Interesting feedback on the GPS antenna as I just completed the install of a new Kenwood DNX-6990 and was trying to find the best location as well. Even in the garage, I was getting full GPS signal strength with the antenna sitting on top of the head unit. I have not looked at the number of satellites it is locking into, but the couple times I have used, the reception has been great.

But I do like the location of your mic as that was still on my to do list.

 

Hi, I had read that some guys were placing the ant on the hu, and saying it was a good location, that is why I initially tried it there, it is the easiest place to put it. But my experience was that it was not accurate most of the time. there were times when it appeared accurate, and at those times I would check the sats acquired, and it would be 3. But most of the time, especially around tall bldgs and out in the sticks, it was not and was only acquiring 1 or 2 sats. It never acquired more than 3 when on the hu. I suppose that if placed on a different place on the hu, it may have found more sats, if it had better line of sight a few inches one direction or the other, but I didn't want to have to take it apart again, so I searched for a location that gave me the most sats, and the brace was it, and it was so easy to get it on to the brace that it was the perfect solution for me. Now after driving it for a day in many locales and always getting 8 or more sats, I am satisfied that it is the best location for me. I am not disputing that some may have found success with it on the hu, as I read that some did, it just wasn't good enough in my attempt.
The mic is very easy to place in the pictured location. Just hide the cord in the seam, and ds tape to the dash. I made a few calls using it, and the people on the other end said that it was clear as a bell.
Luck

 

I figured out to check the satellites and even in the garage, I have 10 locked in and full strength on the meter. We will see how it works as I start to use it, but I can always move it later if needed.

Did you use the mic clip or just adhere it directly to the underside of the dash? Mine came with a u-shaped metal bracket that attaches with small piece of applied 3M tape, which is going to make mounting it a little tough.

 

Hello, If you are getting 10 sats and strong signal even in your garage, I would venture to say that your antenna placement is excellent, and you would probably not have to move it, which I think proves that a few inches one direction or the other makes a big difference under the dash. And that under the dash placement works well when you find the sweet spot.
My mic came as 2 pieces, 1 is the mic itself with a small base as pictured. The other piece is a u shaped plastic clip, with a recessed area for the mic to slide and clip into. They also provided a small piece of double sided 3m tape the size of the mic base, to facilitate mounting using the clip or the mic with tape and no clip. I used the mic with no clip, and taped the base to the dash using the tape provided. Make sure to clean with alcohol the mic base and the dash where you are sticking it to. As long as the surfaces are clean, and you don't ruin the tape by touching the sticky parts it will stick great. If your mic is one piece and is u shaped, you may be able to cut the u bracket to be left with a straight base to work with.
Luck

 

I thought that looked like a base on your mic and seems like a much better design than one the came with my Nav unit. I have a couple ideas I plan to try out when I get a chance to pull the dash apart, but I may end up looking for a different style mic in lieu of trying to make this one work.

 

Hi, I have seen a picture of the mic for the kenwood, it is not a lot different than mine. Just a small bit larger. It could be mounted the same way, utilizing the ds tape on the u clip, and mounting to the underside of the dash. It would fit in just as well as mine. Pull up console, remove drv side side panel, plug in 3.5 to back of hu, hide wire in seam of dash up to mounting area, tape, and close it all back up. Shouldn't take more than 1/2 hour.
Luck

 

What HU did you have before you swapped in the Pioneer? I have a shaker 1000 and would like to do it myself but I don't want to replace anything but the HU and the door / rear deck speakers. I've got a handle on the speakers as I have the harnesses and have swapped the speakers on almost every stang I have...it's just making sure the 1000 sub in the trunk can still function along with everything else.

 

Hi, My car had the Shaker 500. I installed the Avic x940bt, Koolerton BU Camera, and a Pioneer CD-R510 remote. I used the Scosche Dash Kit, and the Scosche FDSR adapter harness. I also wired in the diode to the sub return line coming from the subs to the Scosche module to keep it from rebooting during heavy volume usage. The !000 can use the same Scosche FDSR adapter harness, which allows you to retain all the car's features, EG: retained power, speed sensor, and no pop when turning on and off the unit. The 1000's subs will work as designed when wired correctly using this adapter. There are other ways to wire it to keep the subs working properly, the FDSR just makes it a lot easier.
Luck