I'm guessing the XM sat antenna is in the sharkfin? Has anyone played with OEM sat radio antennas before? I wouldn't mind getting something better.....even in areas that trees aren't covering 100% of the sky, it still cuts out!!!! Worse than any vehicle I've had with XM. For a mid-top end car, I'd expect better. Is there a computer hack to lower the squelch?
XM reception sucks. Any add-ons or mods?
- Thread starter riff42
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Doubt there's a mod to fix the reception. Reception is a factor of your location. S/Xm only has two satellites, most of the reception is covered by ground transmitters located atop buildings, towers, etc. If you're away from big cities you're relying on the satellite(s) and with two coverage ain't gonna be great.
Be interesting to know your general location.
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Delaware. My Mini had only minor issues, as does my R1200RT in woody areas....but the CX5 seems to cut out when there are only minor trees around. I live in a pretty woody area, and drive a good amount through that and open areas. Same travels, different car. And I can tell the CX5 is just....lacking. Maybe it's just mine, but that seems odd to have issues from one person to another. :-/
That's funny, I'm in northern Delaware. XM in our Honda will cut out in wooded areas also but not to the point of distraction. The Honda has a twisted antenna that's about 10 inches high, much different from the shark fin. Maybe the shark fins are not as receptive but look better. You may want to talk to the dealer and verify that the fin is the actual XM antenna. I don't have XM in my CX-5 so I can't compare reception between my Honda and Mazda.
Don't know, but in XM I am getting significantly richer sound than FM and almost as good as HD Radio. This across multiple channels of music. I have purposefully tried the FM channels which have a XM equivalent.
Not just you. My car has the same issue, XM craps out ALL the time, for darn near any reason. Overpass, trees, adjacent buildings, canyons, etc. The signal is very weak in this car.
It's about bandwidth, bandwidth, bandwidth....
http://xmfan.net/viewtopic.php?t=115557&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
That's WHY Pandora streaming at higher BIT RATES will sound a lot better than lower streaming bit rate music. Spotify offers high streaming bit rates but it requires a subscription.
Manufacturers try to cram a lot of sound/data but that hurts the quality of the sound. That's why BluRay sounds and looks better than regular DVD's. BluRays can handle larger amounts of data on the disc while DVD's cannot.
http://xmfan.net/viewtopic.php?t=115557&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
That's WHY Pandora streaming at higher BIT RATES will sound a lot better than lower streaming bit rate music. Spotify offers high streaming bit rates but it requires a subscription.
Manufacturers try to cram a lot of sound/data but that hurts the quality of the sound. That's why BluRay sounds and looks better than regular DVD's. BluRays can handle larger amounts of data on the disc while DVD's cannot.
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I don't know. My 2010 F-150 has such weak signal it will crap out just from a few trees. Lord help you if there are skyscrapers or even a natural canyon. I find it unusable in my truck. I guess the problem lies with XM Radio (unless you happen to live in an area of the country with good reception).
No problems with our 2016. I live in a pretty rural areal and Im sure it's relying purely on satellites most of the time. Cuts out occasionally in a heavily tree lined canyon I sometimes drive, but far less than my 2016 Honda Accord or my previous 2010 Accord.
It's under warranty, might mention the bad reception to the dealer and see what they might be able to do.
It's under warranty, might mention the bad reception to the dealer and see what they might be able to do.
I certainly think the FM antenna is weak. Actually it may be its location that's the problem. Haven't found it yet.
Why have an antenna signal amplifier if you can't provide it with something to amplify?
Well yeah, but I'm talking actual signal quality here. I already know sound quality is in the shitter.
both are in the S-band around the same 2.4Ghz....could be. Though, WiFi isn't restricted to 2.4Ghz
Is the Wifi easy to turn off to see if XM changes?
