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cork1958
Extreme Fan
Joined: 02 Dec 2008
Posts: 208
Location: Michigan
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 Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 7:30 am Post subject: [Solved] Antenna aiming |
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My manual for XM radio says to point the antenna out a southern window, but when browsing around the Sirius site, they have a little graph like that indicates I should be pointing it north/northwest.
I'm in West Michigan and the graph from the Sirius site says the satellite is located like right above Minnesota, which WOULD be north/northwest.
I do get full signal most of the time aiming it out a southern window, but only if I have the receiver hooked up to stero in basement. Won't work at all hooked up to stero upstairs. I'm thinking that might be because of the extra wide eves above window, although that is doubtful as I have a HUMONGOUS picture window that will allow me to drop the antenna all the way down to the floor, for what should be a pretty good view of the sky.
Anyway,
Simple part of the question is this:
Do I point the thing south or north/northwest?
Would go ahead and just try this, but with receiver hooked to stero downstairs, it's a pain in the butt getting behind the stero to connect/disconnect.
Thank you
Last edited by cork1958 on Sun Dec 07, 2008 10:14 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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derek1079
I miss you
Joined: 27 Dec 2005
Posts: 205
Location: Columbus, OH
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 10:31 am Post subject: |
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Sirius and XM each have a different set of satellites. XM's are stationary (relative to the earth), and Sirius's orbit in a figure 8 pattern, centered over Minnesota. So if you have an "XM" radio, yes, point it south. If you have a "Sirius" radio, point towards MN.
Even though it is one company now, you still need to point each "company's" radios' antennae differently. |
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Speedcouch
Everyday Listener
Joined: 30 Mar 2005
Posts: 51
Location: Maryland
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 10:31 am Post subject: |
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Interesting question! I have been getting a lot of break-ups in my signal here at work lately. Especially this morning (around 7 a.m). I have the atenna the same place on my desk I've had it every winter for the last 4 years (have to move it in the summer because of leaves on the tree outside my window). 
Cheryl
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daver40
Mildly Amused XM Fan
Joined: 29 Apr 2003
Posts: 11689
Location: Binghamton. NY
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 11:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Speedcouch wrote: | Interesting question! I have been getting a lot of break-ups in my signal here at work lately. Especially this morning (around 7 a.m). I have the atenna the same place on my desk I've had it every winter for the last 4 years (have to move it in the summer because of leaves on the tree outside my window).
Cheryl |
Is someone running a microwave around 7 am?
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Considering a cosmetic lobotomy.
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ebubman
Everyday Listener
Joined: 20 Nov 2005
Posts: 56
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| Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 5:47 am Post subject: |
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| here in south central pa we too have been experiencing many breakups of xm signal. this occurs primarily at nite at our home & typically evenings when we are driving around our township. not sure what's up but it was not always this way. bub |
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Speedcouch
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Joined: 30 Mar 2005
Posts: 51
Location: Maryland
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| Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 7:32 am Post subject: |
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| daver40 wrote: | | Is someone running a microwave around 7 am? |
Only me at times, but not yesterday...
Just a lot more cut-outs even in the car/truck. Last night, when my husband and I were out after work, it kept cutting out on his built-in unit in the truck.
Cheryl
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runnoft
XM 24/7
Joined: 10 Jun 2008
Posts: 665
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| Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 9:00 am Post subject: |
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| Speedcouch wrote: | Interesting question! I have been getting a lot of break-ups in my signal here at work lately. Especially this morning (around 7 a.m). I have the atenna the same place on my desk I've had it every winter for the last 4 years (have to move it in the summer because of leaves on the tree outside my window).
Cheryl |
Cheryl, I don't know what's up with your husband's truck reception, but if your office is in a city, and you were previously receiving XM not directly from the satellite but from terrestrial repeaters, as many people in cities do (because the tall buildings block satellite reception), many people experienced worse reception from the repeaters when Sirius and XM officially merged radio on November 12th. The reason for the decline, as I recall (we had another thread about this recently that you can search for, for more detail) was that as part of the agreement with the FCC that allowed the merger, Sirius XM had to agree to shutoff some of the terrestrial repeaters which were broadcasting with too strong a signal, again only as I recall, or where there was signal overlap, something like that, in certain areas. So some people who got XM fine until then started having problems.
Also, from time-to-time, a repeater goes down, and it can stay down for weeks or months until they get around to fixing it.
But if you started having problems right around Nov. 12th, it's most likely because they shut off a repeater near you, permanently. |
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cork1958
Extreme Fan
Joined: 02 Dec 2008
Posts: 208
Location: Michigan
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| Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 10:43 pm Post subject: |
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| derek1079 wrote: | Sirius and XM each have a different set of satellites. XM's are stationary (relative to the earth), and Sirius's orbit in a figure 8 pattern, centered over Minnesota. So if you have an "XM" radio, yes, point it south. If you have a "Sirius" radio, point towards MN.
Even though it is one company now, you still need to point each "company's" radios' antennae differently. |
Man!
Somehow missed your reply the couple times I've been back to this thread. Got so intrigued about Cheryl's reply saying it was an intriguing question that I overlooked your reply!
Thanks too! |
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