I am new here and was looking at a touch screen nav unit for my '05 k3500. It has the bose speakers, but I'm not sure about much else. I do have the XM, 6 disc changer with the steering wheel controls etc... I'm not sure about the Lux amplifier either.( if I even have one)....
With that said, if I do get the nav unit, where does the GPS antenna go? Or, since I have OnStar, doesn't that already have a GPS antenna?
Thanks, Ricky...seeya...

Since you have onstar, you already have a gps antenna built in with onstar. I split the gps feed off of the onstar antenna and ran it to my garmin. It works excellent that way.

Since you have onstar, you already have a gps antenna built in with onstar. I split the gps feed off of the onstar antenna and ran it to my garmin. It works excellent that way.

Do you have any pictures of how you did this ?

All the pictures I have seen about the NAV units have a seperate antenna

wait a minute ,we have a problem!, first the stock system in factory 05 is a premium Bose system, It is not the lux. system that is in Cadilac's or Denalis' It is a system that can be built on, add a pac-aoemGM24 and add a sub and amp and you will better the stock Bose system, and relize the ttue potential..,..

CAP

Did you install the factory antenna for the GPS or did you tap into the onstar antenna?

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noooo Dont tap the OnStar antenna for the nav unit!!!!! Its way amplified and if you use a splitter, both the Motorola VCIM (OnStar brains) AND the nav unit will send amplification signals to the antenna, potentially frying it. Also, I dont know which voltage of amplfication the nav unit uses and which voltage the VCIM uses. Some GPS recievers use 5 volts, some use 12, some use more. If the VCIM uses, for example, 12 volts and the nav unit uses 5 volts, you could get some backfeed that might fry the nav unit. Just buy the 45 dollar antenna thats meant to go with the nav unit...its not worth the risk that you might fry a 1100 dollar nav unit. I have talked to/helped probably near 100 people who have done the lux amp/nav conversion and install. Not one of them used the OnStar antenna. So I cant say it will/will not work, but there is a risk of frying the nav unit.

---Ben

BTW You dont have the Lux amp...only Denali's, Escalades and early (2003-2004.5) H2's have the lux amp. It depends what kind of sound you want. Going the lux amp route is cheaper and is perfect if you just want nice, rich, smooth "Bose" sound. (i put that in quoates because it DOES sound like a typical Bose system...i cant describe it but there is a distinctive sound to Bose equipment) If you want to blow out windows and make your mirrors shake until you cant see with them, by all means, spend the extra $ and go with an aftermarket system hooked to a nav unit. Personally, I did the lux amp route and couldnt be happier with the sound. Its just enough for me and the bass I find very adequate (even tho most kids my age (18 years old) want enough bass to make the car spontaneously combust). It is a very balanced system, the lux amp is. Set the Mid level at 30%, the treble at 75%, the bass at one notch above 75% and it sounds great (to me). I almost like wowing people with the fact that its a stock system more than showing how many miles away you could hear an (aftermarket) sub. But thats just me...

---Ben

Do a search on Nav. instals. I'v answered alot of the same questions many times. Read through the fourms and dicide for your self what is the best for you. (if your going to do the lux. upgrade be carfull where you get the amp from, www.jpcustoms.com or www.specmo.com sell all this stuff new, I know it's more than you would pay on e-bay but there are no issues with reflashing the amp or Nav. unit to work with your truck) "It aint worth listening to if you can't feel it" and age has nothing to do with it!!!!

I have the JPcustoms package and it came with a separate GPS antenna for the nav which mounts under the dash.

If anyone is interested, I just took the unit out and am trying to sell the touchscreen nav and gps antenna.

Installation is simple. it took less than an hour to do.

I use the OnStar antenna in a 2003 with a Motorala OnCore GPS receiver and it works well. No splitter, I take over the entire antenna. If like me you have no use for OnStar there's no problem, other than finding the connector to mate with the OnStar GPS antenna.

How difficult would it be to get the onstar antenna and mount it on my non-onstar truck?

I heard you can use the cell antenna for a hands-free device, and then use the GPS antenna for the TNS.

Can anyone confirm/deny that?

Thanks

Thanks for all the emails....

Here is the info most of you keep asking me.

Selling the touchscreen Nav part # 15229287 with the GPS antenna and manuals.

No Nav DVD I misplaced it.

I paid $2100 for the complete system a few months ago.

I think this unit will work on any premium Bose amp systems.

Gruffid, that is what i did. The antenna was around $120 from the dealer. You then need extention cables as the leads are only a few inches long. I purchased a couple of xm antenna extentions and the connectors were the same. You then have to find the correct ends for your equipment and splice them on. Mine works excellent. You will need to make sure the cellular frequency of the onstar antenna matches the frequency of your cell phone.

Vsouth,

Did you have a template for drilling the holes in the roof?

GruffId, I did not have a template. My truck came with xm, so I pulled the xm antenna off and measured the holes and then drilled all the same dimensions on the driver side. It may not have been perfect, but it is very close and I can't tell if it is off. Just take your time measuring and it will come out okay.

VSouth,

I don't even have XM yet - future purchase. From what I understand, a drill template comes with it, so from whate I understand, I can just use the same template, and flip it over for the Onstar antenna install.

Thanks,