I have really gotten tired of the signal going out while driving. I know it has something to do with the microwave towers I drive by. I can tell you exactly when and where the signal will be lost and in S. Florida, it is ALOT! Are there any solutions to this? Sirius seems to know nothing about this problem. I am "the only one" that has complained about this. Yeah, right........
Gee, judging by the sea of responses, maybe you are the only one with signal problems.
While I currently have XM, I also had Sirius for several years. I always found the Sirius signal to be superior to XM, at least in the regions I traveled in. I would typically lose the XM signal in areas I always had the Sirius signal in. I live in the Northeast, but traveled across country with Sirius several years back. At the time, I loaded my Sirius receiver into a U-Haul truck, tossed the antenna up on the dash, and drove from Brooklyn to L.A. In close to 3000 miles across the Plains, Rockies, and deserts, I never really lost the signal. Only when driving into California did it start to degrade, and that's probably because the satellite was behind me, and the truck body blocked the signal.
My memory of S. Florida is it's flat terrain. You certainly shouldn't have any geographic barriers to the signal.
Are you using a permanently installed car-based Sirius receiver, or a self-installed receiver such as the Starmate? If self-installed, antenna placement on your vehicle may be an issue.
I too am having problems with losing signal. I live in San Antonio, Texas, and I'm having the same problem. I too can tell you where I'm gonna lose the signal. I just purchased my new vehicle in May, and I have called Sirius several times about this problem, their solution was to buy a portable device that I can carry in my vehicle so I don't have that problem. I also called the dealer that sold me the vehicle, because the one I traded in had Sirius also and never had a problem with the signal, what the dealer did was replace my antenna and also replaced the radio, installed a new one, and still I'm having problems. Don't know what to do anymore, other than not pay for the Sirius anymore and just listen to my music on my MP3, or just regular redid, which I hate cuz of all the commercials. HELP!
I have a factory installed radio in my Jeep. Had this problem since I got it. Only goes out when I approach an antenna.
If your radio is factory installed from the dealership, you should have them check the antenna connection. But if you have that portable sat radios, then you need to call sirius or where you purchased it from.
I am having problems keeping a good signal, usually when driving near tall trees or ridges that block the signal. I installed a factory "add-on" antenna to my factory radio, as it didn't come with one and I can't easily drill a hole in the roof to install an antenna. I've mounted it on the cowl in front of the windshield. I'm wondering if I could improve my reception if I mounted the antenna on a small piece of steel plate and then grounded the plate to the vehicle? My car is mostly aluminum, doors, hood, etc. and the roof is steel but I don't want to put it up there with a wire showing. I had a similar setup on my previous car and didn't experience the degree of signal loss I do on this one. I am moving the antenna around on the cowl to various positions to see if it is better one place than another, but I'm skeptical this will help much. Any suggestions?
Run the wire to the back of the car and snake it out the trunk seal. Place the antenna on the back of the trunk so the wire doesn't get pinched when the trunk is opened and closed.
If your rear window ever breaks, you have your chance to run the wire out the top of the rear window and stick it to the roof.
Charles LaRocca
SiriusBuzz Founder
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