Best place for satellite antena?

Mattlock18 · Mattlock18's Garage

I had Circuit City install the necessary items and antena over the weekend and, much to my dismay, am getting horrible reception. The mounted the antena in the center of my dash - I thought it was supposed to be mounted outside. I wan't too happy with the way that looked, but thought maybe that was the best location. Clearly not. Can anyone recommend a better location so that I don't lose my signal when I get within 20 yards of a tree.

thanks,

rusnak · 05-21-2007, 10:50 AM

First, try to call your satellite service and ask them to send you a stronger signal. Explain to them that you are getting bad reception. Don't tell them that your antenna is inside the car, and they'll send you a clearer signal.

chgrec · chgrec's Garage

I put mine (when I had my 911) on the top edge of the hood just before the vent. I ran the wire inside the hood support frame, down the hood hinge and into the cabin going through an existing hole in the bulkhead.....

never had any issues with signal...

Chris

mthomas58 · 05-21-2007, 10:54 AM

Is your satellite radio wired directly to your radio (seperate module required) or is it sending an FM signal to your radio to be picked up by FM stations 88.1, 88.3....etc. Typically, Circuit City will do the cheaper install and then add (and charge) for the hardwire module if you're getting bad reception.

If the latter and you are getting bad reception change the frequency on the sat radio and try different stations to receive the signal.

I've got the antenna mounted on the dash and have had no problems.

This is the type of adapter to get if FM signal pickup does not work for you.

http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Terk%20XMD1000%20XM%20Direct%20Satellite%20Radio :1991592607

unclebilly · unclebilly's Garage

I put mine on a rear speaker grill in the trga - it worked just fine.

Terry Neer · 05-21-2007, 11:49 AM

Mines inside, right in the middle of the dash. I have no problems at all.

Greek55 · 05-21-2007, 11:54 AM

My magnet antenna is next to the windshield washer squirter and picks up really well.

rouxroux · 05-21-2007, 12:18 PM

Inside, center of dash. No problems except in the "obvious" areas such as tall buildings, trees, etc.

Scott R · Scott R's Garage

Depending on which service you have, XM is experiencing some issues right now with reception. This has been going on now since yesterday, something has gone wrong with one of their birds.

Here is some detail on the issue:

http://www.xmfan.com/viewtopic.php?t=80511

My XM receiver is dead, no signal. Sirius is working well, guess these things happen.

rusnak · 05-21-2007, 01:48 PM

XM has better coverage of their terrestrial (fm transmission) network. Here in central California there is no terrestrial signal from Sirius, so you have problems with trees and buildings with Sirius but not usually with XM. XM switches seamlessly to terrestrial when the satellite is blocked, unless you live in an area where there is no terrestrial coverage.

However, Sirius has far better sound quality than XM. I switched from XM even though their music selection is better because I just have to have good sound quality.

Both services require you to periodically call them and get your signal refreshed. Even cellular phones require you to occasionally power off to reacquire a new signal.

I agree with mounting the antenna in the center of the dash, but I did lose a bit of the leather dye when I removed the antenna later. I figure this is still better than losing paint on the roof. I tried the engine grill but with the tail this is not possible.

911pcars · 05-21-2007, 10:36 PM

Did you find an answer?

Top of IP
Rear shelf
front hood lid

In your case, the interior IP isn't giving you a good signal. The best signal reception is when the antenna mounts on a large flat metal area. However, in many cases, the installation location is decided by the ease of installation and aesthetic considerations. Mounting the antenna close to the receiver is most convenient, and routing the antenna wire to the top of the IP is pretty easy; slightly less convenience is on the front hood. The rear is even less convenient. A roof location (LF, RF, LR or RR corner) is potentially the most effective location for your vehicle. However, that location is going to create the biggest installation challenge.

If you have any antenna wire slack (look for a lock-tied bundle), temporarily mount the antenna at various locations and see what works best for you.

Sherwood

KCinBR · KCinBR's Garage

In my 88 Targa it's mounted on the windshield frame above the rearview mirror