Circuit City did mine. I gave the guy $20 and he did it after hours. He went into the wrong wire first, and it cut the power about every 20 seconds. Frustrating

It took 2 minutes to fix. To tell you the truth, I sat there and watched him do it and still have no idea which wire he went into.

 

This is the best I can do in the dark, I will get better pics Saturday. Please also consider all equipment INSTALLED at Best Buy was less than $250. Not the 10K install that others have done. The unit sounds great and reception is perfect. Worst part of the install was handing the keys of my new truck to an 18 year old with tatoos, but he did a great job!

https://www.f150online.com/galleries...w.cfm?num=5685

Also note that I did install without cutting the dash, but it might be possible to do this actually flush by cutting into dash - problem is that : 1) dash is curved and platic with XM Commander is not, and 2) Display just slightly too big to fit into just black plastic in dash, would have required cutting into the faux wood and I just didn't think it would look good.

 

Also, the unit is wired so it goes on and off just like the standard radio (i.e. doesn't shut off when turn of the key, only when you open the door).

The lighter is completely removed and the hole used to run the wire.

 

That's exactly where I put mine, only mine is centered over the lighter. My antenna is on the roof at the rear of the cab.

 

Ditto!

PS- Anyone know of a fix to avoid the first 2 or 3 seconds of static when you first crank up? I am assuming that this is the time that the unit is talking to the satellite to gear up. I just have to remember to turn the radio off or down really low so it won't scare the crap out of me. I can deal with it, it's not that big of a deal, but if there's a fix for it, I am on board!

 

I had the same unit installed in my wife's Acura, and the same problem with static. I think we are going to have to live with it, I try to remember to turn mine down when I pull in at night.

 

Thanks for all the info and pictures. I am going to print out this thread/pictures and pictures of kevingab and clem's ashtray setup and see what my local car audio shop can come up with. (I was told several weeks ago by them that there was no way to get a sat. radio setup in either one of these locations)

Thanks again everyone

 

bigsherm,

My ashtray installed Commander is working out just fine for me. I have but two complaints:

The remote control needs to be pointed directly at the Commander and my wrist just doesn't bend that way. You can get a deflection off the windshield, but it's not consistant. I find that I don't use the remote at all anymore - the unit is very easy to control manually and the presets respond to a very light touch. The lag time between stations is much less than my previous XM reciever - about one second as opposed to 2-3 seconds. And the old one was a direct connect Pioneer!

My second beef is sound volume. The output of the Commander is only about 3/4 of what you can get with FM or CD. If find that when I'm looking to rock to some kick *** song, I've got the volume at max and still looking for more. It's just not loud enough sometimes. Still, the sound quality is tighter than FM, even with the dreaded FM modulator. It still can't touch a CD, but now that XM is commercial free on all the music channels, I can't even listen to FM anymore. As a bonus, they now have a continuous traffic channel for the D.C. area which gives detailed reports. God knows we have traffic.

Here's a pic for those who haven't seen the ashtray install.......

 

Tech,

I didn't cut any wires for my install. Instead, I used Scotch connectors which crimp onto both wires and are easily removeable if/when you pull the stuff out. There are two power wires feeding XM reciever and both are green, if I remember correctly. One or both of them have different color stripe. Recently someone posted a chart showing the function of each wire in the factory harness. I would do a search, but my coffee has yet to take effect.

 

My remote works fine. Also, my install guy didn't like the ashtray as he thought the wire to the unit would wear over time due to the movement - he proabably just didn't want to try the install.

As for volume, this was an issue on both mine - you fix it by pressing and holding one of the two buttons (the bottom one I think) and it forces the unit into a settings mode, the first setting allows you to change the station on which it broadcasts, the second allows you to change the send volume from the Commander - crank it and it about exactly matches what you get from CDs and over the air radio.

I sometimes still listen to CDs, but now that XM has instant traffic I think I could remove my AM/FM unit for everything but football season!

 

My remote works fine too, but only if I point it at the unit or the windshield. With the Commander down low in the ashtray, the angle is a bit awkward. I have been spoiled for years by my Pioneer remote which was non-directional. I could point it at the floor and it still worked.

Also, I have had the output on the Commander at max since day one and it is definitely not as loud as a CD or FM. I'm glad to hear that yours is. It's my only real complaint. Maybe I got a dud!