Date:         Tue, 1 Aug 2006 09:19:56 -0600
Reply-To:     Bob Stevens <mtbiker62@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Bob Stevens <mtbiker62@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: XM Antenna installation on a Westfalia
Comments: To: Tom Forhan <fourwdvw@YAHOO.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Tom,
I've had my Sirius antenna under the luggage "tub" just above driver head
for a few years now. ONly a few instances of non-reception due to having
stuff in the luggage rack. I'm going to be removing it from there and put on
the steel dash, right in the middle of the dash near the windshield. You
might consider just plopping it there on your experimental journey. That's
close to where most of us wind up putting the main unit anyway and you can
still move it around if that turns out to be a poor location, until you
decide where it seems to work best.

By the way, I have the Sirius antenna on a velcro fixture on the dash in my
Passat and it works beautifully. No metal for the magnet to cling to in that
case.

Bob


> I bought a cheap XM radio kit that -not mentioned in
> the specs - comes with a portable magnetic mount
> ground plane type antenna. Not exactly a perfect match
> for a Westy.
>
> Just sitting up there, stuck onto one of the luggage
> rack tiedowns, it does seem to work in my driveway,
> but I am sure its not optimal. Would reception be
> better if it was mounted on the steel roof, but inside
> the fiberglass?
>
> We are leaving on a road trip Friday, and I consider
> the installation experimental, so I don't want to
> spring from a $100 marine antenna, at least not yet.