Sat Radio in a 2003 996

Does Porsche make a stock head unit that will pick up a SAT signal for Sirius or XM?

Nope.

just had an amazing isntallation done by S&R Auto Sound in NJ. Very VERY clean, integrates into my 03 996. Everything is stock, sounds great (wired FM). the little receiver sits hidden in one of the cubby holes below the radio. Was going to post pictures, but havent had the chance. You wouldnt know it is installed save the radio is set to 88.1!

Can you post more details on the install - what sat unit and maybe a pic?

If your car has NAV then you can put SAT in your car via the unit that is in the Cayenne. A trip to the dealer is required then to make it work. I was heading in this direction before I opted to go aftermarket. Some people think that the FM transmitter sounds good enough. Much cheaper route too.

I am running SIRIUS with exposed wires and the antenna sitting on the dash with a unit suctioned cupped on the windshield. This setup works fine and I have no major issues concerning reception. It may not look so great with exposed wires , but it is quick and cheap and doesn't look all that bad. Installation cost was of course almost zero. The almost zero is a result of having to buy one of those sticky gummi pads to put the antenna on so it doesn't slide around. The only other modification I would like to make is to cut the antenna wire down. I suppose it would be easy to splice. If that wire was cut to length, it would really neaten the whole thing up.

Incorrect answer. As stated in this thread, the PCM can be connected to an XM or Sirius sat radio receiver (both are Porsche Tequipment items) via POF (plastic optical fiber), a.k.a. MOST, in the same manner as a CDChanger is connected. You can view the install TSB on Loren's site and/or ask your Porsche service advisor and/or stereo install shop. There is a thread in the 997 forum (about 27000 views) regarding the install of the Cayenne sat radio kit into a Carrera. (FWIW, the Cayenne and Carrera/Boxster PCM code bases are 95% identical, hence the reason the "Cayenne" kit works in the 9x7 platforms).

I will try and post pictures at some point, although not much to see. The device installed was the Sirius SC-FM1 Starbase unit, http://www.crutchfield.com/S-jeXsnEJ...asp?i=607SCFM1 The antenna is mounted on the plastic where the windshield wipers are, Sean (installer/owner of shop) used the "better" sirius antenna. He then threaded the wire where the side pieces/battery come together under the bonnet... no holes were drilled. The wire then was run through to the cabin by the gas pedal... he drilled a small hole (1/4")through some plastic piece and pulled cable through... it was a shocking how little there is between the hood and the cabin actually, then fed it to the center console. Now, the tuner box sits in the center console, mounted to floor... it is very small so fits in easily. They used the Phone option power leads for power. The actual interface (receiver) module, sits loose in the cubby hole below the radio, one hole was drilled in the back of the hole to attach to the tuner unit. The nice thing about this starbase module is that it only has one cable... so i can easily pull out, or i usually just reach in and change the channel. If I want to remove the whole ensemble, itll take < 1 minute... and the FM wire sounds great, as good as FM... and keep in mind satellite radio isnt too high quality. The guys who installed it was Sean @ SR Audio Works - [phone removed]. Sean is the owner too, i stayed in the bay when he did it - he was very familiar with the MOST system and 911s. Let me know if you have any questions. Ross

LTC - but that method is hardly plug and play... i dont think the CDR-23 can interface with that unit, correct?

Hmm, is that all 996's or pre 2003?

Here's a pic of my Sirius install. Antenna is mounted under alarm LED cover at front-center of dash right at bottom of windshield. Cover pops off to reveal mounting plate for factory satellite nav system's antenna. If you don't have factory navi, then this is a great spot for sirius/xm antenna. Antenna wire can be stuffed in dash seam and run around and under dash. Power comes from factory phone power connecter right behind where sat radio is located. I used FM modulator to factory radio - requires metra euro antenna adapter. Radio mount is the plate supplied with radio super-glued to the cubby - a perfect fit. I also bought a new cubby from suncoast for $30 for when I need to uninstall at some point.

That little antenna wire is co-axial so not as easy to splice as it might look. Don't ask me how I know.

Ok, I'm a bit lost. What is the point of the Dension adapter if all this is possible without it. I suspect my ignorance of car electicals is showing but I was literally about to order the Dension 500 kit so I could set up the car with Sirius and Ipod. Is that really necessary (I have a 2003, no nav and no multdisc player)?

The dension unit allows for direct auxilliary input to the factory radio (better sound quality). Other installs make use of direct-wire FM so the sat radio plays thru an unused FM station. I considered the Dension but I think it's too expensive. FM direct wire is plenty-good quality for me and the FM direct-wire adapter is only about $20.

Thanks for the tip. I will forget about trying to cut it down. I wonder if anyone sells an antenna with a short wire for those kind of units.

How is the signal quality with it mounted under alarm led? I had heard for Sirius, it is mediocre at best. but for XM it works well...

Sirius works great for me. The 996 LED dash mount is just as good as the external mount on my daily driver with exact same antenna. I think XM vs Sirius reception might depend more on what part of the country you live in - how good your view of the satellite(s). If reception was bad in the LED/Dash location, I would guess that the antenna wire got damaged during installation.

I had Sirius installed in my '02 Targa. Goodman Radio in Bryn Mawr, Pa did the work. They removed the CD holder, which I never used, for a seamless installation. Great reception. I can't find the antena, but I think it is near the wipers. I am addicted to satellite radio and have now added it to my other car.

Can you post pics?? I too am addicted to SAT. I have it in my other cars and I can't stand listening to terrestrial radio - especially in the morning.

I too installed the Starbase unit from Sirius in the lower console where the cd holder was. With a dremel and some plastic off the internet you can mount this unit in that spot. I have the antenna centered under the plastic covering near windshield wipers and it works great. Here is a pic of the install: