Thanks! Sirius Sat Radio + Integrated iPod + Passport SR7 Plus in

[dcooper]

Just a quick note of thanks to everyone in this forum who has forged the trail and documented their findings (and left blood on the bleeding edge!) of how to get Sirius Sat Radio, a solid, integrated iPod interface and a Passport SR7Plus into a new 997 (in my case a 2006 C4 Cab, 3500 miles).

I'm having my original Porsche dealer install all this stuff now and pick it up in 2 days. I've been in constant contact with the P mechanic doing the actual work, and it's quite a job. He apparently had to remove the front and rear bumpers, removed the seats, center console, hardtop, etc and had the "guts" of the electrical system spread everywhere :)

This is Day 3 and he's starting the re-assembly process, then getting the oil & filters changed (swap out that break-in oil, my choice) and getting the full detail done for me to pick up.

The Nav-TV unit is updated as of Jan 5, 2007 and (after dire3ct discussions with the Nav-TV guys), it should have ALL the quirks and problems of previous posters fixed...pagination, speed of scrolling, PCM freeze-ups, and optional direct-control of the iPod are all fixed they claim). It and the Sirius control unit are being installed under the passenger's seat.

The permanent iPod mount will be in the center console armrest (like I saw someone here post a picture of), and the Sirius ant is in the cowl (he gave me the caveats of not being an ideal position, due to lack of true 360 deg view of the sky, but in my Cab in the summertime with my cloth top, I figure I should be 100% be as good as the Cayenne's rear top fin mount and not being officially sanctioned by Porsche, etc

The tiny Passport SR7 Plus controller is going velcroed to the top of the steering wheel, but all the way back and pointed upwards for a flush-with-the-display-pod look, visible only to the driver, and the tiny black remote mute button is going at right-knee-level to the right of the steering wheel (left of the PCM). The tiny external amplified speaker (needed for Cabriolets) is going somewhere...not sure where he found the space for it yet, but it'll be tucked out of the way and pinted towards the cabin. The bumpers had to be removed for the dual laser diffusers/detectors + radar detectors in front and the single rear laser diffuser/radar detector in rear to be properly wired. There was no WAY I was going to let the local stereo shop teenagers hack off car parts trying to get this installed. Apparently my dealer (Porsche Nashua in N.H.) has done quite a few of these for this reason :)

I'm a fully-integrated install, with NO aftermarket pieces visible and fully functional, integrated, invisible PCM control of Sat radio and iPod.

Should be sweet!

BTW, little tip if you live in the northern latitudes...I have snow tires/wheels and hardtop on the Cab for the winter, but Porsche (although based in Germany - where it DOES snow...) doesn’t apparently make 997 winter mats...went to Mats.com and they do have the 997 fitted mats for Bose + C4 Cab even, and in color (tan in my case)...kind of a nice find, since I have winter mats for my wife's BMW X3 and want to save the car carpet + interior from snow and salt....

I'll post pics of it all when I get the car back.

Thanks again to everyone who posted their experiences (with GW500, older Nav-TV units, etc).

Here are some helpful links (for anyone else who's researching their options in these areas):

Sat Radio:

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/show...age=2&pp=15 (Sirius/XM Sat Radio install)

http://e-partssales.com/Merchant2/merchant...=electronics997 (Where I ordered my Satellite Radio Retrofit for PCM - 997)

Nav-TV:

http://www.stephenbainbridge.com/2006/12/i...ng_a_porsc.html (screen shots of the Nav-TV product for MOST PCM in a 997)

Passport SR7Plus (+ external amplified speaker)

http://www.escortradar.com/sr7plus.htm

997 Winter Mats:

http://www.weathertech.com/store/vehsearch...t_choice_id=690

My C4Cab:

http://www.dcooper.org/gallery/MyC4.html

http://www.dcooper.org/porsche/IMAGE_007.jpg

HTH

Damon

[dcooper]

Quick update: picked up the car...man, they did an awesome job...everything is invisible. They actually kept the original GPS antenna and added the Sirius antenna under the cowl somehow...they figured it would be better that way.

Driving home from the dealership, I hit the places that in my wife's BMW X3 with Sirius radio goes searching for signal and guess what...NO signal drop at all! I'm blown away at how there's been no incident of signal loss at all.

The iPod interface is fantastic too. The Nav-TV unit with the latest HW/SW (as of Jan 5, 2007) is perfect so far. I've got a new video iPod with prob 10-12K songs and it's sweet. None of the probs (so far!) that others have previously reported with this unit. I'm very impressed. The interface takes a little getting used to, but given that it replaces the CD changer slot, that's par for the course I suppose. But it's simple and straightforward and takes just a few mins to get used to before you're navigating your iPod at light speed.

The Passport SR7Plus + speaker saved me on the way home, but on the Ka band, not LIDAR...the same stretch of Daytona-oval like road with the 50MPH speed limit that got me my $550 ticket a few months back via Laser...I'm sure this unit will pay for itself just on that one road alone (RT3 to Nashua from Boston).

Anyway...I'll post some pics of the setup in the next few days if folks are interested.

The dealership guys (Mike Cote and Paul Magarian) were awesome and actually think it went and worked so well, they're going to start promoting this setup for all 997 customers.

Damon

[dcooper]

Some pics of the updated 997 PCM with the addition of the Sirius sat radio inteface + the iPod functionality replacing the CD Changer interface below.

Damon

Edited February 11, 2007 by dcooper