uPAC-FRD24 Installation

That is how I spent my Saturday morning. Installing an adapter in my Mustang that allows me to use an AUX input on my factory radio. The Shaker 500, in the 2007 models, has an AUX button but it doesn't do anything because there is no auxiliary input! The uPAC-FRD24 is an adapter that adds two inputs, one specifically for iPods and a second that can be used for any other device such as a XM satellite receiver - which I have. My brother and I both bought the adapter last weekend at the Ford car show, so today we had a aux-adapter installation party at his house. It wasn't a really difficult job, since he has all the necessary tools, and only took about an hour to complete. We had to remove several dashboard panels and then remove the radio, plug in the adapter and then put it all back together, with the wiring hidden underneath the center console. I also put my antenna wire under the dashboard and into the center storage area which was better than having the wire strung across the passenger floor. The end result is the best sounding XM I've had. Better than using the FM transmitter or the tape player adapter. The audio quality is much better, with more base and more treble. My only other issue is that since the antenna is sitting on my dashboard and not outside the car, I loose the XM signal every so often, but I can live with that.

When I bought a new XM receiver, the Audiovox Xpress, I wanted to use the XM transmitter. However, I found out that the newer XM receivers have weaker transmitters due to FCC restrictions, so I was having to re-tune the broadcast frequency several times just between home and work. It seems that in San Diego, almost every frequency is being used, since you get stations from not only San Diego, but also LA and even Mexico. Now I wish I had bought a different XM receiver, one with a color LCD screen and more options. The model I bought will do, even though I don't like the buttons or the button layout. The buttons are small and "mushy", and the big tuning knob gets in the way of some of the buttons. What I do like is the screen with five lines of text, so I can see the station name, number, song title and artist all at the same time. My XM Roady only had two lines of text, so I had to choose which information I wanted to see. So in conclusion, I'm happy with the whole setup now.