Sirius XM options

[James D]

Just like your old Blackberry, Sirius is not necessary anymore. Use flash drives as a source and you can have all the music you want when out of cell tower range. No install misery and no extra monthly subscription.

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[Whitenight]

Currently have a Sirius subscription In my 2012 F150. Awaiting my XLT which I realize doesn't have a Sirius capable radio. I have read a few threads with solutions being Bluetooth and smart phones. I dont have unlimited data and have spotty cell service here in GA. Questions is, does anybody have experience with a decent "portable" XM receiver. I dont want to dig Into the dashboard or have a wire and antenna hanging out the window. I would consider getting a new audio system installed professionally but from the looks of the radio on the XLT seems like they would have to cut up the dash as that am\fm looks very thin??

If you contact SiriusXM they will send you a portable receiver free that you can then transfer your subscription to.

There is also a company https://www.4dtech.com that has upgrade Sync3 units for the Bronco Sport. Maybe in a few months they will have one for the Maverick, or one of the ones for the Bronco Sport will fit in the Maverick, since the Lariat version has a Sync3 unit (just without Navigation).

 

[KenT]

If you contact SiriusXM they will send you a portable receiver free that you can then transfer your subscription to.

There is also a company https://www.4dtech.com that has upgrade Sync3 units for the Bronco Sport. Maybe in a few months they will have one for the Maverick, or one of the ones for the Bronco Sport will fit in the Maverick, since the Lariat version has a Sync3 unit (just without Navigation).

Lariat has Sync3 only on the Lux package, and the Lux package also includes SiriusXM, so if you have the Lux package, you don’t need the 4dtech device; and if you don’t have the Lux package, the 4dtech package won’t work, since the base Lariat doesn’t have Sync3.

 

[Whitenight]

Lariat has Sync3 only on the Lux package, and the Lux package also includes SiriusXM, so if you have the Lux package, you don’t need the 4dtech device; and if you don’t have the Lux package, the 4dtech package won’t work, since the base Lariat doesn’t have Sync3.

I am well aware of that, And if you read my post I specifically stated:

"Maybe in a few months they will have one for the Maverick, or one of the ones for the Bronco Sport will fit in the Maverick, since the Lariat version has a Sync3 unit (just without Navigation). "

 

[Msab13]

Just like your old Blackberry, Sirius is not necessary anymore. Use flash drives as a source and you can have all the music you want when out of cell tower range. No install misery and no extra monthly subscription.

I get it, you hate Sirius! I’m well aware that there are other options for playing music. Im ok with paying $6 a month. Just looking for options to A. Continue to use Sirius. B. Not use cellular data. That’s it!

Curious to hear if @uh50 had any success with his setup?

 

[uh50]

I

I get it, you hate Sirius! I’m well aware that there are other options for playing music. Im ok with paying $6 a month. Just looking for options to A. Continue to use Sirius. B. Not use cellular data. That’s it!

Curious to hear if @uh50 had any success with his setup?

I'm waiting on antenna adapters and since I was waiting I ordered a fuse tapping kit from Amazon. Probably be Wednesday Dec. 22 before I get it installed. I'll update post as soon as I get finished.

 

[Dekay]

I have heard that using siruis Bluetooth is very slow to come on after you power up

 

[uh50]

I have heard that using siruis Bluetooth is very slow to come on after you power up

I don't know and have not used a SiriusXM branded device with bluetooth. But, other's have report the slow response, that is the reason I ordered a Commander Touch that uses a FM Direct Adapter (FMDA25). I've got everything installed except the FMDA25 and am waiting on a male and female Fakra Z adapters to transition from the old universal FM/AM antenna connectors to Ford's chosen Fakra connectors.

A FM direct in line antenna adapter is supposed to cut out an incoming signal on FM bands using only the SiriusXM input giving a cleaner sound. It will not be stereo quality sound, but it should be about the best we can get from FM. I don't know if this is true or not, but will report on this when I finish the installation after receiving the Fakra Z adapters.

I have thought about the old technology of a bluetooth transmitter for a TV's 3.5 aux. sound output to a USB receiver for input into the Maverick USB aux. That way the bluetooth would not depend on the internal Maverick bluetooth. I do not know if using another bluetooth transmitter to receiver would interfere with my phone bluetooth connection or not. I need to find the right USB bluetooth receiver as I have an 3.5mm aux. bluetooth transmitter for my iPods or other music devices. Finding new solutions for a bare bones audio system along with old technology is a fun challenge to work through.

So far the bluetooth receivers I've found use the bluetooth only for charging and not data input. I'll keep looking and post further when I get an answer.

 

[YazYaz]

9 years of Serius must have cost you a lot! It is a dying technology like OnStar. Use your phone for Spotify. Plug a flash drive into the USB if you are out of cell service. No kits, no add ons, no install.

Serius is not just music. It is news, tv programs, professional sports, weather, talk shows and so much more. From what I undersand Spotify is just music.

 

[uh50]

I finally received the fuse taps and the Fakra to FM antenna cable adapters on Monday and Tuesday. So yesterday I took the afternoon to install. The plastic bezel around the center console vents and AC controls comes off easily, just popping four tabs.

I removed the blue Ford Fakra type blue onnector shown on the left within the red eclipse in the above photo. The female Fakra to FM cable adapter plugged easily on the Ford male connector. The Ford female connector on the loose cable plugged easily on to the Fakra to FM adapter with the male connector. This left me with only two FM cable ends on the purchased adapters not connected.

This leaves the obvious connection of the FM cable ends of the FMDA25 inline FM relay to the FM cable connectors of the Fakra to FM adapters. Pretty logical and obvious. I ran the FMDA25 connection cable to the Commander Touch Module down the right side of the open center console out bottom to the fuse box area for connection to the Commander Touch Module.

After removing the right floor board fuse box cover, I spent 1-1/2 hours trying to find a fuse slot that was not hot when the key was off and out of the ignition. I didn't find one. I don't know if they just were staying on for a few minutes after the ignition was turned off or not. I just didn't find a fuse slot controlled by the accessory which was necessary for the Commander Touch module to work properly. See the photo below that shows the power connections with the yellow wire connecting to the battery or a connection that remains hot. The red wire connects to an ignition control accessory connection, the orange wire connects to the cars illumination control which is not necessary for use. I don't care if the Commander Touch display dims with cabin lighting, or not, so I did not connect this wire.

Obviously the black wire is the ground and is connected to the stud with a nut and washer just below the red battery wire and the green accessory wire feeding the fuse box. Instead of a fuse adapter, I tapped the fused yellow wire of the Commander Touch power connection wire to the red battery wire feeding the fuse box shown below. The red accessory Commander Touch power connection I tapped into the green wire shown below controlled by the ignition. Unfortunately, the first time I made the connection I mistakenly connected both the red accessory wire and the yellow battery wire of the power harness to the red always hot wire feeding the fuse box. So, naturally, when I turned the ignition off the Commander Touch display remained on. So, I had to remove the accessory red wire connection and make the tap on Ford's green accessory wire.

I then connected the Display, the FMDA25 relay, the antenna, and power harness to the Commander Touch Module. I did not use the auxiliary cable since it will not work with the auxiliary input of the Ford Radio.

So with everything connected, I started the truck and turned on the Commander Touch display and activated the SiriusXM radio and set it up. The Commander Touch display is bright and easy to see with great resolution and relieved my concerns about the small size of the display. Touch controls on the display work without lag and are intuitive to use. Finding an unused FM channel was difficult but finally I found one and tuned the Commander Touch to the appropriate channel.

I was going to put the display above Ford's display, but it seemed to interfere with the FM signal. So, I have notmounted it in a permanent position yet. I'm not real happy with the FM signal from the FMDA25 adapter and location seems to be important. The FMDA25 adapter is supposed to be a relay and block all FM over the air signals only to broadcast the FM channel chosen. It doesn't seem to work as I can change FM channels and they come through fine.

I'm going to try a few different places within the center console or fuse box area to locate the FMDA25 adapter. On the road it seems to perform a little better but I still notice some occasional FM static. I'm going to try and get some support help with SiriusXM to alleviate static through the FMDA25 relay and see why it will not cut out the FM broadcast signals. My old school 2003/2005 XACT radio FM signal had no static, so other than controls the Commander Touch did not improve the Satellite radio performance.

It's still a work in progress and I'll update when I can.

 

[uh50]

SiriusXM Commander Touch update.

After going though a holiday trip trying to use the Commander Touch where the interference through FM was unbearable, I had to come up with a fix. Or, send the unit back.

The idea of the FMDA25 module is to block out other FM signals leaving only the FM output signal of the Commander Touch module for a fairly clear audio. It wasn't working, period. I tried every FM channel and none of them were good. I checked the SiriusXM, Best Buy, & Crutchfield websites for information and nothing they offered rang a bell for me.

So, yesterday afternoon, I opened up the center stack where the radio module is located (the bezel surrounding the AC vents and HVAC controls) and started looking around. I checked all the connections and they were tight. I verified the connections of the FMDA25 module against the wiring diagram and also the main Commander Touch module. All were correct and tight.

It finally dawned on me. There are three antenna inputs into the Radio Module, as the red circle in the below photo shows.

I had chosen the blue connector on the left. Why? I don't know since I never found any information about which is the FM antenna input. We all know what happens when we assume something, which is exactly what I had accomplished. So I removed the FMDA25 connections from the blue input and put them inline with the center gray Fakra connection. I don't know what the third empty antenna input, located on the right, is used for. Is it a GPS input? Maybe a Satellite antenna input? I don't know. Because the results of changing the FMDA25 to the center antenna input produced great results I forgot about checking the third input. Now I'm curious—just because it's my nature, I guess.

I've mentioned before, the Commander Touch screen is high resolution, brilliant, and a pleasure to use. I have played with many locations around the center dash and now without all the static, I could mount it on top of the 8" radio screen. I just did not like the looks. So I compromised somewhat. Since I had the HVAC bezel off I located the Commander Touch screen right in front of the AC vents, using the trim piece that SiriusXM provides. It is a matte black so it blends in with the dash materials better than the piano black Commander Touch display.

I like the looks, the location is not obtrusive, and it is easy to operate located in the middle of the center stack. It does not block enough of the AC vents to render them useless. Plenty of air comes through. I mounted the display using hook & loop Velcro so, if I decide I like another location, it's easy enough to move. Although the Commander Touch screen is easy to use and responsive, I like using the remote control.

Now if I want to listen to regular FM (almost never), all I have to do is turn the Commander Touch off. When I turn the Commander Touch on, then the rest of the FM signals are blocked out. It's working as intended.

Anyway, the Commander Touch works great now and the sound on the chosen FM channel is without outside FM static. Again, the signal is FM, so the sound is not audiophile quality, but it is pretty decent and clear now. But again the XL cabin is not a super quiet, so the sound doesn't need to be perfect.

Anyway, I'm contented with the sound of the SiriusXM and can listen to all the retro music I want. I hope that this little series of posts have been helpful to someone. Maybe it will prevent some of the struggles I've had.

 

[uh50]

By the way, my niece played with my wife's iPhone and CarPlay on our Maverick XL on Christmas Day and it worked great in an area where cell service was great. Too bad we live in an area where cell service is terrible.

 

[Msab13]

SiriusXM Commander Touch update.

After going though a holiday trip trying to use the Commander Touch where the interference through FM was unbearable, I had to come up with a fix. Or, send the unit back.

The idea of the FMDA25 module is to block out other FM signals leaving only the FM output signal of the Commander Touch module for a fairly clear audio. It wasn't working, period. I tried every FM channel and none of them were good. I checked the SiriusXM, Best Buy, & Crutchfield websites for information and nothing they offered rang a bell for me.

So, yesterday afternoon, I opened up the center stack where the radio module is located (the bezel surrounding the AC vents and HVAC controls) and started looking around. I checked all the connections and they were tight. I verified the connections of the FMDA25 module against the wiring diagram and also the main Commander Touch module. All were correct and tight.

It finally dawned on me. There are three antenna inputs into the Radio Module, as the red circle in the below photo shows.

I had chosen the blue connector on the left. Why? I don't know since I never found any information about which is the FM antenna input. We all know what happens when we assume something, which is exactly what I had accomplished. So I removed the FMDA25 connections from the blue input and put them inline with the center gray Fakra connection. I don't know what the third empty antenna input, located on the right, is used for. Is it a GPS input? Maybe a Satellite antenna input? I don't know. Because the results of changing the FMDA25 to the center antenna input produced great results I forgot about checking the third input. Now I'm curious—just because it's my nature, I guess.

I've mentioned before, the Commander Touch screen is high resolution, brilliant, and a pleasure to use. I have played with many locations around the center dash and now without all the static, I could mount it on top of the 8" radio screen. I just did not like the looks. So I compromised somewhat. Since I had the HVAC bezel off I located the Commander Touch screen right in front of the AC vents, using the trim piece that SiriusXM provides. It is a matte black so it blends in with the dash materials better than the piano black Commander Touch display.

I like the looks, the location is not obtrusive, and it is easy to operate located in the middle of the center stack. It does not block enough of the AC vents to render them useless. Plenty of air comes through. I mounted the display using hook & loop Velcro so, if I decide I like another location, it's easy enough to move. Although the Commander Touch screen is easy to use and responsive, I like using the remote control.

Now if I want to listen to regular FM (almost never), all I have to do is turn the Commander Touch off. When I turn the Commander Touch on, then the rest of the FM signals are blocked out. It's working as intended.

Anyway, the Commander Touch works great now and the sound on the chosen FM channel is without outside FM static. Again, the signal is FM, so the sound is not audiophile quality, but it is pretty decent and clear now. But again the XL cabin is not a super quiet, so the sound doesn't need to be perfect.

Anyway, I'm contented with the sound of the SiriusXM and can listen to all the retro music I want. I hope that this little series of posts have been helpful to someone. Maybe it will prevent some of the struggles I've had.

Did Sirius try to hit you up with a $50 “service transfer fee” for switching to the commander from your previous radio? Called them yesterday and they want the fifty to switch, and I only paid $70 for the whole year which runs until may.

 

[New2AZ]

Did Sirius try to hit you up with a $50 “service transfer fee” for switching to the commander from your previous radio? Called them yesterday and they want the fifty to switch, and I only paid $70 for the whole year which runs until may.

The one thing about Sirius/XM is that if you deny them enough, they will come at you with a deal that's rather acceptible. I don't mind $6 a month if I have that built in to my vehicle as opposed to having to stream it off my phone.

 

[Maverick2022XL]

If you contact SiriusXM they will send you a portable receiver free that you can then transfer your subscription to.

There is also a company https://www.4dtech.com that has upgrade Sync3 units for the Bronco Sport. Maybe in a few months they will have one for the Maverick, or one of the ones for the Bronco Sport will fit in the Maverick, since the Lariat version has a Sync3 unit (just without Navigation).

You can also spend about $700 and buy a stock APIM and the head unit on a Lariat with Sync. The only issue at that point is the antenna and tuner. The stock antenna doesn't not have Satellite radio or the wiring. If you want to buy the the one on a Lariat with sync including the wire harnesses you are looking at like $300 or so I think depending exactly which wires are needed. I don't have a parts diagram to determine which is which. That will get you a full setup for sure without any aftermarket parts. For the same $300 you can instead use the Vais Tech Ford oem tuner kit GSR-FD02 for the antenna and tuner plugging in through the USB instead.

Guarantee at some point you'll see this sold as a package by a third party either with or without the stock antenna/antenna wire harnesses for a $1000+ with some fancy programmer that does the same thing as forscan.

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