So I recently got an XM tuner. It just has two connections: 12v constant (always on, regardless of ignition position) and ground. Can I tap into the 12v constant source on my vehicle harness? (my head unit's power cable is already hooked up to it) Also, can I combine all of the grounds together like I've been doing? (I also need to add the ground cable for the XM tuner)

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And lastly; I heard that all satellite antennas need a metal, reflective plate to sit on. My GPS antenna included one, but my XM receiver did not. Do I need another one of these plates? (I want to install the antennas under the dash; one on the left and one of the right)

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you should be fine taking multiple wires that are supposed to go to ground and hook them into one wire (the actual ground wire).

but you have two wires from each end... that doesn't seem right.

for my Kenwood DNX9980HD, I have one ground wire coming from the radio side harness and one ground wire going to the car side harness. There's a parking brake signal wire which I attached to the ground (bypass lockout). But that's two from radio, one to car.

Why does yours look like two from radio and two to car? A black and a teal with a black and an orange? If I'm not mistake, that orange is for dimmer level ... if the radio doesn't have a matching wire... don't connect it to anything, just tape it off.

I attached the GPS antenna for my unit right onto the unit itself.

I thought the plate was only just a magnetic surface for the antenna to attach to.

Well . . .

"Orange with White Stripe – Positive Illumination Wire" is hooked up between the head unit and vehicle harness

"Orange with Black Stripe - Negative Illumination Wire (Must be Grounded if connecting Orange with White Stripe)" Since it said to ground this wire; I grounded it to the black ground wire on the vehicle harness; that's why there are two wires from the vehicle harness.

I also have a bypass all set up (Pioneer navigation head unit) . . . therefore I have also grounded the teal wire (parking brake wire) and the yellow mute wire. All the grounds were soldered together and covered with heat shrink tubing. Here's a better picture:

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interesting...

both the metra and kenwood instructions say to tape off unused wires.

Hey Fit4Spl, I just received the subwoofer amplifier you recommended (Aura RPM2300 RPM Stage 2 Mobile Amplifier 2x150W 269-189), and was wondering what subwoofer and enclosure combination would go best with that amplifier. I'm assuming the Sundown SA-12 is too much subwoofer for this amplifier?

I was thinking of getting a larger enclosure for stronger bass, and maybe I can mount the two amplifiers directly to the enclosure (as opposed to the back of the seats).

Also, you recommended this enclosure:

2 CUBIC FOOT CUSTOM-PORTED SUB ENCLOSURE for 12" WOOFER

but I came across a cheaper one; perhaps it's better? . . .

Custom Enclosures 12" Round Hole, Long Rear Slot Ported Enclosure (shipping for me is just $20)

Thanks!!!

The box you posted will work fine, you can either do an SA series sub Sundown Audio SA-12 600 watt sub woofer which you will be under powering it, nothing wrong with that and gives you room to upgrade as far as sub amps are concerned. Or you can get a SD series Sundown Audio SD-2 12" D2 500 Watt Dual 2 Ohm SD Series which is rated at 500W RMS, would probably perform better for you in your situation.

Sweet; thanks again kind sir! I plan on ordering:

Custom Enclosures 12" Round Hole, Long Rear Slot Ported Enclosure

and

Sundown Audio SD-2 12" D2 500 Watt Dual 2 Ohm SD Series

And just to confirm; I want the 2 ohm version of the above subwoofer? When you hook up a dual voice coil in series you get 4 ohms (which matches with my amp: "1 x 450 watts bridged mono into 4 ohms")?

You wire the dual 2 in series for a 4ohm load that is correct.

Been making some progress . . .

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For now I'm trying to find good spots for the GPS and XM antennas under the dash. I'm probably going to disassemble the dash further so I can place the antennas on nice flat spots closer to the windshield.

I'm also looking for a place for the XM tuner. It's pretty big, so I might not be able to fit it in / near the dash.

Since I'm not using any rear speakers, should I bridge my 4 channel amp for my front two speakers? Would that give too much power to the speakers?

Amplifier: 2 x 150 watts bridged mono into 4 ohms

Speakers: Power handling: 50 watts continuous, 200 watts peak


Also, my subwoofer amplifier includes a remote bass level knob -- which I plan on installing . . . but my 4 channel speaker amplifier also has a remote bass level knob. If hooked up, would this knob somehow control the bass output of the door speakers? Should I also install this knob? Thanks!

I would use the four channel amp in a bridged configuration since too much power generally gives you more head room. And skip the bass knob for the fronts. It won't do you any good.

Thanks! I'll plan on bridging the amp and not installing the other bass knob.

I'm finally done now, for the most part. It took a long time, but it was worth it. The worst part of the install was the Scosche dash kit. I just couldn't get it to fit worth a crap. However, there are some new; recently listed 2007/2008 Metra kits on ebay for just $33 shipped; which is really tempting (since they cost $20 more anywhere else), but I would have to pull the head unit back out, and who knows if the Metra kit will even fit any better. Oh well, I'm just living with the Scosche kit for now. Also, my bass knob stopped working for no apparent reason (tried a different knob and cable, but still doesn't work). I'll save my breath for now, but if anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer. Sorry for the number / size / quality of the pictures. Many more pictures are here in this album.

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Looks good and I know for the 09 and up the Metra kits are a perfect fit, there is no modification needed or gaps shown.

I had the Metra kit (and just sold it) for my GD. It fit a little better on the passenger side but it fit poorly in general. I was in the process of making a kit from a factory radio but sold the car before I finished it. I like the look and the side brackets of the Scosche kit much better than the Metra kit

Thanks for the inputs! On that note, I think I'll definitely pass on the metra kit. I can always go back and try to make the Scosche kit fit better.