Sirius XM’s New Satellite Up And Running
While official word has not yet been released, we have the understanding that Sirius XM’s new satellite is up and operational. The new satellite was launched at the end of the second quarter and has been undergoing various tests prior to the company accepting delivery and pumping content through to subscribers.
This latest satellite was contracted by Sirius Satellite radio prior to the merger. Unlike the other satellites in the Sirius constellation, this satellite sits in a fixed geostationary orbit. This satellite is more powerful than the higher orbiting satellites utilized by Sirius in the past. Subscribers to the Sirius feed may notice changes in reception in areas where they were getting “drop-outs” in the past.
If you are a Sirius subscriber, we here at SiriusBuzz would be interested in knowing if anyone notices any differences in their reception of the Sirius signal.
Position – Long Sirius XM Radio
I have noticed ZERO drop outs, at my house, which is a first. Thank God. The drop outs drove me nuts. Now I’m sane. A friend of mine cancelled his subscription because of drop outs, so now I’ll tell him it might be safe to return.
YES! I have been waiting years for this. My office window faces west and I would get maybe 1 1/2 to 2 hours of Sirius radio. As of this week, I get Sirius ALL DAY LONG with the antenna facing west. I am VERY PLEASED!
Sorry, I should have said the antenna is facing EAST, not WEST.
I have an OEM Sirius radio in my car. Reception in the Washington, DC area is terrible. I have noticed no improvement recently. My daughter also has a Sirius OEM radio in her car and she too has terrible reception. My car is new and I am in the trial period. There is no way that I would activate this radio. For comparison, I previously used an XM Inno and got solid reception almost everywhere I went.
That said, I am fairly sure that my experiences have little to do with the satellites. XM has this city well covered with repeaters.
btw, will someone please explain to me how this new satellite fits in with the previous ones? Did they go down to only one of the three previous satellites active at any given time?
thanks
A big improvement. I live in an apt facing SE and only had 6 hours of reception/day when the orbiting sat went far enough S that I could receive it. Starting last night around 10pm I’ve had steady reception for 24 hours.
I can tell the differnce in SW Ohio. I have a Sportster 4 that I plug into a Sirius “boombox” to listen indoors. I would normally have 2 out of 3 bars on my signal and would occasionally have to readjust the antenna. This week I have 3 bars at all times, no matter where in the house I am. Love it. My wife and I fall asleep at night listening to the radio, so it’s great not having to move the antenna around.
In Philadelphia, I noticed when I was on Vine Street going under an overpass, which is like a small, 1/4 mile tunnel, it did not drop the signal. I was waiting for it to drop but never did.
Then again, I can drive by a tree lines road, just on one side and it drops momentarily. So who knows.
I always had to move my antenna a couple times a day in the house to maintain reception. Now my signal strength meter shows almost full strength all the time, no matter what direction i point it. Sirus has done good.
In fact I got reception on my Stilletto in a part of my apartment that I never could before.
At first I was disappointed with the new satellite then I realized I needed to fix the direction of my antenna. I think the aim point might be a little farther north for those living in Indiana to get a max signal from FM-5. After a little work I found a great place for the antenna and now I’m getting very few blips in the signal.
Thank You Sirius! Been looking forward to this one for a while.
No diferrence for me outside anntenna west norhth west from boston..7 bars lit solid. Is there a difference in pointig the attenna ?
Wow…hooked up my old Audiovox boombox. My apartment has no line of sight to the “sweet spot” (over MN, supposedly) so I’ve always had to tape the antenna to a six-foot cardboard tube and hang it out my window with a counterweight to get reception.
Now I have the antenna sitting on my windowsill pointed roughly north (in Central PA) and NOT A SINGLE DROPOUT ALL DAY. Locked on two bars, with an occasional jump to three earlier this afternoon. Reminds me of when I lived in Pittsburgh, under the shadow of a terrestrial repeater! Finally I can listen to Sirius without hanging makeshift hardware six feet out my window! I’m thrilled!
If the new Sirius FM 5 is on line reception in southern Nevada
has degraded at my home. The antenna has a view from the north to the east. It seems a satellite is shut down and reception is lost for 1/2 hour our so around every 8 hrs.
My home blocks eastern and southern satellite reception.
In the past reception was never lost.
Rulon….
I have heard a similar complaint from someone in Colorado. I think what is happening is that Sirius XM is turning off the higly eliptical satellites earlier than they used to. Those in the west seem to have similar issues that you are experiencing.
Your best action would be to call the company, get a manager, and ask them to take note of your location. If enough people from a similar geographic region are having the issue, the company should take the steps needed.
Log in to Nasa Science Clik on digital radio and you will see the track.. make an icon so you may see where the satellite is whenever you want.. It will show the sattelites in a gigure 8 orbit while the XM is rotating the earth in a fixed straight motion orbiting the earth.Sirus ! is at the lower tip of South America and #2 and #3 are due north. It is 2:47 PM in Boston, signal reading is a solid 7 on an outside anntenna.
For 3 weeks now, I have been experiencing 60-90 minute dropouts occuring like clockwork at 1:04 PM and 9:10 PM Eastern time. My antenna orientation has been in the same position for 3 1/2 years and has operated flawlessly. I live in north Atlanta, GA. Is anyone experiencing the same problem? I have called Sirius Tech Support 5-6 times and cannot get a straight answer.Thanks.
I checked the times today on dropout in Mesquite Nevada. My home antenna has worked well for several years located on the north side of my home.Here is this mornings times:
9/09/2009 lost signal at 10:04 AM PT
9/09/2009 fade in and out starts at 10:15 AM PT
9/09/2009 lost signal around 10:20 PT
9/09/2009 full audio returns at 10:25 PT
I expect around 8 hours from 10:04 AM another dropout
event will take place as sirius 1 2 and 3 are south of the equator for 8 hours and north of the equator for 16 hours.
Perhaps others can post drop out times.
I have Sirius Conductor for my home and, with the antenna in the Window facing NW, usually got only 3 of 9 bars, and occasionally 6 bars, with drop outs at infrequent (yet inconvenient) intervals. I just moved the antenna slightly towards SW (towards Texas) and now get at least 6 bars and sometimes a full 9 bars, with no dropouts to report yet. I see that the new satellite is not only more powerful, but is able to direct even stronger signals to the major population centers on the East and West coast. Kudos to Sirius.
I used to get 3 bars on the antenna signal strength; now I consistently get at least 6, and sometimes more. My reception used to suck – now I have no complaints (at least for the past 2 1/2 weeks). This satellite has made a big difference… or… a miracle has occured!
BIG IMPROVEMENT. G-R-E-A-T
Since last week (9 Sep, 2009), there has been a major improvement in my home reception (using an indoor antenna) of Sirius Radio. I hope this is permanent.
—– KC
For the past year, I had attached my indoor antenna to a snow rake pole in order to get it up by a sky-lite window in the ceiling – about 12 feet high. Had to do this because I’m surrounded by woods, and reception at every window was impossible. Now, all I have to do is place the antenna on the floor in the same room; it doesn’t even have to be directly under the ceiling window – works practically anywhere in the room!
What a relief to not have to constantly redirect the antenna. I hope this isn’t a temporary situation, because the way it was…. was driving me nuts.
I had the dealer install Sirius in my new car in July, ‘08. As a subscriber and as an investor I was extremely umhappy with the number of dropouts I was getting not only in expected areas around heavy foliage, but even in a “clear” area. I live in Nassau County, NY, a close in suburb of NYC. I wondered if XM was as bad as this, with their geosynchronous satellites.
I also thought that, although I hadn’t heard much chatter on it, that this had to be affecting the take-up rate.
Anyway new satellite, no dropouts. I wonder if this is a signal that when Sirius and XM finally integrate their delivery that XM’s satellite scheme will be the one chosen.