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XM antenna

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by jmanning, Mar 11, 2008.

  1. jmanning

    jmanning New Member

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    Hayward, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Does anyone know the recommended installation placement for the XM satellite antenna. Just had mine installed and Toyota placed it on the dash passenger side and I get spotty reception. I would think it would get better all around reception on the roof above the hatchback.
     
  2. The Root

    The Root Desert Dweller

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    Mine is also on the dash, passenger side. I've had it about three weeks and reception is great...no noticeable difference compared to my roof mounted XM antenna on my Infiniti G35. Now that it is warming up here in the desert, I will be using my front sunshade (obtained very easily on the BT site here on PriusChat) regularly and I am a bit concerned about knocking the antenna around a bit as I place/remove this shade a few times a day.
     
  3. JimboK

    JimboK One owner, low mileage

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    Mine's on the dash too, on the driver's side. Besides reception dropping in the usual places like tunnels and parking decks, it also drops out in the summer when there's a thick overhead canopy from large trees lining both sides of the road. Mine is self-installed, and the dropouts aren't frequent enough or long enough on my typical routes to justify taking the time to route the wire through the car.

    But having said that, if reception is unsatisfactory, I would ask your dealer to move it to the roof. It likely will be better there. You presumably paid good money for the radio and the install, and it's not unreasonable to expect consistent performance.
     
  4. bbald123

    bbald123 Thermodynamics Law Enforcement

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    Mine is on the roof above the hatch between the hatch gutter and the normal radio antenna. Dealer installed there.
     
  5. saminjax

    saminjax Member

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    Mine, too (on the roof between the hatch and normal antenna). So far, so good.
     
  6. MJ Daniels

    MJ Daniels Member

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    +1 more on the roof for my XM Roadie

    I mounted it myself and also mounted the Gillson external antenna for the Garmin Quest GPS on the roof.

    No problems so far but I have not run it through the car wash yet. The reception has been flawless on both the XM and the GPS. Prior to mounting them here, there were a lot of dropouts on both. Both units work fine on the interior of other vehicles so there is something about the Prius windshield (either the slope or tint or something) that does not like satellite antenni.

    Roof mount was the fix for me although I haven't yet measured the reduction in MPG now that I've increased the air flow resistance! :eek:
     
  7. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
    Staff Member

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    Mine's under this.........
    [​IMG]
     
  8. abq sfr

    abq sfr New Member

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    Ditto... My mag mount has been there for a year, gone through many car washes with no problem. Be aware, if you are in a large urban area you are probably receiving XM from a terrestrial repeater, not a satellite. Go to antenna aiming on your receiver and see which has greater signal. I used to have a link to a map of the repeaters, think it's in a previous thread on PC. Here's a list...

    Akron
    Albany
    Albuquerque
    Atlanta
    Austin
    Birmingham
    Boston
    Buffalo
    Charlotte
    Chicago
    Cincinnati
    Clevland
    Columbus
    Dayton
    Denver
    Detroit
    Dallas/Ft. Worth
    Greensboro
    Greenville, SC
    Harrisburg
    Hartford
    Houston
    Indianapolis
    Jacksonville
    Kansas City
    Knoxville
    Los Angeles
    Louisville
    Las Vegas
    Memphis
    Miami
    Milwaukee
    Minneapolis
    Monterey
    Nashville
    Norfolk
    New Orleans
    New York City
    Oklahoma City
    Orlando
    Philidelphia/Wilmington
    Phoenix/Tucson
    Pittsburgh
    Portland
    Providence
    Raleigh
    Richmond
    Rochester
    Sacramento
    San Antonio
    San Diego
    Seattle
    San Francisco
    Salt Lake City
    Springfield, MA
    St. Louis
    Syracuse
    Tampa
    Toledo
    Washington DC/Baltimore
     
  9. Steamboatsig

    Steamboatsig Member

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    2013 Prius Plug-in
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    Plug-in Base
    Mine was mounted right behind the stock radio antenna. I have no issues with reception.
    [​IMG]