How To Get SiriusXM Tuner in My Car, SUV, or Truck [STEPS + VIDEO]

Things You Will Need

• SiriusXM subscription
• SiriusXM tuner (SXV300 we recommend)

Step 1: Determine If Your Car Stereo is Sirius XM-Ready

First, make sure your car stereo receiver is Sirius XM compatible by looking for the “Sirius XM” Ready logo across the front of the receiver or on the receiver box of your car stereo.

Step 2: Choose the Best Mounting Location for your Vehicle

The next step is to determine the ideal place for the magnetic mount antenna. The magnetic mount antenna must be installed on the outside of your car, on a horizontal plane that always faces the sky.

For the majority of vehicles, that location is the roof, focused above the back window or front windshield. Avoid putting the antenna in locations where a clear view of the sky is obstructed, such as within the car, under a roof rack, on the side panels, or close to another antenna.

Recommended Mounting Locations

The following are some proposed mounting locations for popular vehicle types.

• Sedan/coupe: just above the rear window or in front of the front windshield
• Pickup location: over the front of the windshield
• SUV: perched on the roof with a 360-degree panoramic view and all directions
• Convertible: above the front windshield, on the trunk lid, on the front hood, or on the front fender.

If your car’s roof is made of a non-magnetic substance such as carbon fiber, fiberglass, or aluminum, you should seek professional advice to find another antenna mounting location.

Step 3: Route the antenna cable

After you’ve installed the magnetic mount antenna, feed the antenna cable underneath the rubber molding around the window with an antenna tool.

Remove the cable from the window molding and place it in the weather stripping around the opening of the trunk.

Route the cable along the wall of the trunk and into the cabin of your car. Then, from the trunk, carry the cable out from under the inner surface trim into the cabin and toward the front of your car, and route it underneath the carpet and behind the dashboard to the car stereo receiver.

When you get to the stereo receiver of your car, coil and safeguard any excess cable underneath the carpet or behind the dashboard.

Step 4: Connect and Mount the SiriusXM Tuner

The next step is connecting the lines. You’ll need to gain access to the back of the SiriusXM ready car stereo receiver in order to plug in the SXV 300 car tuner; this will necessitate access to the rear of your aftermarket car stereo.

Seek professional advice if you are unsure about this step. If you want to do it yourself, find the SiriusXM plug on the head unit and attach the SXV 300.

Step 5: Activate Your SiriusXM Tuner

It’s now time to turn on your radio and listen to SiriusXM. Switch on the car head unit and choose SiriusXM, configured to channel one to check if you’re getting the Sirius XM signal.

If this is the case, you should hear Sirius XM programming; take note of your radio ID. You can find it on channel zero, on the bottom of the package, or on the rear of your SXV 300 vehicle tuner.

To activate, go to SiriusXM.com/activate now. Activation typically takes 10 to 15 minutes, but it can take up to an hour; keep your car stereo turned on until you see a subscription verification message on the screen.

And you’re done! You’ve hooked up your Sirius tuner to the car stereo.

Video tutorial

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