New guy on the list (and a happy new Mini owner). I need some help installing my XM Roady receiver in our new 07 MCS - would appreciate any links/assistance/hints/pics of installs. I searched the archives but could not find anything of use - maybe I just missed it.
1. I understand I can access and use the Sirius antenna under the passenger seat - all I got from reaching into the small crack in the carpet is scrapped knuckles - what am I looking for here? What color wires, how do I connect them, etc?
2. Must I use the aux input for the Roady audio output or is there some other place I can hook it up? I would like to use the aux input for my MP3 player.
3. Where should I go for a switched 12 Volt supply? I don't want to use the cig lighter socket - want to keep it open for the laptop power supply. (I also need to hook up the radar detector and the GPS to the switched power.)
4. Where/how does the Roady mount? I want to be able to remove it and use it indoors - and how is it controlled? Should I use the remote control for the Roady? I used a piece of velcro on the Roady with my bimmer but there does not seem to be any good place to put it in the Mini.

 

I'd recommend using the supplied xm antenna. It can sit just behind the factory anntena on the roof and the wire can be totally hidden until it comes out just by the cubby area. Some have reported more frequent drop out using the factory antenna with aftermarket xm equipment. (circuit city did my antenna install.)

Do not use the fm modulator. Use the aux input. If you want to use your aux for an ipod you'll just have to unplug the connector from the roady and plug in the ipod. You could go to radio shack and buy a Y-aux connector. Just make sure you don't have both units on at the same time. DICE electronics has a unit (they claim it is 07 cooper compatible) that is 99 dollars. It provides i-pod charging, and an extra aux port for satellite radio. I'll probably do that as it looks like blitzsafe will never come out with a factory interface kit for xm direct.

 

see this install that I did: XM install

For the antenna, my recommendation would be to either tie into the oem one under the passenger seat (get an extension on ebay-smb cable) or run your supplied antenna lead up the passenger side and use sticky tape to secure it to the far side of the dash by the windscreen-very discrete and you don't have to run lead all the way back thru the car (the reception is great on the dash). You can use an "add a fuse" for the power and plug the output directly into your aux in (you will need to get a short male-male stereo min plug cable). Only way for you to plug mp3 in and xm to aux is with a "y" adapter or physically unplug/plug each (if you use the "y" you will have to ensure that only one unit is powered up at a time).

 

I would not recommend tying the xm to the sirius factory antenna. That is the option that some threads in this forum have reported more frequent signal drop out. I'd still recommend using the roof install for the antenna and running it through the car. There are probably certain car orientations with a dash mounted antenna where the antenna view angle is having it look through the roof to get a signal, might be particularly troublesome at higher inclinations (farther north) and with the car travelling north, as the satellite is at the equator (south of you).

 

Why would you make a recommendation like that? If you read throughly you will find that at least as many have stated that their reception is fine tying into the on-board antenna lead under the passenger seat. The one guy who complained the most of drop outs had "sodered" two pieces of antenna lead together-that certainly is not a good set up. I would say it is certainly worth trying to use the oem antenna and see if it works. It is certainly easier than running (and hiding) a wire the entire length of the car!
Still the easiest is to put the antenna on the dash. I have great reception. I did this on my BMW (on the back parcel shelf) with good results as well and on my pick up (dash) with equally good results.

While the degradation of signal is a theoretical concern for an antenna not on the most exposed portion of the vehicle for more northerly cars, the antenna would have to be buried inside the car for that to practically be an issue (my opinion). The signal can be effectively "seen" from the XM satellites from 60 latitude N and the same 60 S (if you had an XM radio in Brazil-ha). Remember, that there are terrestrial signal repeaters throughout the US as well. I still pick up my XM in my garage (37.19 N).

 

I don't have my MINI yet but I've done an XM install on a pre-07 model.

Running the ant wire to the back of the car was super easy. This will give you the best reception. Putting the ant on the dash will give you problems. You'll need to decide if you can live with the problems. On my current car I put the ant on the dash because I move the car kit between cars. As the other poster stated there are dropouts. When traveling north (like up I-95) and I pass under an overpass it drops for a few seconds. This does not happen traveling south. When I am in heavily wooded areas it easily drops out. If the weather is nice there is a simple solution to this and I also use this solution: open the sun roof and put the thing on the top of the car.

I've read a lot of use xm ant on sirius use sirius ant on xm threads from those that want both receivers in their car. The conclusion is that there is enough overlap in the frequencies that it works "ok". However, there is just enough missed on either side of the spectrum that it isn't recommended if you expect to listen to all 100+ channels of both providers. It's just one of those things where YMMV depending on location and what you listen to. It might be worth a shot if you really are against running wire.

 

I have a sirius sporster 5 in my car and used the supplied antenna I first put it right behind the factory antenna but some Jerk tore it off so I reluctantly decided to just throw it on the dash and let me tell you it works great and never gives me any problem. But running the antenna to the back of the car is extremely easy....

 

There you go. It is extremely easy to run the antenna. Took all of 5 minutes to run it totally hidden in the pillars.

 

Well, I'm not that guy, I did my XM Roady install the right way with a professionally built extension cable, and I can comment as to the results using both the onboard and the magnet mount cable because I've done both.

I started the very first day I had my R56 with the magnet mount just above the center of the windshield, cable run along the edge of the windshield and then in through the passenger's door and over to my unit. Worked as well as my receiver has ever worked, there's still two spots on my daily commute where the trees and mountains conspire to block my signal.

Swapped to using the built in cable, now there's 4 spots on my commute where I lose signal, and those two previously identified ones are much worse.

Swapped back to the magnet mounted behind the stock antenna and now there's one always drop out spot and the other has turned into a sometimes, and only one direction, drop out spot.

I used a Proclip mount, super easy to install, and the big reason for swapping back to the magnet mount antenna had nothing to do with signal, actually, it's just a side benefit. With the magnet mount the end of the cable that attaches to my Roady is black, and a 90-degree connection, wheras the extension cable was gold plated and straight. The 90-degree allows me to run straight back to the secret compartment door without needing 4" of cable showing, and I just like the look better.

 

basically I velcroed the base station, or mount, whatever, :-p, to the bottom of the cubby hole.

I used the aux audio input to connect the audio for playback, and ordered a 4 inch aux audio cable from the internet

Right now, I'm using the antenna that came with it. I've been a XM Radio subscriber since the day it launched many years ago. I've noticed that they've shrunk the size of the antenna over a few years. The larger one, which has the same connector on the opposite end into the radio, gets MUCH better reception. However, they are very hard to find. eBay mostly.

• What I did was mount it to the top of the car, the one that came in the box, then tucked the wire in the molding of the door frame down into the cubby hole.
• the extra wire went in the cubby hole on the passenger side, right up under the dash, hides away just fine.

Soon I'll be using the antenna that's already on the car, since I get so many drop outs and signal fades with that micro antenna that they sell with the radio these days.

It may be worth the 30 bucks (tops) for the connector to use the sirius thing, and get a T40 torx wrench and take out the passenger seat, undo a bit o carpet, and there's the wire. It's pink in colour. Also, make sure you DO NOT power the car on with the seat out. It knows, trust me. And it'll throw a code.

 

Thanks for the help - got it all fixed up now. I got a 5 ft. SMB cable with a right angle connector from citruscables.com (Product ID 1566). Took out the black plastic plate under the passenger seat (four screws), plugged in the cable, ran it out the slot in the carpet and under the floormat toward the front, then up to the radio which I stuck out of sight along the passenger side under the glove box with velcro. Got a 3-outlet cigarette lighter adapter with a wire attached to the plug - mounted it under the glove box with velcro - cut off the plug and hooked it up to fuse 21. Plugged the XM power cable into it (along with the power wires for the radar detector and the GPS), dressed the cables into the cracks in the dash/plastic and plugged the audio output into the aux jack. Works fantastic! I use the Roady remote to change channels.

 

Thanks for the citrus lead. I have been hunting a right hand connector set for awhile.
I have an XM Sportscaster mounted with to the back of the cubbyhole. I tried mounting to the top but it kept falling.

The sportscaster unit has the added advantage of nearly matching the dash lights on the MINI.

We fight over the remote.

 

Great info on here. One question though: Does anyone know if they make or will be making a unit that hard wires into the existing speedo/ face via the fiber-optic cable? Is it even possible? Also, do the factory Sirius radios mount in the boot? Thanks.

 

That would be me that soldered together some wires, and then insulated them if you want to tell the whole story. I did not so a half *** job at it and it technically should have worked with very little signal loss. I did then go and buy a new cable that would reach to the one under the seat and it was a complete waste of money, because the result was the same. I had so much drop out I finally went back to the antenna that came with my XM and have had very few dropouts since. I wonder if the geography of things affects it. Living in NH I have a lot of hills and mountains, but living in a flat area I would think the drop out would be less.

 

Given the satellite is parked over the equator (antenna angled north) the dropout will probably be worse the farther north you go particularly using an anntena optimized for a different satellite and signal.

 

I ran my XM antenna from directly behind the radio antenna, to the passenger side of the boot and through the weather stripping. Then I ran the wire along the passenger side, pushing it into the cracks between panels,
under the door sill, up behind the dash, to the driver side behind the steering column. I used velcro to mount the roady to the panel behind and to the left of the blinker. I used a radio shack 3.5-3.5mm (6ft) cord and jacked into the audio input, which I have a y-splitter to use my ipod with. (I don't like the USB interface because it takes too long to scroll through songs.) I ran the power cord behind the steering column to the cig. lighter, again which I have a splitter on because I mounted small led lights in the cubby hole. With the cubby organizer from Moss Mini, no wires can be seen and it looks good.

 

Could you take a picture of your cubby hole? (that sounds dirty lol)
I'm very curious about these LED Lights you've installed.

 

Silence, the job was easy, but you are correct, it is dirty at the moment.
I am waiting on a new cubby organizer, so wires are showing at the moment.
I will post some pics when it is done.

 

thanks! that'd be great.

 

Could you please also post a pic of your XM radio location?
I'm currently agonizing over the best place to put it.
Thanks.

PS: Is the Roady you have the XT, with the dock? Is there enough room there for the docked model, I wonder...

 

It is with the dock.

 

I guess I'll be able to do my own investigating since the ship should dock today in NYC!

You have to look at it through the steering wheel I imagine. Still, it frees up the cubby...

 

Here's a cellphone cam shot of the Sirius Sportster in my wife's. It's mounted with a ProClip mount.

 

Great song by the way Looks great!

 

velvet: were you wanting a picture of my xm radio config? I'd be more than happy to give you one... when I get my car back... hopefully this afternoon