2010 Prius - Satellite Radio Signal Weak

[disc0din0]

I'm enjoying the third week of owning my 2010 Pkg IV w/Solar. Great car.... actually got rid of a Benz for it. The only problem I have with the car is the satellite radio. The signal is weak to say the least.

I have satellite radio on my other cars and the reception is much better in the same areas I have poor reception with the Prius. I think the problem is most likely with the whip antenna on the roof. I know there are replacements for this and wanted to see if anyone has had this same issue.

In the long run this won't matter as I'm getting the iPod interface installed and that takes up the SAT port on the audio system, however it is a bit annoying trying to listen to my 80's music when it cuts out all the time.

Thanks,

Dino

[Danny]

The problem's not in the whip antenna, per se. The XM antenna is actually built into that base. The weak XM signal issue is one that I also have.

[Spee1113]

Originally Posted by Danny

The problem's not in the whip antenna, per se. The XM antenna is actually built into that base. The weak XM signal issue is one that I also have.

I'm in the South Florida region and I've had my 2010 for about 2 weeks now and haven't had any problem with the XM Radio thus far. I'm guessing some of the issues may be due to location? Or it may just be XM's weak signal in that particular area.

[raidbuck]

I'm in Bel Air, about 50 miles north of Annapolis. As a fanatic XM listener this is continuing to be a concern as some others say they have problems and others do not. I have no signal problems in the central MD area so I don't think it is the signal. It sounds like a bad antenna because I had a bad antenna and only got 1 or 2 bars at best.

I guess I'll have to see (my IV with Solar is coming Aug 3) before ordering a lifetime subscription. It will be devastating to me if XM is not solid.

Rich N.

[disc0din0]

Originally Posted by raidbuck

I'm in Bel Air, about 50 miles north of Annapolis. As a fanatic XM listener this is continuing to be a concern as some others say they have problems and others do not. I have no signal problems in the central MD area so I don't think it is the signal. It sounds like a bad antenna because I had a bad antenna and only got 1 or 2 bars at best.

I guess I'll have to see (my IV with Solar is coming Aug 3) before ordering a lifetime subscription. It will be devastating to me if XM is not solid.

Rich N.

I don't think the problem is the XM signal. As I stated previously I have XM on my other cars and it works fine in the same spots where the Prius is having issues. The problem is confined either to my vehicle specifically or to the Prius in general.

Spee1113 you confirmed that your SAT radio works fine without any interruptions. If others can confirm this than I could conclude that the problem is my car. More specifically, my car and a weak antenna.

Let's see what others have to say.


Dino


P.S. Both of my other cars have the fin antenna on them... hmmmmmm

[Paradox]

I had Sirius installed in my 2006 (I did it myself, it was a plug and play radio). All it had was one of the new thin magnetic round antennas mounted on the roof. That antenna pulled in great signals compared to my 2010 built in antenna... I would only lose the signal on my 2006 when in a tunnel or in traffic and under an overpass. Now my 2010 cuts out if I'm just under a road of trees! I wonder if this is something that may have a simple fix down the road... I want to keep the XM but if I cannot get the $77 a year deal I don't know if I will.

[Toyotatrio]

I have complained to my local dealership about poor xm signal. i have had sirius (3 units) for ~7 years without any problems. i have a friend with a hyundai with the same problem-he also has a stock radio with xm. could be the area i live in (rural montana) or sat issue. i am waiting to see what they say.

-i also have an issue with slight vibration below my feet when driving on a not-so-smooth road (never felt this in my camry).
-the hybrid tech told me toyota is listening to complaints/problems with the 2010. they want to get it right before they make a million more.

[aapoppa]

Originally Posted by raidbuck

I guess I'll have to see (my IV with Solar is coming Aug 3) before ordering a lifetime subscription.

So you have a high degree of confidence that XM/Sirius is going to be around for a "lifetime?"

Are they making money yet?

[RickFlashman]

Sirius and XM use very different satellite technology. Both also support ground based repeaters, though XM deployed them more aggressively. Here in Orlando, XM is in better line-of-sight and rarelly breaks up, while Sirius is more sensitive to trees, etc. Also, downtown Orlando has a strong XM repeater, without any Sirius equivalent. Yet, I bet in other markets the effect is probably backwards.

[nylion]

Originally Posted by disc0din0

I'm enjoying the third week of owning my 2010 Pkg IV w/Solar. Great car.... actually got rid of a Benz for it. The only problem I have with the car is the satellite radio. The signal is weak to say the least.

I have satellite radio on my other cars and the reception is much better in the same areas I have poor reception with the Prius. I think the problem is most likely with the whip antenna on the roof. I know there are replacements for this and wanted to see if anyone has had this same issue.

In the long run this won't matter as I'm getting the iPod interface installed and that takes up the SAT port on the audio system, however it is a bit annoying trying to listen to my 80's music when it cuts out all the time.

Thanks,


Dino

This complaint has been made on the Gen II's as well. On the Gen II the antenna is on the dash. Reception is noticably poorer in areas with lots of trees. The GenIII moves that to the roof on the base of the antenna. My old Acura had it under the rear window shelf.

I am very sure your GenIII (and mine in a week) will do better than my Gen II. The issues around XM reception make it very difficult to judge reception unless you have two vehicles in the same place at the same time to make comparison. The XM system is like DirecTV (same birds) and uses geosynchronous orbiting satellites. These birds remain stationary over a point on the equator at the same logitude (roughly) as Texas. Trees and other stuff can get in the way of the signal. In big cities, XM has repeaters (terrestrial transmitters on buildings) to improve reception. My guess is that your reception isn't noticably better or worse than with other cars that have roof-mounted antennas. Weather, trees, and lots of other stuff do get in the way. In practice, I have found that within a mile or so of my house, reception is poor. Most other places it is fine.