geo
06-01-2012, 01:32 PM
I found a SiriusXM radio antenna which allowed two different coax ports to be installed for "home-based" SiriusXM radio. The base of this antenna almost appeared to "be made" to fit on the rear ladder! As luck would have it, several years ago, we had purchased a Sirius radio add-on for our daughter, and in the years since, she purchased a vehicle that had Sirius installed as part of the radio. She had let her Stratus 4 drop, and was very happy to give it back to us for our use in our RV!
But first, the wiring installation. RG-6 coax was required for the wiring. One access point was to be in the bedroom. On the bedroom slide of our Alpine there is a built in night stand with electrical. It was actually fairly easy to feed the coax into the night stand at the lower back corner. I drilled a hole to allow the coax connector to pass through, and mounted the wall mount coax connector. (Sirius_outlets.jpg) I attached a right angle adapter to the coax and screwed it on to that back of the wall mount. This keeps the coax from interfering with the drawers. The next part was a little trickier. I removed the mattress from the bed (the darned thing is HEAVY!), and screwed several wood screws into the movable part of the bed platform to lock it down. I then removed the screws holding the upper part of the bed platform so I could flip it back on the hinges. I passed the 50' of coax between the end of the bed and the outer wall of the slide, attached it in a couple of places with cable guides, and dropped it under the main part of the bed. I re-attached the upper part of the bed platform and removed the screws locking down the larger, movable part of the bed platform. Of course, the gas lifters immediately lifted this part of the bed up (freed of the weight of the mattress!) I retrieved the coax and fed it down the access hole into the front compartment area next to the generator. Done with that part, I struggled the mattress back onto the platform!
Outside, I unraveled and stretched the coax. I fed the end of the coax through an opening between two structural members on the side of the front compartment where it could drop forward of the propane tank enclosure, through the open side wall, to the ground. Next was to feed some electrical fishing tape from the storage basement corner, across the propane tank enclosure, and out into the side wall area. Easy task, attached the coax to the tape and pulled it back into the storage basement! I attached it along the ceiling to enter the utility basement above the WaterWorks. As this coincided to installing the tank heaters, I just combined this coax with the tank heater wires to pull back into the mid-section of the underbelly. As I was working on the tank heaters, I just fed the fishing tape from the rear of the underbelly up to the fresh water tank area, and pulled the coax back to the rear area.
Next task was the antenna. When I installed the WiFi Boost antenna, I also installed the SiriusXM antenna, attached the RG-6 coax to the opposite ladder side, and pulled both the Cat6 and RG-6 into the underbelly and across (and attached to) a cross-member between the I-beams. However, inside the underbelly area beneath the Entertainment Center, I had to install a SiriusXM splitter. (Splitter.jpg) The antenna lead attached to one side. To the other side, I attached the coax from the bedroom and a coax to feed up into the slide to the Entertainment Center. I fed the coax along with the Cat6 from the WiFi Ranger through the same route and into the slide inside the fireplace/TV cabinet. (Additional pictures on WiFi Ranger mod thread.)
I drilled a 5/8 hole in the slide wall and fed the fishing tape between the wall and the R-7 insulation to the bottom access wall opening for the cables. I attached the coax to the fishing tape, and pulled it back up to the mounting area. A right angle adapter was screwed onto the coax and attached to the wall plate. I used hollow door anchors to attach the wall plate to the wall. (Sirius_outlets.jpg) Which ever outlet is not being used needs to be shunted with a F-type coax terminator to minimize "reflection" in the antenna leads.
All that was left now was to order the boombox accessory for the Stratus 4 Sirius radio and re-activate the Stratus 4.
Now the Alpine has SiriusXM radio! (Radio.jpg) Cool! :D
Ron
But first, the wiring installation. RG-6 coax was required for the wiring. One access point was to be in the bedroom. On the bedroom slide of our Alpine there is a built in night stand with electrical. It was actually fairly easy to feed the coax into the night stand at the lower back corner. I drilled a hole to allow the coax connector to pass through, and mounted the wall mount coax connector. (Sirius_outlets.jpg) I attached a right angle adapter to the coax and screwed it on to that back of the wall mount. This keeps the coax from interfering with the drawers. The next part was a little trickier. I removed the mattress from the bed (the darned thing is HEAVY!), and screwed several wood screws into the movable part of the bed platform to lock it down. I then removed the screws holding the upper part of the bed platform so I could flip it back on the hinges. I passed the 50' of coax between the end of the bed and the outer wall of the slide, attached it in a couple of places with cable guides, and dropped it under the main part of the bed. I re-attached the upper part of the bed platform and removed the screws locking down the larger, movable part of the bed platform. Of course, the gas lifters immediately lifted this part of the bed up (freed of the weight of the mattress!) I retrieved the coax and fed it down the access hole into the front compartment area next to the generator. Done with that part, I struggled the mattress back onto the platform!
Outside, I unraveled and stretched the coax. I fed the end of the coax through an opening between two structural members on the side of the front compartment where it could drop forward of the propane tank enclosure, through the open side wall, to the ground. Next was to feed some electrical fishing tape from the storage basement corner, across the propane tank enclosure, and out into the side wall area. Easy task, attached the coax to the tape and pulled it back into the storage basement! I attached it along the ceiling to enter the utility basement above the WaterWorks. As this coincided to installing the tank heaters, I just combined this coax with the tank heater wires to pull back into the mid-section of the underbelly. As I was working on the tank heaters, I just fed the fishing tape from the rear of the underbelly up to the fresh water tank area, and pulled the coax back to the rear area.
Next task was the antenna. When I installed the WiFi Boost antenna, I also installed the SiriusXM antenna, attached the RG-6 coax to the opposite ladder side, and pulled both the Cat6 and RG-6 into the underbelly and across (and attached to) a cross-member between the I-beams. However, inside the underbelly area beneath the Entertainment Center, I had to install a SiriusXM splitter. (Splitter.jpg) The antenna lead attached to one side. To the other side, I attached the coax from the bedroom and a coax to feed up into the slide to the Entertainment Center. I fed the coax along with the Cat6 from the WiFi Ranger through the same route and into the slide inside the fireplace/TV cabinet. (Additional pictures on WiFi Ranger mod thread.)
I drilled a 5/8 hole in the slide wall and fed the fishing tape between the wall and the R-7 insulation to the bottom access wall opening for the cables. I attached the coax to the fishing tape, and pulled it back up to the mounting area. A right angle adapter was screwed onto the coax and attached to the wall plate. I used hollow door anchors to attach the wall plate to the wall. (Sirius_outlets.jpg) Which ever outlet is not being used needs to be shunted with a F-type coax terminator to minimize "reflection" in the antenna leads.
All that was left now was to order the boombox accessory for the Stratus 4 Sirius radio and re-activate the Stratus 4.
Now the Alpine has SiriusXM radio! (Radio.jpg) Cool! :D
Ron