OEM Satellite Radio

RoyLPita said:
See my signature. I just installed the Escape audiophile raio and the Visteon Sirius satellite radio kit.
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Any pics you can post up for placement and harness routing for the Visteon kit? Prolly some interest for the folks considering getting one.
 
Don't mean to dredge up an old thread, but I finally got the 6 disk audiophile radio installed (which rocks BTW) as well as the factory Sirius receiver and some new speakers which sound much better than stock. Amazingly the receiver I got was already activated. Both the installer and I were thrilled that we were able to test it out right away and I haven't spent a dime on the service (yet).

HOWEVER, the reception is horrific. I mean REALLY bad. It cuts out SO often it's almost impossible to listen to while driving. I mean even on a clear highway, clear line of sight, and a clear night sky, it just won't buffer anything. It cuts out randomly and takes a while to change stations. Very often says 'No signal' even though I get sound. I've been reading that it is a kinda common thing for the factory Ford Sirius units, or maybe I just got a defective one. I don't know. It was professionally installed by a guy that has done a lot of work for me and installed these radios before so it wasn't a botched install. The antenna was placed on the trunk lid lip as opposed to messing up the rear window molding to put it on the roof but I don't think that would be a huge reception issue. I've had Sirius in all my cars ("real" Sirius units) and I have never had an issue and the reception is amazing even through trees and such. I just think the Ford unit is old, junky, and doesn't have a buffer. I could be wrong though. Maybe it's the generic antenna that came with the kit (it does not say Sirius on it but maybe it is and just not openly branded as such) and the so called higher gain antenna like the 'real' sirius one will work better?

I kinda don't have the heart to mess up the sexy lines of the dash with a Sirius unit, but the Starmate 8 which is a relatively new head unit, is black and has a multi colored display so I can match the interior colors so it won't clash at night. Not sure where to put it if I go get it. Might just have to buy it and see what looks good, but I can't live with this crappy reception. I also like the fuctions of the real sirius units, like the playback/rewind and way better display of the songs, etc, but again, those sexy dash lines....

Anyone else had this issue with the factory Sirius radio? Or anyone have suggestions as to what to do with an aftermarket unit? Any install pics would be appreciated.

Rob
 
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My reception is very good. It will go out when I stay under overpasses when at a light, but that is normal. I believe that replacement antennas are available somewhere.
 
RoyLPita said:
My reception is very good. It will go out when I stay under overpasses when at a light, but that is normal. I believe that replacement antennas are available somewhere.
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What antenna do you use? Where is it placed - roof or trunk?

Let me add I bought 3 different kinds of antenna off Amazon and will do testing to see if that is indeed my problem.
 
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Rob said:
What antenna do you use? Where is it placed - roof or trunk?

Let me add I bought 3 different kinds of antenna off Amazon and will do testing to see if that is indeed my problem.
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I mounted mine on the roof in the middle front. The reception is the same when I mounted on the left front roof area.
 
I'll report back when I get my new antennae. I'm thinking roof is the only way to go.

Question: did you run the cable along the molding like usual or drill?
 
Rob said:
I'll report back when I get my new antennae. I'm thinking roof is the only way to go.

Question: did you run the cable along the molding like usual or drill?
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I ran the antenna wiring under the windshield molding.
 
My colleague had Sirius in his car and his house for years. When they jacked the prices and cut down the number of stations for the third time, he told them to go away. They wouldn't make him a deal for anything so he told them to stick it. They didn't actually shut him off for over 8 months, then had the balls to call him up and ask if he wanted to become a subscriber again...for even MORE money. He told them to bugger off.

I work for a major telecom provider and we have policies in place that if a customer wants to disconnect we always try to offer them an enticement to stay. Sirius told my buddy they wouldn't offer him anything. The FCC never should have let them buy XM as they're now the only game in town and their arrogance shows.
 
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