I do use the remote but the lid must be up as it`s an I.R. remote. I don`t have any reception problems,never worse than two signal strength(out of three) bars. I used to have a sportster replay and had to remove it from the cradle when the lid was closed. With the sportster 5 it`s small enough to leave in place and when wired to the cigarette lighter it retains power when the key is removed. That allows me to press pause when I go into a store and pick the program right back up when I return.

 

I have the PAL (iPod interface). It has an AUX in port on the side (red and white, L and R). My Sirius Sportster is also in the upper glove box. I bought the cable that has the headphone jack on one end and the red and white RCAs on the other. All cabling running down behind the dash. Sirius is plugged into the PAL and is accessed through the head unit -- one of the options for selecting music is AUX IN (others are All Songs, Playlists, etc.). I pulled the 12v plug out of the console and rerouted it to the back and plugged the Sirius power cord in there, securing it with electrical tape to prevent it from coming apart where I can't reach it. Popped the 12v cover back of the now-empty hole, put it all back together, and I have no visible wires anywhere around my dash, and all my music and radio is handled through the factory unit (except, of course, turning the Sirius on and off and changing the channel). It's all within easy reach, but it also out of sight. A great set-up, me thinks.

 

I was waiting for either this, or the module to provide me Sirius in the stock Pioneer changer/XM unit my '08 SS came with... but, on early news, it looks like I'll have to pay MORE than I was as a Siri subscriber to get what I want on a combined Siri/XM stream (my 3 freebie months are about to expire; and I have a ~$250 credit with Sirius).