I don't want to change head-ends. This car is going to be my DD for a few years until my Daughter turns 18, and then it will be her ride.

What is the cleanest way to install external XM in an '09 Sport? Who makes brackets to mount the unit; how do I route the antenna to center-front, and how do I hook it up to the factory head-end?

Any pics would be appreciated - I am sure I'm not the first to face this....

thanks,
Dave

 

So NO ONE has done an install of an external XM onto an '09 non-navi? Wow. For most Hondas, there are kits galore to do what I propose.

I will report back once I find something.

Dave

 

i'm interested in doing the same...let me know what you find out...hey where's Mebane, NC?

 

Mebane is halfway betweek Durham and Burlington NC, just North of the I85/40 corridor, and is a small, quaint old town that those of us who are tired of the high taxes in surrounding counties have invaded We have a top-100 USA golf course, and my house is on the 18th hole, for at least 20 feet of my property line But at least no one will ever build behind me.


I am going to see the top recommended audio installer in this area in the next several days. According to my dealer, they have done a lot of Fit external XM installs. I will post up what I find.

Dave

 

I put my old portable Pioneer unit in the driverside cup holder. The antenna is right up by the tweeter and the extra cord is wound up under the unit. I ran the power wire to a splitter that is just peeking out the side of the console. I need to tuck that up but keep forgetting. The cable to the aux input goes under the console and up through the lower glove box. No wires running around and I can actually read the display now. I already owned this unit through about 3 cars so I couldn't see buying a new one.

 

I mounted an older XM Audiovox Xpress to the left of the steering on the blank switch panel inserts, as seen in mholbrook38's picture above, using an aftermarket metal "universal" mount kit. The theory being that if I replaced the stock radio, it would be trivial to replace the button blanks for a seamless repair, as opposed to holes drilled into other dash panels. As it so happens, I'm in the process of replacing the stock radio as described with one that has it's own XM tuner, so this is working as planned. The radio itself sits just below and in front of the left dash cupholder. This isn't ideal for viewing, but it is easy to reach for channel changes, and is out of sight of casual passers-by, so it's less obviously something to steal.

From the back top of the hatch, there is a rubber boot used to feed wiring from the body into the hatch for the third brakelight. You can pull the boot out of the body fairly easily - it's pliable rubber, not plastic. I cut a small slit in the bulb part of the boot - be careful not to cut the wires inside - then fed the sat antenna into the slit and out of the boot, then down into the side panel to the removable access panel in the lower left of the hatch/trunk area, normally used to access the turn signal bulb. You may need to use a fishtape or coat hanger to feed the antenna connector down to the access hole.

Once you have the loose connector-end of the antenna wire, push the rubber boot back into the body, and tape over the small slit to minimize chances of water penetration. The antenna is magnetically-mounted behind the stock radio antenna on the rear roof.

I then fed the sat wire to the front by stuffing it under the interior panel trim at the floor carpet, then under the sills to the radio. I fed under the dash up through the grab hole in the fuse panel cover to help hide the wiring. Tape the wires behind the panel with electrical tape as-needed to keep stuff in place. Power for the radio is via the 12V Aux power jack in the center console, with the wire run under the dash along the bottom back edge of the dash trim, taped with electrical tape to hold it in place. My unit broadcasts on FM, which the stock radio picks up well. I think that newer Xpress units have to put an adapter inline in the antenna feed, which could be a problem since the stock radio antenna is a powered unit that uses something other than a typical banana antenna plug. You could also feed the the Aux-out to the Aux-in on the stock radio, similar to the power feed.

 

Nice suggestion - do you have any pics, and where did you ge the bracket?

thanks!
Dave

 

Thinking about it more, the mount I used may just be the glue-on/screw-on T-mount that came with the radio. I had used an aftermarket bracket and this mount to attach the radio in an F150, but moved it to the Fit. In any case, I got the aftermarket mount at Best Buy.

The pics were taken at night, so they could be better. Let's see if I can include them:

The radio in place - if you're not paying attention when you get into the car, you can whack this with your knee:


The naked mount screwed into the switch blanks (sorry for the focus):


The mount with the radio dock attached:


The wiring boot on the rear hatch. Note the wire running across the top into the slit (not really visible) in the base of the boot:

 

OK I've ordered one of the new combo XM/Sirius MiRGE radios. We plan to install it on the top of the dash to the left of and behind the steering wheel.
There will be a bit of customization to get everything level, but not too bad, and the wiring should be mostly hidden. I will post up some pics when done.

Going to put a second car kit in my S2000 and I should be all set, Sat radio-wise!

Thanks for all the pics and ideas, gang.

Dave