Stereo & Electronics - Hardwiring XM/backlight color

Can I hardwire a Sportscaster (or any xm unit) to my car??
I don't like that extra slip over the antenna deal, I was hoping I could hook that to the antenna wire thats in the car.

I also was wondering if I could wire the power wire to the stereo's power wire, I don't like having the power cord from the cigarette lighter socket. I also don't like having to turn the unit on and off everytime I get in the car.


Also, if I get the Sportscaster, can I open it up and change the color of the backlighting? All of my Autometer gauges I have put blue LEDs in and I don't like that the sportscaster is red backlit. I'm going to change the dash lighting to blue also, so I really don't want the red.

I would seriously consider the Roady XT for the extra $10. It is quite small and has two big advantages over the Sportscaster - it has the new universal docking capability and it has selectable display colors. The universal docking is especially handy if you plan to use it in more than one vehicle or just take it out to avoid theft because you don't have to unplug individual cables. The selectable display colors will solve your dash matching problem.

You can get a wired FM-modulator that plugs into the antenna cable behind the head unit. This will give you much better sound than the wireless FM modulator with less interference. Another option is a cassette adapter if you have a cassette head unit. They're inexpensive, easy to install, quite portable, and produce the best sound you can get without a direct connection.

You can hardwire the power but be careful to check the voltage required. The original Roady was a 6-volt device that would fry if connected directly to the car's 12V electrical system. I'm not sure what the Roady XT uses.

take it to best buy or circuit city they will show you the best options of what to do .. i personally myself had the roadyxt hardwired to my radio worked and sounded great!! no cables showing at all and turned on when my radio turned on.. if you dont plan to take it out of your vehicle why not go w/ a radio thats xm/sirius capable and just get the tuner and adapter that goes for it ...

^Did you hardwire it yourself, or have circuit city/best buy do it??

Thanks, I will look at the Roady XT again to judge it size wise.

I don't want to get a new cd player thats xm compatible, I really like my old Aiwa deck, I think it looks great, I just don't feel like they offer decks like what in the car anymore.

...I really like my old Aiwa deck...
That would have been really helpful information to know when responding to the original question. Unless otherwise specified, we would assume a factory system is installed. :poke:

Does your Aiwa have an auxiliary input? If so, you can directly connect any of the plug-and-play satellite radios using an inexpensive cable and not worry about FM modulation (wired or wireless).

BTW, do not take it to Circuit City or Best Buy for wiring. The "technicians" at those places are lucky if they can figure out which is the business end of a soldering iron (actually they may have never seen a soldering iron).

It has a aux. input, but its on the front. If I get a xm unit I don't want any wires coming out of the front though.

Right now I'm using the sportscaster from my brothers car, had it just for my holiday road trip. I like XM but trying to figure out which one to purchase and how to cleanly install it.

What color does the blue look like in the Roady XT??

It has a aux. input, but its on the front. If I get a xm unit I don't want any wires coming out of the front though.

Right now I'm using the sportscaster from my brothers car, had it just for my holiday road trip. I like XM but trying to figure out which one to purchase and how to cleanly install it.
That's too bad because the auxiliary input will give much better sound quality than FM. Is the aux jack someplace close to the outside edge of the radio? You might be able to get a cable with a right-angle plug and route the wire behind the radio surround trim so that only an inch or so would be visible. I did this with a cassette adapter and you could hardly notice the cable unless you looked closely.

You might want to try both XM and Sirius online to help decide which you like better. Both services have free three day trials available on their web sites. I used to have XM but switched to Sirius because I like their programming better. Others like XM better - it's a matter of personal taste. XM generally has a wider selection where you'll hear more obscure selections whereas Sirius tends to be more mainstream so you'll hear more tracks you're familiar with. Sirius has the sports market pretty much wrapped up with NFL, NBA, NHL, college games, and NASCAR (it was cool being able to listen to a Jaguars game while travelling in New York).

Well I don't listen to much sports, well I guess not at all.

On XM moslty listen to BPM, The system, and the boneyard.

Does Sirius have better rock channels though? It seems the Boneyard is the only one on Xm worth listening to.