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Poor XM reception

barstowpo

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Has anyone come up with a solution for our poor XM reception?
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GT_Dave

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I've never had poor XM reception, don't need a solution.
Get it fixed under warranty.
 

TDC

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Unless you want to listen to Howard Stern or are in a poor cell phone reception area, ditch XM and get something like Apple Music, Pandora or Spotify
 

johnny1

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I am probably one of the few but I still like my XM and it works just fine in my car.
 

stanglife

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I don't know about poor reception but IME, XM generally has shitty sound quality due to compression.
 

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Hack

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I have noticed that when I'm in an area with a lot of tall buildings I had poor reception, but I did drive through ND and I was pleasantly surprised to have good reception there.
 
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barstowpo

barstowpo

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I like XM too. It is not the sound quality I have an issue with. Even telephone poles interfere with the signal. I don't really trust the dealer to do much as they can't install splitters correctly and won't even view the install video. I'm told the antenna lead is split to provide NAV with a signal.
 

drainey

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I do not use because it did not work in the DFW area for me. Did not get it after the free trial.
 

chops44

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My reception blows but it has since day 1 and there are no tall buildings where I frequently travel.
 

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NHMatt

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I've been an XM (and Sirius before the merger) subscriber for many years... (and I'm an overall RF geek) Here are just a few things to consider:

- XM satellites were geosynchronous (always in the same position of the sky), Sirius satellites (which I believe is what they're migrating/have migrated to) are not, over the course of the day, the satellites move in a 'figure 8' pattern. This is important because reception could change at different times of the day (at the same location).

I have noticed that on cloudy days (significant terrain, tall buildings, etc) have been affecting receive strength a bit more in recent months. I'm not sure if this is because some (all?) of their satellites are reaching their end-of-life (and therefore RF output is beginning to fade a bit), or what.. but...

What I would suggest, is find another vehicle in the spots/at the times you're having reception issues and do an A/B comparison. If the other vehicle's reception is fine, but yours is not, it could be a damaged antenna, antenna cable or faulty connection with the radio itself, and merely have it fixed as a previous post suggested. If the other car is experiencing reception problems at the same time and location as you, it's just a bad "spot" due to terrain, coverage, etc.

The antenna cables and connectors are sometimes (SUPER) tiny, and can easily be damaged or not seated properly. Also, a crimped antenna cable, or one with damaged shielding may greatly diminish signal strength at the satellite radio frequencies (just below 2.4GHz wifi). Doing the A/B comparison should make it apparent if the equipment/installation is the issue.

Good luck! Please let us know what you are able to find.
 
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Yetitime

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I have similar issues where it will just cut out, then come back and cut out again. I drive my truck the same route and it does not do it but the car does and its random. I haven't taken to my dealer as I fear they will say its due to the aftermarket speakers I put in.

I plan to go away from XM but am interested if there is an actually problem and fix.
 
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barstowpo

barstowpo

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I have 3 other cars with XM ans none are as bad as my GT350. They don't lose signal at all around telephone poles but the Shelby does. I hate to take it to the dealer.
 

SpursFan

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I had great reception out on west coast with zero dropped signals compared to my Cayenne which drops at most overpasses. I did however not renew my subscription due to the horrible sound quality. Streaming via iHeart radio sounds better than XM and FM.
 

GT 350

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Both my 2015 GT350 and my 2016 F-150 have XM reception issues here in the Dallas metroplex. When I drive out of town on trips, I never have issues with it in my truck. Something is going on here around Dallas and the reception is poor.
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