are between the shifter and middle console. It works perfect and I didn't need any mounting brackets and didn't have to drill any holes. All the extra cable and second 12v outlet (I installed a second one to plug the unit into) all fit down in there with space to spare.
I did not put it on the dash because I have heard a number people talk about how the signal drops in and out out when they turn, etc. I wanted as direct line of sight as possible.
FYI, I installed my receiver where the unused buttons are between the shifter and middle console. It works perfect and I didn't need any mounting brackets and didn't have to drill any holes. All the extra cable and second 12v outlet (I installed a second one to plug the unit into) all fit down in there with space to spare.
atomic punk
New member
Cool, post a pic of that mount for us to see.
I cut a piece if cardboard about two inches square and covered it with black electrical tape. This helps cushion the receiver mount to eliminate any possible vibration, and blends in with the color of the interior. I used a metal bracket that comes with home door latches on the underside to put the screws into (it was perfect match). It's all nice and snug and out of the way.
This works well for me. I usually rest my arm on the console, and this puts the receiver at my finger tips. It does not interfere with shifting at all.
This works well for me. I usually rest my arm on the console, and this puts the receiver at my finger tips. It does not interfere with shifting at all.
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Fro-Runner
New member
jonhul said:
I have my Sirius satellite radio antenna mounted on my dash also. I have the antenna sitting on a same size cut non-slip material in the center of the dash/windshield area. I run the antenna wiring under my dash cover then velcro the rest and place it in my glove box for the trip. It does NOT move and the reception is near excellent. I've taken a 3,600 mile cross country round trip for the past 3 years w/o any problems. This setup allows me to move the unit out of the vehicle and into another one easily and w/o fanfare.
MAC4Runner
New member
I installed XM on my Scion headunit last night and left the antenna in the dash and have zero reception problems.
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