POLL: those w/ XM, where is your antenna mounted?

theNEOone

Diamond Member
Apr 22, 2001
5,745
4
81
i'm getting occasional interference/static on my xm receiver, and i'm trying to narrow down the possible problems.....


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Feb 24, 2001
14,513
4
81
I have mine mounted just above the driver door of my Trailblazer, next to the window. It may sound odd, but it looks really cool for some reason :cool:

Get a lot of people asking about it.

I'd guess an electrical problem with the wiring. XM is digital, so it either comes in or it doesn't, should never be static (only drops).

You install it yourself?
 

Anubis

No Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
78,712
427
126
tbqhwy.com
mine is on the rear window of my car in the middle

Signal is clear 98% of the time

only goes out at random intersections in some cities and on roads that are sorrounded by big cliffs
 

theNEOone

Diamond Member
Apr 22, 2001
5,745
4
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Originally posted by: BrunoPuntzJones
I have mine mounted just above the driver door of my Trailblazer, next to the window. It may sound odd, but it looks really cool for some reason :cool:

Get a lot of people asking about it.

I'd guess an electrical problem with the wiring. XM is digital, so it either comes in or it doesn't, should never be static (only drops).

You install it yourself?

well, i say static and interference because i don't know of any way to describe it. i guess "drop" is just fine. so, with your antenna in that particular position, do you get any drops?

i got the xm installed by sound advice.


=|
 

imported_weadjust

Golden Member
Apr 23, 2004
1,561
1
0
XM subscriber since 02. Antenna mounted on the roof of my Ford F-150 truck.

The only time I have ever lost the signal is going through the fast food and bank drive thru windows with a roof overhead.

I live in MS so trees, mountains, tunnels, etc are not a problem
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
the system is builtin to the acura TL. The antenna is on the rear of the roof.

Rarely, almost never do I get any static or dropouts.
 

sillymofo

Banned
Aug 11, 2003
5,817
2
0
I have one on top of the trunk, in the middle of it on one car. The other car, I have a micro antenna mounted on the dash (almost to where the dashboard left tweeter sits, if you have dash tweeters in your car). I have more problem with the one on the trunk, maybe because it's Serius.
 

Freejack2

Diamond Member
Dec 31, 2000
7,751
8
91
Mine is mounted on the roof between the front and back doors on the drivers side. Seems like I'm getting more dropouts than I used to though. :(
 
Feb 24, 2001
14,513
4
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As best I can tell the satellite is somewhere in the southern sky. Mine will drop out if I'm under a roof (bank drive-thru) and don't have a good line-of-sight. Stuff like trees don't seem to matter. Have anything to the south that would be obstructing the LOS?
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
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Originally posted by: BrunoPuntzJones
As best I can tell the satellite is somewhere in the southern sky. Mine will drop out if I'm under a roof (bank drive-thru) and don't have a good line-of-sight. Stuff like trees don't seem to matter. Have anything to the south that would be obstructing the LOS?

I thought it would hop onto a cell tower if it lost the satellite?
 

theNEOone

Diamond Member
Apr 22, 2001
5,745
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Originally posted by: spidey07
Originally posted by: BrunoPuntzJones
As best I can tell the satellite is somewhere in the southern sky. Mine will drop out if I'm under a roof (bank drive-thru) and don't have a good line-of-sight. Stuff like trees don't seem to matter. Have anything to the south that would be obstructing the LOS?

I thought it would hop onto a cell tower if it lost the satellite?
yes, there are "repeater towers" that amplify and reflect the satellie signal, but AFAIK it's only in certain areas that have problem w/ signal penetration, i.e. dense skyscrapers, canyons or mountainous regions, etc.


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TubStain

Senior member
Apr 19, 2001
935
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0
I have my Sirius antenna located on the top of my car. I used to have it in the middle of the speakers on the rear deck, but then I moved it outside when the warm weather hit in and I could actually do a good job on the wiring without freezing my fingers.

Either way I noticed only a slight change in drop outs, usually only when going under an overpass or bridge it delays less than it used to.
 

OMG1Penguin

Senior member
Jul 25, 2004
659
0
0
Mine is on my trunk, right against the back window.
I don't get static, and it only drops out under drive-throughs.
Alpine box and deck.

No static on my old (self-install) car either, but the signal would drop out during the rain cuz it was one of those big antenna dealies that transmitted the signal through the glass, and I think water got underneath it when it rained since my back window was a bit rounded.

EDIT: It takes a good ~5 seconds for the signal to drop out inside a tunnel... maybe different recievers have different amounts of buffering?