factory sirus radio

[MEREDOG]

i just purchased a camper with extended sleeper over the cab. My 06 came equipped with the Sirius radio and the antenna is located on the top just a few inches forward of the cab mounted brake light

problem is that when the camper is on there is no signal. I made an appointment at Best Buy to have another antenna installed, leaving the original in place so that when i trade the truck i can just plug the original antenna back in .

unfortunately, when i got to Best Buy and they realized it was a factory install they said there was no way for then to do it. Suggesting i would need to go to Dodge to get an antenna with a plug that would fit there factory plugs. i called dodge and they said ??????????? , take it to any Sirius installer and they can do.

Anyone addressed this issue yet ?

 

[roperteacher]

Another option for you would be to get a little sirius portable unit and use the AUX port on the front of your factory deck. Just mount the sirius antenna somewhere it can get a good signal. Then when you trade your truck in, you take it with you and your factoryone still works. All you need to do is call sirius and have them switch your service to the new unit. They did it over the phone with me!

 

[Jeepr]

I believe your Sirius box is under/behind your back seat. You should be able to order just the antenna from your Dodge dealer's parts department and unplug the stock one, plug in the new one and route it to wherever you want. The tricky part is the new antenna will be designed, like the factory one, to go through sheet metal. So, you'll have to find a way to mount it creatively. I could be wrong, but I don't think there is a "standard" for those antenna connections. A friend bought an aftermarket and was not able to use his factory antenna, so he now has two.

 

[professor39]

The Sirius antenna weather factory or after market is just a small coax cable in a thin cover. If you go to a experenced aftermarket stereo shop not Best Buy or Circuit City but a real shop they can connect aftermarket antenna's into factory units and visa versa. The only difference between the two is the plugs into the tuner. On my 04 is was above the E-brake. If I was in your place I would have an antenna placed out on the corner of the hood. Sirius sells a small disk antenna that is about 2" in dia and about 3/8" thk. I know that this may not be the highest location on your vehicle but it will work in most sceneries without changing anything to put on your camper.

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[ECisler]

I've had my truck now for a couple of months and I have the Sirius stereo with the single CD. Do the 6 CD Sirius radios display any info other than the channel and time? I previously used a portable XM unit that displayed song titles and artist info as well as game scores and other info. If they do, how difficult would it be to upgrade to the 6 CD unit? Plug-in? Dash removal? Any info would be greatly appreciated!

 

[BSoto]

I upgraded my single CD to the 6 disc CD simply because the single CD did not show the text. Installation was very easy, it just plugs right in.

 

[ECisler]

And it shows the Sirius text? How much was the upgrade?

 

[Bloomy]

I wasn't a fan of the single CD with factory Sirius either. No real display of anything. So I had a new Alpine head unit sitting in a box that was destined for the 95 and a sirius receiver in the 95. All of those ended up in the 06 and I am much happier. It doesn't matter that I have the sirius receiver mounted beside the brake controller underneath the heater controls. The other bonus is of course the Alpine being so much better than the factory unit. Looks better, sounds better and has more options. If the factory unit had a better display I would have kept it in.



Thomas

 

[BSoto]

And it shows the Sirius text? How much was the upgrade?

Yeah it shows the text. Artist, song name, etc. It was about $500. Expensive, i know, but I didnt want to go aftermarket as I preferred the factory look.



The radio code for it is RAK. I am sure you can probably find one cheaper on ebay. Here is what it looks like:



Mopar OEM Dodge Caliber RAK AM/FM Stereo w/6 Disc CD/MP3 and Cassette Player - AutoTruckToys.com

 

[BSoto]

Yeah it shows the text. Artist, song name, etc. It was about $500. Expensive, i know, but I didnt want to go aftermarket as I preferred the factory look.



The radio code for it is RAK. I am sure you can probably find one cheaper on ebay. Here is what it looks like:



Mopar OEM Dodge Caliber RAK AM/FM Stereo w/6 Disc CD/MP3 and Cassette Player - AutoTruckToys.com

I should point out that the downside to going this route is that you lose your aux input. It didnt really matter to me since it is a 6 disc mp3/wma changer but just letting you know. Its something to consider.

 

[Motorhead]

I upgraded my single CD to the 6 disc CD simply because the single CD did not show the text. Installation was very easy, it just plugs right in.

I have seen one on Ebay. Does the Radio head itself hold 6CDs?

Is there hook-ups for additional speakers? The upgraded radio came stock with 7 speakers.

 

[BSoto]

I have seen one on Ebay. Does the Radio head itself hold 6CDs?

Is there hook-ups for additional speakers? The upgraded radio came stock with 7 speakers.

The radio head itself does in fact hold 6 CD's. I dont remember any additional hookups for additional speakers. I just plugged it into the factory harness and it all worked.

 

[DJamrose]

i bought the terk model magnet stle the size of a quarter and the splitter all from crutchfield. my factory sirius antenna uses two connections for the antenna. the terk model uses one there fore the splitter total price for both $29 works great never a lost signal. p. s. i didn't care for the huge factory antenna that is why i bought the terk.

 

[ECisler]

Thanks for all the options/opinions! I still have to figure out what I want to do and get approval from the wife. Will update!

 

[2Rowdy]

Thanks for all the options/opinions! I still have to figure out what I want to do and get approval from the wife. Will update!

I always thought it was better to beg for forgiveness that to ask for permission:-laf

 

[rwitt]

Here's what I did. First I purchased an extra Sirius vehicle antenna(magnetic mount)from Best Buy. Remove the glove box, and up above attached to the underside of the dash you'll see the satellite box with a square yellow coax plug going into the box. On top of the plug, push down with your finger to release the plug lock and remove the factory coax. Plug the new antenna coax into where you removed the factory coax(snug fit but it will go), route your coax and magnetic antenna to your place of choice and you're done. It is actually less than a 10 minute job, and depending on if you want to leave it installed permanently, or only use it when the camper is on board, is up to you. I prefer to leave it in the glove box and only use it with the camper on the truck. Hope this helps.

Rich

 

[Jumbo Jet]

Here's what I did. First I purchased an extra Sirius vehicle antenna(magnetic mount)from Best Buy. Remove the glove box, and up above attached to the underside of the dash you'll see the satellite box with a square yellow coax plug going into the box. On top of the plug, push down with your finger to release the plug lock and remove the factory coax. Plug the new antenna coax into where you removed the factory coax(snug fit but it will go), route your coax and magnetic antenna to your place of choice and you're done. It is actually less than a 10 minute job, and depending on if you want to leave it installed permanently, or only use it when the camper is on board, is up to you. I prefer to leave it in the glove box and only use it with the camper on the truck. Hope this helps.

Rich

Thanks for the above post. I have a slide in Lance camper and needed to connect another antenna for my 2008 Dodge CTD. Most helpful information!

 

[revpaul]

No need to tear the dash up you can just unplug the factory ant. and plug in a replacement on the passenger side of the truck. The factory ant. has an extention to get it to the back of the truck, it's directly under the passenger door jam plate. 5 min fix!!!!