Poor XM reception

[eric n]

My tech pack drops signal and cuts out pretty frequently. Bridges, Tunnels, tall buildings (Vegas Strip), even tall trees cuts it out. The quality or lack there of affects the sound quality of songs quite negatively, but I use it more for sports, comedy, politics....

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[johnny1]

It does sound like maybe its an area issue with some. As I said here in southeast Kansas mine works perfectly. The newer truck I traded for Shelby had XM and if in the carport (obviously due to metal roof blocking signal) I would show no signal till I backed out. But with the Shelby Sirius I still have a signal and radio plays just fine in the carport.

 

[Tank]

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 (same location) throughout the day.

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 if fading 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 somethings (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. 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.

I too have been a Sirius subscriber for years...I've noticed over the past few years a steady decrease in reception in whatever vehicle I am driving. Seems to coincide with the merge with the two companies. Your description of the satellites makes sense but then again, my magnetic antenna in seems to have developed a scallop so it might be time for me to replace it

 

[Diana]

South Florida the reception should be good, wide open areas, this car's XM keeps cutting off and searching. Never had the same issues in other cars. Have refreshed signal multiple times.
Will ask dealer to check it.

 

[NHMatt]

I too have been a Sirius subscriber for years...I've noticed over the past few years a steady decrease in reception in whatever vehicle I am driving. Seems to coincide with the merge with the two companies. Your description of the satellites makes sense but then again, my magnetic antenna in seems to have developed a scallop so it might be time for me to replace it

Fortunately, the magnetic antennas are pretty cheap and easy to come by. If that's the culprit, it's a "cheap fix".

 

[NHMatt]

My tech pack drops signal and cuts out pretty frequently. Bridges, Tunnels, tall buildings (Vegas Strip), even tall trees cuts it out. The quality or lack there of affects the sound quality of songs quite negatively, but I use it more for sports, comedy, politics....

Tall buildings (skycrapers), bridges and tunnels (unless they have installed terrestrial "repeaters" to re-broadcast the signal in those areas) are nearly guaranteed to cause the signal to drop.

Without a repeater, line-of-sight "visibility" to the horizon (in the general direction of the satellite(s)) is required to maintain the signal (other than just a bit of buffering)...

 

[FHGT350R]

Ok... so I happen to know little bit about this one...

There are always the line of site issues such as maybe a tall building. If your car can't see the sky the satellite can't see your car.

Also the WCS (2300MHz Band) was sold to telecom companies in recent years and it is directly adjacent to the frequency band that Sirius/XM uses. The terrible filter that Sirius uses allows interference from the adjacent band. It's an ongoing optimization process between XM and wireless carriers.

 

[barstowpo]

The dealer replaced my antenna and it still stinks. Power poles and street lights interfere with mine.

 

[Wine dude]

The worst, it cuts out in wide open areas recurrently even places where my other car doesn't

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