[RonC]

Hi everyone. Has anyone else had this problem with their XM?

I'll be listening fine and then.... nothing. No sound and the display shows alternately, "loading" or the channel number. The radio and CD work fine, but switching back to Sat does nothing. Turning the head unit off and back on doesn't help either. The only way I have been able the get the XM working again is to turn the car off and restart, which is really annoying when I don't have to stop (like when I'm on I-95). It does this about 1-2/week. I've had the XM for about a month; its the OEM XM setup installed by the dealer. Any thoughts or suggestions on what to check before going back to the dealer? Thanks bunches!

RonC
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04 Polished Pewter, SE AWD

 

[jaak]

Besides changing the unit, I would suspect a problem with the antenna or antenna wires.. If they are crimped, or severely bent, that would cause enough signal loss to do that.

If you can try another antenna on it and the problem goes away, that's your answer. Otherwise, you may want to return the receiver unit for a warranty replacement.

 

[RonC]

Thanks Jaak. I'll check the antenna. If the antenna is the source of the troubles shouldn't I get the 'No Signal' message?

On the subject of antennas, what kind are most people using? The one I got with the XM install was a magnetic mount unit about the size of a computer mouse (might be a Terk?)

RonC

 

[jaak]

What you describe as the problem, is familiar to me, when I'm parked in my garage. Since part of the house is in the way, the signal is greatly reduced making reception marginal. If there's a problem with your antenna, or the wires coming from it, it would create a similar problem. It might be interesting to take some metal, maybe aluminum foil and hold it over the antenna to see if it kills your signal completely. If it does it, very easily, then the signal level to your receiver may be marginal and a fault in the antenna or cabling could be the culprit. If it doesn't seem to make a difference, then I'd suspect a receiver problem. (Although this could be the case either way.)