This may have been posted many times, but here goes: I was told by the dealer to have switched power to my sirius converter to tap into the orange and the ground leads by the headlight. Done, but no power. Checked with a voltmeter and nothing. Anyone know if I have to pull the seat and add a fuse? I'm well aware that I'll have to do this to wire my LED's to the unused accessory switch, but for the other as well? I guess while I'm on the satellite subject, anyone have experience with using the antenna designed for the home? (Heavy and pivots up & down with 25' of cord!)

 

I just tapped into my cigarette lighter wire beneath the fairing with quick connectors. The correctway would be to buy a Centec Fuse Panel and wire your Sirius power wire to that that way you would havefused power. I just kept it quick and simple.

Never used the "Home" antenna..used the antenna that came with the unit. Don't forget about using RAM MOUNTS.

 

The other antenna is on my truck. I would have just got a new "car kit" but now they only make them as MP3-style docks. Just want to get feedback before mounting the behemoth as to how it works or go buy a smallie. I kept all the other home-use components, my Starmate is already almost 3 years old I'm sure it won't last forever.

 

Checked at the dealer and pulled the fuseblock, sure enough the fuse was blown and I didn't have any mini-blades on hand. Off to the parts store, $3 for 5 fuses!?! and no matter how I've got the polarity, the fuses keep popping. 22 ga wire not enough impedance with the 18? Pull the splice taps off and crimp on blade connectors? The adapter plug worked at Radio Shack plugged into an Ac cord, only diff now is the DC cord. Defective cord? I did get the different antenna, figured the house one would slam shut every time I hit a bump.

 

BTW, the "hot" wire for the lighter is orange with a white tracer, exact same as the one next to the headlight plug. Now it's off to get an inline fuse, I got boatloads of the real-sized fuses.

 

I used waterproof double sided foam tape for the antenna.. mounted it on the inner fairing in front of the brake.. tapped off the rear of the cig lighter as you did.

house one is too big



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Since my Starmate isn't even powering up in the truck anymore, I'm thinking I fried the unit with the attempts. According to the voltmeter, I had power until I plugged the adapter into the converter, then the fuse blows. According to the ohmmeter, I have no short. This is just illogical. Do they make the units to self-destruct so you have to buy new ones regularly? "Benjamin"at Sirius Tech support kept pushing a new unit they have for $29.95 special now, seems too fishy to me. Just bought $25 in wires/connectors and $35 in antenna, now they won't be compatible with a new unit? May be time to threaten a subscription cancellation?

 

The latest is: Radio shack took back the power cord and adapter plug. Could be the wire was just not intended for the use I need. Now I'll find out their liability policy on getting my Starmate repaired.

 

Yes, Radio Shack's modular plug/cord was the culprit and I ended up frying the Starmate. Sirius Customer service referred me to TSS radio, drove there Friday eve and ended up with a unit real similar to my old Starmate. XR or XL something. The big difference aside from having separate plug-ins instead of a dock is having the channel selector as an up/down toggle. Not a rotary dial or push forward control. Huge difference in eyes-off-the-road/distraction. It's all done now and works perfect, the new unit only came with a car kit so I returned the antenna and clipped off the lighter plug. Put a 5A fuse inline and have a piece of scrap tubing over the power connect when the sat's not mounted to prevent contact. As far as the mount, I bought one from Bobby Gilbert on this forum last year. The billet gives me more places to wire-tie excess slack than the ram mounts offer.