I got the Best Buy guy to "accidently" sell me the display unit XM Commander that wasnt even out of the box yet. I installed it in the ashtray/lighter compartment. I will post some pics within the next day or so... It sounds INCREDIBLE and looks like it came with the car! The guy said that the commander will be available within a week or two. I have the first XM Commander in all of Indiana... but thats not saying much is it?? =)

 

Please post pics. How did you integrate with the existing radio??

 

Great! I've been following the Commander and wondering if it would be a good solution for XM Radio in the RX-8. Can't wait to see some pics!

 

Pix pix pix! Plus installation tips.

 

More than likely just through the FM modulator.

 

May we see your photos please?

--SL01

 

I'm also waiting for pix!

 

While flyboyindy is putting his pix together - I also went to Best Buy this past weekend and was surprised to see the XM Commander in stock.

I also placed it in the ashtray - fit perfectly and the door closes so it's sort of stealth. The satellite unit is very small and fit under the passenger side near the glove box. Several weeks ago I used the great "tutorial" Overload provided and put in a tape deck, so i could get an aux input. Therefore i used it for the audio coming out of the XM Commander - no FM Modulator!

I only had time for a couple pix - 1) of the ashtray install; 2) of the display unit at night; and 3) of the very small (new from Terk - comes with unit) antenna placed on roof.

Enjoy!

 

2) At night...

 

3) antenna...

 

Man...nothin like getting a good ribbing for not posting the pics! =) I wanted to cut a piece of plastic to trim it out a little better... but here is what it looks like now... Ill send the FINISHED product as soon as i get it done.

 

i get really good reception with the antenna on the deck lid...

 

Awesome. Looks great! Thanks for the pics and info folks.

I've heard of people putting XM antennas inside their cars, like on the dash. I know XM doesn't recommend this, but they say they get great reception. Will this not work for the antenna that comes with the Commander? I'd rather not have the antenna on the exterior of my car, if I can help it.

Thanks.

 

I have the Delphi Roady instead of the XM Commander, but they have the same antenna. Mine is mounted inside, tucked in the center where the rear window meets the rear deck. My reception is excellent -- the only places I get dropouts are the same places I got dropouts in my truck with the antenna mounted on the roof.

(I live in a rural area where there are no ground-based repeaters; the dropouts are due to tree cover and hillsides right next to the road).

 

Thanks for the info. That's what I wanted to hear!

 

Neat job guys. How do you feed the antenna wire through the window seam?
________
CANNABIS SEEDS

 

How did you guys mount the control panel in the ash tray? Did you have to do any cutting or such?

--SL01

 

I'm not one of the folks who did this, but I did feed the wires through the ashtray on mine, so I know how they did it. If you remove the ashtray "liner" (the removable part that you empty), there's a metal clip that holds it in. If you remove the clip, you get a hole perfect for feeding wires through so you can thread them behind the center console, radio, etc.

 

allmazdas,
were did you get that shifter from
very nice

 

Cool, thanks.

For you guys who have installed the Commander, how about mounting the control panel itself? Is there room inside the ashtray compartment without cutting away any of the plastic? Or does some of that stuff pop out?

--SL01

 

Mike,
It's the optional one for the automatics.

-JiM

 

optional like from the dealer

that one is extra right?
can I get it from the dealer

 

Thats the spot where i put my neo jukebox mp3 player remote. I set it up basically the same way, but i wasnt bold enough to cut away at the ashtray as some of you did .

 

Mikeb - it's a standard Mazda accessory - Part #F154-V8-170F-XX Comes in three colors black like mine, black and red, and black and chaparral.

Pur NRG - got the line thru the window seam with coat hanger and filled around with black sealant.

Slo1 - the ashtray part comes out and the cigarette lighter pops out too...got the power cigarette lighter. jtimbck2 had it right, the lighter left a hole to run the single wire thru. If you look closely mine did not put what they call the "cradle" around the display, so it was smaller than what flyboyindy did. Very little to cut out of the ashtray housing.

Hope that answers all your questions.

-allmazdas

 

Okay... a week later and I finally got the results I was looking for... I bought a black plastic binder at Staples that had a cover that matched the interior of the RX8... I cant believe how good of a match it was. I cut a template out of card board and trimmed the piece to fit the opening. I removed the astray insert and then removed the clip as mentioned earlier in the thread... Gives a great access hole. The actual tuner box fits nicely behind the radio and you dont have to do any special cutting. (The thought of cutting holes in my car makes me cringe =) Anyways here are a few more pics of how it turned out. Let me know what you think...

Frank