In a message dated 08/03/2008 11:06:00 P.M. Central Standard Time,
LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:

Re:  Sirius radio antenna for Westfalia

        OK, time for some comments  from a long time Westy SIRIUS user.  If
you search the archives  you will find all of my previous posts on this
subject.  Under the  Fiberglas luggage rack is not ideal for a few reasons.  When the
luggage  rack is full of stuff it will limped good reception especially in
fringe  areas.  I learned this rather quickly long ago.  The Fiberglas  also
itself impedes the reception, a lot of you don't seem to notice this  as your in
very good reception areas.  Wait until you get in the fringe  areas.  Then
another very important consideration is when camping.   You may find a suitable,
ideal campsite with heavy tree coverage as we did in  the La Manzanilla VW Bus
Camp under the Coconut Palm trees or other antenna  blockage and you may find
it beneficial to move the antenna while camped to a  location that allows it
to work for you.  If it's under the luggage rack  then you will have a lot of
work to do to get it out.  Since there is such  a long cable on the antenna
you can most likely move it to a location that will  work.  So, where do I have
mine now ?  Well, it now glued with  GOOP to the top edge of the luggage rack
just left of the RH front luggage  rack cleat.  I can pull it off rather
quickly and put it elsewhere then  glue it back.  I had it previously mounted on
the front leading  edge of the luggage rack with double sided tape but found
that the more  South we got here in Mexico it would loose it's signal often due
to this  angle.  Moving it to the top of the rack solved this problem.  I still
 get intermittent signal lose here in Mexico due to the large amount of stuff
on  the luggage rack which blocks the signal from certain angles and also the
heavy  tree coverage along the MEX 200 which  can only be resolved with a
major tree cutting campaign.  I'm now thinking to mount it temporarily to  the
top of the luggage with a small bungee or other similar device.  BTW, I  am
currently in La Manzanilla on the West coast and further South of Acapulco it
stops working altogether.   I have been as far North as Rouyn-Noranda,  Quebec
without any signal loss when it was attached to the front edge of the  rack.

Please note that I will be away from my  business travelling in Mexico from
November 19, 2007 until April 30, 2008.  Parts orders will be processed
although not as quickly as usual.  I  will always be available for contact by E-mail.
 If you phone your  call will be addressed by Greg T. Brown here and he will
either call you back or  advise you to contact me directly by E-mail.  Details
of this adventure are  at _Buses in  Zamora_
(http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/Busesinzamora/) .  A Travel Blog is at: _Zamora Blog_
(http://poolio.net/zamorablog/)

Cheers,

Frank  Condelli

Almonte, Ontario, Canada
'87 Westy & Lionel Trains (_Collection for sale_
(http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/trainsal.htm) )
_Frank Condelli &  Associates_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html)
- Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley
_Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust  Systems_
(http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/exhaust.htm)
_BusFusion_ (http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm)  a VW Camper
camping event, Almonte, ON, June, 2008