FAQ: How to add Sirius satellite recevier to your car PC

**Bugbyte** · 01-17-2006, 10:03 PM

So you want satellite radio but you'd rather have Sirius instead of XM? Thanks to long time member -zip-, here's how you do it. You can read the source for this FAQ at his thread here.

You need two things to hook up and control Sirius radio from your car PC.

1. A Sirius receiver. Specifically, the Alpine Sirius Connect, SIR-ALP1

2. An interface for the receiver available from http://www.mp3car.com/store/product_...roducts_id=182 .

The interface connects to the serial port on your car PC. Current price is $59. A thread on this interface is here.
Instructions on installing the interface can be found at rush2112.net.

Opening up the Alpine unit reveals 2 circuit boards inside. Simply remove the board that is near the back and replace it with the interface you purchased. If the holes in the case do not match up exactly, dremel out the case as necessary and reassemble. Use the optical out from the interface board and plug it into your sound card. No TOS link input? You can also buy a TOS link adaptor for the SoundBlaster Live 5.1/Audigy/and Audigy 2 soundcard as long as they have an AUD_EXT or AD_EXT header on the card.

Connect the serial cable to your car PC and connect the red power wire to a 12 volt source and the ground wire to a ground.

3. Software to control the receiver from your car PC. The good news is that both options are free. Road Runner is the only car PC front end that controls the Sirius.

A standalone test program is available from rush2112.net.

That's all there is to it!

**randomjohn** · 01-20-2006, 10:54 AM

Originally Posted by Bugbyte

Connect the serial cable to your car PC and connect the red power wire to a 12 volt source and the ground wire to a ground.

There are actually three wires that have to be hooked into the car power, one of which Mitch sends to you and you clip into the 4-port plug. You plug it in like this:
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Using this handy clip he also provides:
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Assuming he sent you a red wire (mine was actually blue), it goes:
Yellow - Constant 12V
Red - Accessory 12V
Black - Ground

Otherwise, great FAQ.

**fventura03** · 01-20-2006, 06:17 PM

would this work for laptop carputers?

**Bugbyte** · 01-20-2006, 10:07 PM

Originally Posted by fventura03

would this work for laptop carputers?

.

Originally Posted by Bugbyte

The interface connects to the serial port on your car PC.

**VettePC** · 12-13-2007, 06:56 PM

Since the above is dicontinued... guess this post is a mute point? Anyone know of a method to use the Sirius radios with USB or Serial? Also, wondering whats the difference between the XM radio and the Sirius as far as the output signals? Are they the same? Reason I ask is there is a post on how to make a cable to wire the XM direct box to your serial port... If the signals are the same format maybe this would be able to be modified to work on the Sirius DEI SCC1 universal tuner?
Just a thought...