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  1. my name is matt is offline
    Enthusiast
    my name is matt's Avatar
    Joined: Apr 2009 Location: Chicago Posts: 123
    05-26-2009, 12:42 PM #11
    Yeah, your power wire sharing with your sound and or antenna may be affecting your sound quality. I really stress on getting another look at it from someone else before abandoning it.

  2. FastFrankie is offline
    Junior Member
    FastFrankie's Avatar
    Joined: May 2009 Posts: 15
    06-07-2009, 09:34 AM #12

    The saga continues...

    WOW, I just lost the entire reply I had typed when I went to the preview screen! It apparently lost my login. Here's another attempt...

    Following Matt's suggestion I talked to the folks who did the Sportster5 install on my truck last year. He was booked up but suggested that I ask the dealer to outsource to him as he had done installations for them before. They insisted that they had to do what corporate Toyota would suggest first. So I left the car with them all day Friday and the fix this time was to remove the SIGMA antennae and install a Sirius "hockeypuck" antennae on the trunk lid. They claimed this was an "new upgraded" antennae and Toyota's suggested solution. However it looks just like the one installed on my truck last year. It is a "Sirius" model number SIR3.3RCTMOB05 with the number 07340 on it as well. And get this - the service ticket shows that they got it from the same shop I wanted them to outsource the work to!

    Well the result is somewhat better reception and better sound quality - I think it's almost as good when listening to music as the sound with the Sportster5 in my truck. I can now put the bass setting where I want it and the treble almost where I want it, though I still get a little distortion on high end sounds. But with talk radio it is still pretty bad.

    My suggestion to others is to stay away from the SIGMA antennae. The lesson for me is to never have a dealership do this type of work on a vehicle. I still have no idea what receiver they used. It has the Sirius logo and "SiriusConnect" on the casing but I can't get at it to see a model number. It is stuck to the wheel well in the truck with double-sided adhesive.

  3. FastFrankie is offline
    Junior Member
    FastFrankie's Avatar
    Joined: May 2009 Posts: 15
    09-05-2009, 06:43 PM #13

    Hopefully the end of this story in another week...

    Suddenly last weekend and during the next several days it began to take 1 to 2 full minutes to get a signal in to the receiver in the 2008 Avalon. And then reception would be spotty. So, I said to heck with the warranty and took the car to the same shop who did the Sportster install in my 2005 Tacoma. The owner of the shop believes I have a defective receiver. Using his contacts at the Toyota dealership, he arranged for them to order a replacement which he will install and return the existing receiver to the dealership as an even trade trade. Total cost to me should be under $50.00 and hopefully great sound!
    This prompts a few comments, though:
    1 - Did the slow signal capture have anything to do with the new satellite? Becuase as Murphy would have it, that morning it went back to normal, gaining signal in 10 0r 15 seconds. I live in the Augusta, georgia area.
    2 - It seems that the receiver that is currently installed (a Toyota part number but with full Sirius logo) is discontinued and is probably being replaced by a unit about half the size of the existing. Is this due to the switch from Directed to Audiovox?
    3 - From what the shop owner was telling me, Toyota is going to discontinue installing Sirius units and stick with only XM. Kind of odd (to me anyway) if they're becoming one company.

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