Page 3: ILLUSTRATED PROCEDURE FOR CONSTRUCTING a SIRIUS or XM PnP MOUNTING BRACKET for DASHBOARD ACCESS

Here's the original set up of my AudioVox PnP SIRIUS unit (later upgraded to a Sportster 4), before I made the bracket. As you can see I just jammed it into the V-shaped area between the dash and windshield using some dense foam packaging material and some of that kitchen drawer lining that you can find at Walmart.

You can see a better view of the lining in the photo below. That stuff is very good to keep the foam from sliding against the vinyl and glass. It's not a bad way to mount the PnP unit, especially if you wish to easily move it between multiple cars- nothing is marked up on your dash, the unit is nice and high for all passengers to see, it is solid enough not to vibrate and it does not move when you push the buttons. But I wanted a more permanent setup for my SC400, which is now my primary car.

Below you can see the top area of my center console and as I was removing it the other day I noticed there's a small pocket on the right that might be a suitable mounting area (made of a fairly thick ABS plastic) to bolt a bracket to.

Here you see a piece of scrap metal that I had in my garage for the past decade or so (my garage is full of such stuff, 99% of which I'll never use). But I'm glad I kept this particular piece since it is thick enough (1/8") to be solid, yet thin enough to bend to the needed shape- perfect material to use for my bracket.

Below is what the pocket looks like after the trim panel has been popped off the dash. You can see where I've drilled the rear mounting hole, and towards the front I've drilled another. The further apart those two holes are drilled, the more solid the mounting bracket will be. These holes are inside the pocket and so if I someday remove the bracket, these holes cannot be easily seen.

Here's the bracket after some hacksawing, filing, sanding and drilling. There was a bit of trial and error involved here so this was one of more time-consuming parts of the entire process. The 2 holes on the left have been tapped- that way I'll only need a bolt from above and if it's the right length, no nuts or threads will protrude inside the pocket. The 5 holes on the right allow me to vary the mounted height of the AudioVox.

I was about to paint the bracket black but couldn't find any primer in my garage (probably about the ONLY thing that ISN'T in my garage!). But while digging through my garage I came across some black heat-shrink tubing and gave that a try. Glad I did- it's a flat black that matches the AudioVox and is much more resistant to scratches and dents.

Below is the test-fitting of the bracket. To get it perfectly upright I had to remove it a few times and place it in a vise and bend it ever so slightly. It's not as slanted as the rest of the dash, but that's just a personal preference to keep the PnP unit more upright.

Here's the AudioVox PnP all wired up and ready to go. I tapped into the cigarette lighter and ran a power cable through the center of the console to the rear and that's where the PnP gets its power. The antenna position you see is not permanent- I primarily drive around town and here in Los Angeles there are Sirius repeaters all over so I don't need to place my antenna on my roof except for long trips. The extra wire is coiled up on a spool behind the PnP so I can unreel it when I leave town.

UPDATE: I got a new Sirius Satellite radio antenna from www.colormatchantenna.com (now called www.TSS-Radio.com), a firm that professionally paints your antenna using factory-matching paints so that it looks like it came from the factory. You can see the improvement in the before and after photos below. I had both the painted antenna and original antenna mounted side by side for a day to test if the metallic paint had any effect on the reception- I could not tell any difference.

But a few months later, I took it another step further, and hid the antenna under the spoiler! 
FURTHER UPDATE:  www.colormatchantenna.com (now called www.TSS-Radio.com ) no longer paints antennas, but nothing stops you from painting it yourself or getting it professionally painted at a body shop.

Full details on how I hid the spoiler at:
http://www.digitalradiocentral.com/sirius-backstage/install-garage-help-desk/71195-pics-stealth-antenna-install-hidden-under-spoiler.html

NOW YOU SEE IT:.....................................................................NOW YOU DON'T:

Thanks for viewing! Maybe that gave you some ideas on how to do the same in your car!
Let me know if you have any questions- you can contact me directly at my AOL email address: "socalpery".