Sirius-Ready? What a crock...

[my oh my]

So I took delivery of my 09 Challenger SE and one of my first tasks was to activate the Sirius-Ready Jensen radio since radio stations are few and far between up at our lake. Well I come to figure that you have to find a module, wait for it's arrival and install it and the requisite antenna. Sounds simple, right? Well let see:

1) Jensen is no help
2) The modules are rare
3) There are 2 possible modules for the same radio depending on the "Revision level" of the radio.

The catch, there's always a catch, is that the only way to tell what is the revision level of the radio is to look at the label at the rear of the radio. To do that you have to remove the radio. Included are the "keys" slide in and remove the head unit. But prudently the radio was really well installed with straps fixed to the bulkhead etc... So to determine the revision I have to undo a really well done installation. Given that the plug for the module is easily accessible, why would you have to go through that? The funny thing is that the seadoo rep "had never had anyone ask the question" WTF? Does anyone actually use Sirius? And how on God's green earth does any of this sound remotely "ready"... :rant:

 

[tony8a]

:rant:
i have banned xm and sirius from my life!
when they merged ,they switched stations around and eliminated some and they didnt even tell the consumer.
i had it on my company car, personal truck, wifes car, and home stereo, i cut them all off.
i havent gotten over it , its been a while.
now all i have is ipods. i listen to what i want whenever i want!

 

[nwtrevrider]

hey I couldn't agree more. I live in northern Canada so everything took a long time to get to me. To top it off, by the time I started receiving the parts I needed I decided I hated the Jensen so much I sent it all back and ordered a Clarion unit and MTX speakers. I love Sirius enough to go through this, just wish my boat came stock with a better stereo or an option to upgrade.

 

[tony8a]

the clarion is a much better option. you should be happy with it

 

[my oh my]

I'm with you, but...

All relevant gripes and observations. But has anyone actually installed the sirius module? Or know a rep that is more than a order taker?

 

[RFoster130]

I bought the Clarion with Sirius ready. I have looked at the adding the module, but so far I am happy using the ipod hookup. They sell the modules on ebay. Looks easy to add.

 

[tony8a]

tell me model # clarion unit and what you need. i still have "people"!

 

[rexsteiner]

I have sirius installed. Got the modual off ebay. Installation was a breeze. But I also have a clarion that I upgraded. I can't believe the jensen is installed any different. The bracket on the back is either a screw or a nut. No big deal. I think what gets most people going is that they see the sirius logo and think the radio already has it. When you buy a tv that's HD ready does it come with HD on it already? No. You have to have the HD receiver then get the HD service. That my friend is called marketing!

 

[kustomkarl]

tell me model # clarion unit and what you need. i still have "people"!

I don't have people...I am people. I'm a Clarion dealer here in Florida. Let me know what you need and I can get it for you for a great price+ shipping.

Be careful of E-bay, lots of reconditioned products and no warranty.

Karl

 

[tony8a]

I don't have people...I am people. I'm a Clarion dealer here in Florida. Let me know what you need and I can get it for you for a great price+ shipping.

Be careful of E-bay, lots of reconditioned products and no warranty.

Karl

yep, too many scammers out there.

even if you buy from anyone, let me know if you have any questions.

 

[wicked33]

the saying goes like this, I was born food ready but I wasn't born with a freaking sandwich in my hands. Like what was said before you always have to buy more parts when it says ready but if it says built in there's no worry. Is there a model number on the face of the radio if so post it up. I am a car audio installer and can do some further in depth reasearch for you to find the right module and even call up jensen since we have a dealer account with them and might get better results.

 

[wicked33]

Nevermind i figured out your model number and i found both sirius boxes for the jensen on their site. The older ones (A B C revisions) the tuner is in the sale or clearance part where as the newer ones (revision D or later) can be found under the model of the stereo you have under accessories. Sucks you have to pull the radio out to see the sticker to find out which one though. IF yours is a revision D or later and you would like to have sirius away from the boat like in your house car or boombox and not pay multiple subscriptions then i would highly recommend the SCVDOC1b. It allows a dock and play tuner to be hidden out of site and controlled by the cd player but you can remove the tuner and use it in a car kit or home kit and enjoy it elsewhere too. Downfall is you have to buy the dock kit (SCVDOC1B) and a tuner like the sportster 5 or similar so it will cost a bit more than the tuner for the player. But well worth it in my opinion.

 

[nwtrevrider]

I ordered the clarion 309 and the sirius module off of ebay from a reputable seller. I haven't installed it yet, also rec'd MTX 7.7" speakers last night and want to put those in at the same time. Next summer I'm going to add a sub and if I'm not happy with the results, an amp. Adding an amp isn't high on my list though. I'm not an audio-nut, just like a good, well rounded sound which the Jensen and speakers just can't provide.

 

[my oh my]

Next Step

Well I took the radio out, and it is revision c. Now had it not been a national secret that they Revision D radios shipped July 2009 I would have saved that step since my boat was made earlier in the year.

Bought the module, an antenna, ipod hook up a cool waterproof remote for the radio right from Jensen. The module was $40 cheaper from them than on ebay(!) The antenna was $12 more so I'm $28 ahead... Now to install. There's a ton of room so I don't expect to many issues.

Any ideas on antenna placement? I figure right in front of the left windshield on the flat. comments?

Oh and I'm not daft, I understand the term "ready" and I asked the question of the dealer and the rep and they both said "just activate the service" which way wrong. I have 3 XM radios and 4 Sirius. When I bought a car with "sirius ready" I looked up the EIN, went on the website and activated it for $5 or so more a month. Easy Peezy.

As for the HD analogy, if the set says HDTV it is supposed receive over-the-air HD signals out of the box. Not to start a nomenclature argument:boxing_smiley:, but at least have the correct information, be clear and don't make it an obstacle course to spend money with them. Period.:cheers:

 

[seadoosnipe]

Dealer misrepresentation.....

Well I took the radio out, and it is revision c. Now had it not been a national secret that they Revision D radios shipped July 2009 I would have saved that step since my boat was made earlier in the year.

Bought the module, an antenna, ipod hook up a cool waterproof remote for the radio right from Jensen. The module was $40 cheaper from them than on ebay(!) The antenna was $12 more so I'm $28 ahead... Now to install. There's a ton of room so I don't expect to many issues.

Any ideas on antenna placement? I figure right in front of the left windshield on the flat. comments?

Oh and I'm not daft, I understand the term "ready" and I asked the question of the dealer and the rep and they both said "just activate the service" which way wrong. I have 3 XM radios and 4 Sirius. When I bought a car with "sirius ready" I looked up the EIN, went on the website and activated it for $5 or so more a month. Easy Peezy.

As for the HD analogy, if the set says HDTV it is supposed receive over-the-air HD signals out of the box. Not to start a nomenclature argument:boxing_smiley:, but at least have the correct information, be clear and don't make it an obstacle course to spend money with them. Period.:cheers:

I'm not a big fan of stealerships, that is, if you've ever read any of my stuff. I see a blatant lack of intelligence from this representative that sold this to you. Why? Because all these greedy people see is money.

Please, feel free to vent here, in your thread. If you like, your welcome to name the dealership so that others in your area will know that they should be very wary of dealing with them. With the money you paid, it should have come with the module and a free, one year subscription......Good luck with your future listening pleasure while boating.......

Oh, BTW...anytime I'm trying to see something in a situation as yours, I use a mirror. It may not have been feasible in your situation but just thought I'd throw that in there........:cheers:

 

[my oh my]

Ok got the stuff today

So I received the sirius module, antenna, ipod cable, and waterproof wireless remote. Gonna blow off work install the kit and kaboodle tomorrow.

Just to underscore the bullsh*t from Jensen. The wireless remote comes with a module that has the connector for my radio. Pretty straightforward. The installation instructions are a drawing that takes up 2 inches square(I kid you not) on the cardboard flap. Plug in and it works.

BUT, as usual with Jensen, there's a catch. There are 2 wires coming out of the module, a black one and a red one. Now having installed a thousand car radios in my life, they look like a power + and ground. Call me clairvoyant.

But since all the other accessories are powered directly from the radio I was skeptical so I called Jensen. The first 3 had no clue what I was talking about so they went to find somebody that knew the part. Again, am I the only one buying this crap? The 4th guy said:

"oh yea, the instructions are a little vague"

That, my friends is the understatement of the year as the wires are not even shown on the drawing that is the sum total of the instructions.

He went on: "The red wire is for programming, you don't need it just coil it up, but the black wire is the antenna stretch it out so you get the signal from the remote." Imagine my surprise.

You may wonder why I am even bothering with jensen. At this point it's like having a developmentally challenged uncle. Kind of a pain, but you're family so you put up with it. Unless I want to rip out the BRAND F'ING NEW STEREO and start again with Clarion or whatever, I'm stuck with retarded uncle jensen. Oh well.

Oh and one last defense of my position with "sirius-ready":

Sure we are born "food-ready," and I wouldn't expect to be born with a sandwich in my hand. But I wouldn't expect to have to buy a mouth, tongue and stomach to eat the food that I am "ready" for. In this example, boys and girls, the programming is the sandwich, the mouth is the antenna and the stomach is the module. Get it?:banghead:

Anyway, thanks for all the support. It sure as hell is more than I got from retarded uncle jensen.


I'm still looking for antenna placement suggestions...

:cheers:

 

[Kevin3151]

I have an xm unit that moves from my jeep to my rv to my boat, it just plugs into the cig lighter and the aux input on the radio in all three vehicles. Why pay for several accounts when one does it fine.

I actually hard wired the 12v power supply so Im not using the cig lighter now.

the antenna will see right through fiberglass, my antenna is on top of the radio under the dash and windshield.

KH

 

[rexsteiner]

i slapped my antenna on my windsheild. it needs to be exposed.

 

[my oh my]

All done and working!

I installed the sirius module, the iPod connector and the waterproof wireless remote. All in no big surprise other than Jensen silliness. I put the antenna in front of the left windshield where the cover doesn't cover. (see pics)
Works great, no signal loss with the bimini up or in any direction. Sweet. Now may need an amp...and a sub... maybe... I have an otter box in there now to hold the connected ipod. Gotta do better with that. mbQuart makes a cool slot-type one I may modify...

Thanks for all the help. It is nice to have a resource like this community.

:seeya:

 

[kidcml]

this is what you will need depending on the version of your radio
- DLP2500RTL - SIRIUS Satellite Gen 2.5 Receiver. Compatible with REV. A, B, & C.
- SRA25 - SIRIUS Satellite Antenna
or
- DLP2500G3RTL - SIRIUS Satellite Gen 3.0 Receiver. Compatible with REV. D & Later.
- SRA25 - SIRIUS Satellite Antenna