The price of these aftermarket satellite receivers has come down a lot and they're starting to look nice too. My only question is how to keep up the good look of my G coupe with an aftermarket screen hanging off of an air vent. Some of these new units just tap into an FM radio station.

My '03 coupe has the pre-wiring harness installed. So, the question is whether it's worth spending the extra $$ on the OEM satellite OR going to Bestbuy/Future shop and buying an after market unit?

From what I can tell, the OEM costs about $300 USD with the antenna and the after market units are about $80.

Any thoughts from anyone? If you bought the aftermarket units, where did you mount it? any suggestions/tips for buying aftermarket (which unit to buy?) I'm looking at getting Sirius for Howard Stern.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!

 

Im in the same boat as you.
If you buy the factory sat radio receiver you will have a much more clear radio signal, and it will be a much cleaner install(using the factory headunit)

After marker is much cheaper, but then you would have to wire it in, and find a place to mount it, then use the FM transmitter.

Maybe let some others who have first hand experience chime in.

 

I'm told that BestBuy installs their aftermarket units for $100 and they will hardwire it into an FM station too so the sound quality should be the same as the OEM.

You're right about the whole mounting it on the dash. I hate that. I don't even put my 407 transponder on the windshield (i leave it in the console above the radio and it seems to still work).

One of the main things I like about the OEM is the functionality of changing stations, volume, and power, using the controls on the steering wheel.

Hard to justify the extra expense though.

So far, no takers to weigh in on this one. Maybe everyone's still sleeping off their turkey from the Holidays... or shopping!

 

I picked up a receiver and antenna for $110 on ebay last year for my 04 coupe, and it had 4 months of service left on it before I had to subscribe. I'd suggest that, I love the clean look of no sirius crap on my dash area.

 

I have both; my car came with Sirius already hardwired into the dash (previous owner opted for the lifetime subscription with stays with the vehicle, not the owner)

I also own an XM "aftermarket" unit (pre-merger) the Pioneer Inno, I bought the car kit and it's a pretty easy install.

Some pros and cons of both:

-Factory unit looks cleaner, no wires, transmitters, etc.
-Factory unit has 2 bands of memory presets separate from FM and AM so you can scroll through your presets with ease
-Factory unit will give you the best audio quality, keep in mind Satellite Radio is inferior compared to an audio CD, and you can definitely notice deterioration in sound quality because of the high compression ratio of S/R
-You'll never have to search for a dead FM station if you're using an FM transmitter like the sure connect antenna adapter with XM
-The FM direct adapter is also an option because you can hardwire your aftermarket unit into the head unit using an open FM frequency…it works the same way as a transmitter but is less susceptible to interference from competing radio stations, or other transmitters that may bleed over from other vehicles

Some things I don't like about the factory unit:
-The Channel/Artist/Song Tile info does not scroll on the dash, you'll have to hold the DISP button to switch between the 3 (minor setback)
-You cannot preview songs on multiple channels like you could with an aftermarket unit like the new XMP3 or the Xpress RC
-With a factory radio you can only hear S/R in your vehicle, portable aftermarket units like the Inno are great if you want to listen in your car then take it home or to work and use it like an iPod
Keep in mind that every "radio" has its own unique id #, thus you will need multiple subscriptions if you have a factory unit and say a receiver in you're home. That makes the aftermarket portables a lot more versatile.

Hope that helps good luck with your decision---

 

Based on my research, I decided to go with the aftermarket Sirius SAT radio. I ended up with the Sportster 5. It has a lot more features than the OEM version (including a coloured screen and a pause/record feature).

I'll post some pics, but I'm really happy with the installation and the location of the unit (which is actually mounted to the right of the steering wheel). The installation cost was a bit higher than I thought it would be:

1. the SAT unit
2. an FM direct antenna adapter needed to hardwire the unit to an FM station ($30)
3. Two cable connectors that I was told were necessary because of the type of radio in my G35 ($30)
4. Installation cost ($105)

Only took about an hour so that part was good. Did it at Best Buy near Yorkdale. Don't fall for the scam that some locations claim it's harder to access the G35 radio and they want to charge an extra $50 for installation.

Pics to follow soon.

 

OOPS So much for "soon". Anyway, here is a picture of where my aftermarket sat is mounted. Very happy with the decision to go with the aftermarket. Much better features than the OEM for my model year would have had.

 

i like my OEM set up..

but i do have a question,

If i'm running OEM, but want to go Aftermarket Navigation Deck (double din) set up.
Will i lose my Satellite radio, that's been provided for me from the previous owner.

Same as SWAN.

 

I asked this same question to a Future Shop installer the other day, he told me that you could keep your SAT radio if you choose a double din, the only other piece of hardware you would need would be something called a "radio interface" which basically allows your aftermarket DD to recognize the SAT signal and display all the pad data info on your screen.

For example you could see a list of every artist and song on multiple channels similar to that of the XMP3 or Inno.

Here's the link to FS site:
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...0098584&catid=