# Can you use two Sirius antennas for better car reception



## jrprich

Can you use two Sirius antennas for better car reception ?

If so, where can I locate a Y adapter to do this ?


----------



## DrDon

Very doubtful. And it'll take more than a simple Y adapter since cable lengths at those frequencies would have to be dead on exact. If you're losing signal a lot in open areas, you might check the connections on the antenna you have, or just try a new one. Just about anything that blocks a view of the southern sky is going to give you issues.


I found this phase-matching combiner if you want to try, but I kind of doubt you're going to see the kind of gain you're hoping for. http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp...u=709483006140


----------



## jrprich




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *DrDon* /forum/post/18391819
> 
> 
> Very doubtful. And it'll take more than a simple Y adapter since cable lengths at those frequencies would have to be dead on exact. If you're losing signal a lot in open areas, you might check the connections on the antenna you have, or just try a new one. Just about anything that blocks a view of the southern sky is going to give you issues.
> 
> 
> I found this phase-matching combiner if you want to try, but I kind of doubt you're going to see the kind of gain you're hoping for. http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp...u=709483006140



Thanks,


I figured it would be more than I hoped. The issue is my car is a 99 Corvette no metal panels. I have had my antenna on a sheet metal L bracket just under the rear panel pointing skyward for about three years. Works fine out in the open, but even some trees overhanging the road will cause signal loss. So I asked around and many other Vette owners place their antennas on top of the dash in the right corner. Rather than removing the old antenna and rewiring I plan to place a new antenna in that location.


Thanks again,


Jim


----------



## calarado

I do love my Sirius Radio but I would have to say a downfalll to Satallite radio is the reception disruptions. I bought the cassette option to avoid static from local radio stations but I am working on the best location for the antenna. I find that placing the antenna on the dashboard right where the windshield meets, is best for 2 reasons.

1. I never wanted to go in and throughout my car's upholstery.

2. I used to switch it between vehicles until I bought 2 docking stations.

Anyway unless your radio is going in and out constantly I think it is a small price to pay. My radio goes out in tunnels, under overpasses and in a few rural and wooded areas, only.

Check out TSS Radio


----------



## ClubSteeler

Sirius reception is great.


Recently did a 1000 mile car trip and had one drop out for 1 second, through mountains, etc....


NEVER.


May I repeat... NEVER put the antenna ANYWHERE inside your car. Not on the dash... It goes on the roof. PERIOD.


With the really high elliptical orbits of teh norther satellite combines with the XM-like geostationary satellite in teh south, if you are having reception problems, there is one of 2 causes:


#1) You antenna is a few years old and it has been found that they can corrode inside, and you should get a new one.


#2) You've gona against Sirius' recommendations and have done something stupid like putting the antenna on your dashboard.


PS - Never, EVER let some lazy installer at Best Buy tell you that it's OK to put the antenna on the dash. That's unacceptable.


Read the manual for your radio. It shows you wheer to mount the antenna, and not one option is inside the car. On top of that, the manual states, and I quote:

"Warning: Be sure not to cut, damage, or punture the external jacket of the antenna cable during installation procedure. damage to the antenna cable can degrade the sirius signal or make it unavailable...... Do not shorten the cable by cutting it. Doing so will cause the antenna not to function properly."


And on the DOs/Don'ts section:


DO NOT MOUNT YOUR ANTENNA INSIDE THE VEHICLE, FOR EXAMPLE ON THE DASHBOARD.


==============================


Folks, many of your are causing your own problems.


Here's an example of a manual from a radio:
http://www.tss-radio.com/images/SV5TK1Manualsm.pdf 


Pay close attention to pages 20 and 34.


----------



## barbie845




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *jrprich* /forum/post/18390863
> 
> 
> Can you use two Sirius antennas for better car reception ?
> 
> If so, where can I locate a Y adapter to do this ?



I doubt it. Line of sight is line of sight. With any Satellite device, TV or Radio if you lose the line of sight you will have drop-outs. There's nothing that can change that..


So if there's tress or buildings(unless there's a ground repeater in the area) or mountains or hills in the way you are going to experience drop-outs. That's one of the bugaboos concerning a portable XM or Sirius devices. The reception with these portable units are more prone to line of sight problems so portable reception for the most part sux. Car reception is much better, but 1 or 2 or even 3 antennas won't fix the line of sight problem.


So even if you could hook 2 antennas into one unit I doubt it will help at all.


----------



## Davird_Jr




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *barbie845* /forum/post/18403033
> 
> 
> Line of sight is line of sight. With any Satellite device, TV or Radio if you lose the line of sight you will have drop-outs. There's nothing that can change that..



That is really my only complaint with Sat radio, the dropouts. We live in the mountains and there are a lot of dead spots. We have two cars and both lose XM signal in the same places. Between our house and town (10 miles) there are 4 dropout areas and it drops there every time. One car has the factory mounted ant on the rear roof and the other has portable mounted on front roof, both drop the same. When we get away from our mountains we rarely get dropouts and it is sweet. Too bad they couldn't improve this somehow. Not enough mountain customers to force their hand though I bet.


----------



## barbie845




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *Davird_Jr* /forum/post/18404455
> 
> 
> That is really my only complaint with Sat radio, the dropouts. We live in the mountains and there are a lot of dead spots. We have two cars and both lose XM signal in the same places. Between our house and town (10 miles) there are 4 dropout areas and it drops there every time. One car has the factory mounted ant on the rear roof and the other has portable mounted on front roof, both drop the same. When we get away from our mountains we rarely get dropouts and it is sweet. Too bad they couldn't improve this somehow. Not enough mountain customers to force their hand though I bet.



In the cities they have ground repeaters. Without them the reception would be terrible because of the buildings, so both services have ground repeaters in the larger metropolitan cities. The repeaters only cover, I think, 5-10 miles or so.. So in the cities they work, but in the country and mountains it wouldn't be practical. Both Sirius and XM would need thousands of repeaters. The cost would be astronomical.


Line of sight does have its limitations.


----------



## DrDon

Bickering posts removed. Infractions issued. Further fighting will result in loss of posting privileges.


----------



## ClubSteeler

I always like to give the advice to at least put it outside with an unobstructed sky view. AT first, I used a wire tie to attack teh antenna to a broom stick and hammered it into my yard outside a window.


Don't think of satellite radio as radio, think of it as satellite TV without the pictures. Would you put your tv dish in your house? Actually that "could" work, but not recommended. Same with satellite radio. The satellites are very high in the sky, and I highly recommend, whenever possible, to get that antenna outside of both the home and the car.


Oh and don't rely on the ground repeaters, because apparently they are not reliable.


----------



## RRRoger

*using two antenna for my XM radio*

I have a different reason for wanting to use two antenna.
My Truck has a rack above it that interfers with the signal.
Putting a single antenna above that has always been knocked off.
There is a safe place on each side on top of the utility boxes.
Between them I would have complete coverage of the sky.

I have three antenna and may just try splicing two of them.
Don't understand the cable length thing but will keep that in mind.
wish me luck!


----------



## merlpebtall

the idea l like it,utting a single antenna above that has always been knocked off.There is a safe place on each side on top of the utility boxes.Between them I would have complete coverage of the sky.







thanks for your sharing


----------



## RRRoger

*XM Radio Antennas*

I installed the two antenna atop the utility boxes and hooked up one to my xm radio.
So far a lot better reception than even above the rack.
Why chance splicing them when it works so good?


----------



## Don Goll

RRRoger said:


> I installed the two antenna atop the utility boxes and hooked up one to my xm radio.
> So far a lot better reception than even above the rack.
> Why chance splicing them when it works so good?


How did you do the wiring, just splice them? And is it still better reception?


----------



## RRRoger

Don Goll said:


> How did you do the wiring, just splice them? And is it still better reception?


Yes the best reception so far as I never tried this location on the Utiliy box before.
It is even better than on top of the rack and does not get knocked off.

I used the magnetic antennae and ran the wires behind the pick up truck cab and up thru the shifter boot.
After pluging the driverside one into the shure connect cable, I did not even try the other side because it worked so well.
It locks on fast and I no longer have the drop outs.


----------



## stevec50

RRRoger said:


> I have a different reason for wanting to use two antenna.
> My Truck has a rack above it that interfers with the signal.
> Putting a single antenna above that has always been knocked off.
> There is a safe place on each side on top of the utility boxes.
> Between them I would have complete coverage of the sky.
> 
> I have three antenna and may just try splicing two of them.
> Don't understand the cable length thing but will keep that in mind.
> wish me luck!


I've tried using 2 antennas but it doesn't help. What improves reception the most is using one of the new high gain antennas. While the old one was a black plastic square about 1" across the new high gain ones are round, about 2" in diameter and black with a silver disc about 1" in diameter in the center. You can find them on Ebay for about $15 if you search for High Gain Sirius antenna. Using the old antenna the signal would cut out if I stopped under a tree but with the new antenna it still plays!


----------



## RRRoger

stevec50 said:


> I've tried using 2 antennas but it doesn't help. What improves reception the most is using one of the new high gain antennas. While the old one was a black plastic square about 1" across the new high gain ones are round, about 2" in diameter and black with a silver disc about 1" in diameter in the center. You can find them on Ebay for about $15 if you search for High Gain Sirius antenna. Using the old antenna the signal would cut out if I stopped under a tree but with the new antenna it still plays!


Steve, that is good to know.
If I start having problems again, I will try the more powerfull antennae.


----------

