How to Splice an XM Antenna Wire
By Tom Becker
XM satellite radio has made its way into homes, automobiles and personal audio players, largely on the strength and quality of its reception. Every now and then, XM antennae break or custom lengths of antenna wire may be required for certain applications. Hiring professional audio installers can be expensive. so knowing how to splice XM antenna wire on your own can save time and money. With the right tools and technique, you can splice XM antenna wire with relative ease.
Plug a soldering iron into a power outlet and rest it in its cradle. Allow it to heat up for at least 15 minutes.
Cut both ends of the XM antenna wire cables to be spliced together, using a wire stripper/cutter.
Strip approximately 1 inch of insulation from both ends of the cables to be spliced together, using a coaxial cable stripper.
Cut one 3-inch piece and one 1-inch piece of 1/4-inch heatshrink and slide them onto the end of one of the cables to be spliced. Slide the heatshrink down the length of the cable to avoid heating during the soldering process.
Gather the mesh ground wires from the ends of the cables and twist them into themselves until they form a two single twisted wires.
Solder the solid signal wire to the other solid signal wire with the soldering iron, using quadeutectic solder.
Slide the 1-inch length of heatshrink over the soldered signal wires. Make sure the two twisted mesh wires are free from the heatshrink.
Heat the heatshrink with a heat gun until it shrinks and encloses the soldered signal wires.
Solder the twisted ground wire to the other twisted ground wire with the soldering iron, using quadeutectic solder.
Slide the 3-inch piece of heatshrink over the heatshrink-covered soldered signal wire and the soldered ground wire.
Heat the heatshrink with a heat gun until it shrinks and encloses the soldered signal wires. The XM antenna wire is spliced, covered and ready for use.