# XM reception question



## jodyguercio (Aug 16, 2007)

I live in the SoCal area (Inland Empire). I have a Roady XT (I think thats it, it was a Xmas present a while back). For some reason I am receiving lots of static thanks to weak FM signals on 88.5. The other stations that I can use are even worse. Whats funny is at certain times and points on my daily freeway commute (15N from 6th St in Norco to Jurupa exit in Ontario) I can even pick up Sirius signals. If I am parked next to someone with XM I can turn off my receiver and listen to what they are listening to clear as a bell. Seems like my unit is just not working as it should. 

Any thoughts as to the problem or solutions? Or should I just wait until the universal units come out and just replace this one?

Thanks.


----------



## davring (Jan 13, 2007)

How close is the sat antenna to your car radio antenna? I have the same radio(Roady) and it was a little tricky to get the right balance


----------



## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

FM modulation, more specifically wireless FM modulation sucks. If your car radio has aux in, use that, if it doesn't I'd get an Aux In adaptor. The difference in sound quality and clarity are night and day going from wireless to a hardwired connection.


----------



## jodyguercio (Aug 16, 2007)

davring said:


> How close is the sat antenna to your car radio antenna? I have the same radio(Roady) and it was a little tricky to get the right balance


Guessing probably 18-24 inches away. But how is it that I can receive another units output clear and crisp on the same antenna and same distance away?


----------



## jodyguercio (Aug 16, 2007)

Steve Mehs said:


> FM modulation, more specifically wireless FM modulation sucks. If your car radio has aux in, use that, if it doesn't I'd get an Aux In adaptor. The difference in sound quality and clarity are night and day going from wireless to a hardwired connection.


Dont know, its a factory radio so I would have to pull the dash apart and listening to the radio aint worth that trouble or paying someone money to do it.


----------



## davring (Jan 13, 2007)

My car radio antenna is in the rear and I have found, believe it or not, the best place for the Roady antenna is on the dash, tucked down low, can't really see it. It sees the sat fine but yet feeds the dash radio strong and seems to eliminate most FM stations from bleeding through. This is in a car I use mostly for over the road and it encounters many different FM stations as I travel. A local installer gave me the tip of the dash placement. I scoffed at first but tried it anyway and it works beautifully. I fully agree with Steve that a direct connection would be much better but I am not into tearing into the dash of my vintage Riviera.(Factory supercharged)


----------



## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

The Sirius bleed may be a result of some rather hot modulators that they turned out in some of the early receivers. The FCC has been on the warpath about this for quite a while and Sirius has been campaigning with those who use them to hardwire them in.

There is an outfit that manufactures harnesses for factory radios to give them aux inputs. They're pretty expensive, but all of the car radio reception problems will go away.


----------



## davring (Jan 13, 2007)

harsh said:


> The Sirius bleed may be a result of some rather hot modulators that they turned out in some of the early receivers. The FCC has been on the warpath about this for quite a while and Sirius has been campaigning with those who use them to hardwire them in.
> 
> There is an outfit that manufactures harnesses for factory radios to give them aux inputs. They're pretty expensive, but all of the car radio reception problems will go away.


Looked into those, my brother uses one and loves it. You are ocrrect, a little pricey, but I did not want to tear into the dash, not on this car as it would be a major nightmare.


----------



## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

davring said:


> I fully agree with Steve that a direct connection would be much better but I am not into tearing into the dash of my vintage Riviera.(Factory supercharged)


1995 or newer is hardly "vintage". By most definitions, "vintage" refers to cars built between 1919 and 1930.

My 1989 Cougar XR-7 is considered a "modern" factory supercharged car. Even the 1990 VW Corrado falls into this class.

I've replace the factory radio with an aftermarket unit due to problems with keeping the separate CD player alive and it has RCA jacks hanging off the back.


----------



## davring (Jan 13, 2007)

harsh said:


> 1995 or newer is hardly "vintage". By most definitions, "vintage" refers to cars built between 1919 and 1930.
> 
> My 1989 Cougar XR-7 is considered a "modern" factory supercharged car. Even the 1990 VW Corrado falls into this class.
> 
> I've replace the factory radio with an aftermarket unit due to problems with keeping the separate CD player alive and it has RCA jacks hanging off the back.


I know "vintage " is not proper, maybe I should have refered to rare or unusual. It is unusual in that it is 12 years old, has just 21,000 miles on it and was purchased from the proverbial "little old lady" original owner, my mother


----------

