XM Prius

holy crap..that is a total ripoff. what are they replacing for that 750? You can buy a new head unit, and 4 new speakers for that price.

 

Not sure if the problem is similar, but my wife's 2011 Honda Odyssey has a similar issue with XM. Always says "loading" no matter what channel you try to tune, and when you try to look up the Radio ID (by tuning to channel 0), the radio ID field is blank on the display.

I had the van in for service last week for something else, and asked them to check the XM radio. They said it was a problem with the radio, and they ordered a new part. It is getting replaced on Tuesday - I will see how much the part costs then (it is still under extended warranty, so is covered in my case).

 

My buddy had a similar issue in his Audi A4. I simply went to his factory Sirius box, unplugged every plug, gave it 1 minute, plugged it all back in, and voila! Success!

Might work for you.

 

Well - I didn't get to see the cost of the XM unit for the Odyssey. I got to see the total cost (without warranty) and it was about $1100, but this included a replacement of the power rear hatch assembly.

 

If the dealer told you what you need, try checking on eBay or Car-Part.com for a used one.

 

Mine did the same thing during the trial last fall. (bought it used) It had been working great for days then all of the sudden 'no signal'. I did notice however that when I got near the interstate, the nav traffic would show on the nav screen. Punch the xm button and I had signal again. However, as soon as I ventured 50 yards off the interstate the signal would drop out again. Bizzare but I know it is related somehow but tech support was no help.

I haven't chased it since I don't really have any interest in a subscription. Back when this happened there was another thread that suggested issues to check with the antenna cable.
Sirus cutting in and out? | PriusChat

 

I had the same "no signal" problem with SiriusXm on my factory installed JBL radio in 2010 Prius. I performed numerous SiriusXm signal refreshes and had radio reset by radio technician. Nothing worked. I purchased a new antenna for $14.95 with the required interface cable for $59.95 and installed the new antenna myself behind the factory antenna. Problem is mostly resolved!. Yes, I still recieve "no signal" when driving between large buildings and under freeway bridges, but nothing like my original problem.

 

I was getting no signal on for the XM satellite radio on my 2010 Prius as well. I had tried re-activating the radio multiple times, but didn't even get any audio on the preview channel.

I ultimately resolved my problem by replacing the XM antenna module that was internal to the antenna base with an XM antenna module from an old Delphi XM Roady 2 that was no longer being used. It requires some patience in working with tiny parts and some cutting, stripping, and soldering of wires, but it got the job done.
After reading several threads on this subject, It sounded like replacing the antenna base was the solution. However, when I went to purchase a replacement, I had several dealers give me several different part numbers. There were some that were priced at $150 and some that were priced at $292. This caused me some doubt as to whether I was ordering the right part if I ordered it myself online and some frustration at the idea of spending nearly $300 on an antenna base that may start experiencing the same problem down the road.
If you are technically inclined or know someone who is and is willing to help you, these satellite radio antennas are not hard to find for comparatively cheap prices $10 - $30 approximately if you don't have one lying around as I did.
I will warn you that there are some small metal pieces from the connectors that connect the antenna base to the wiring harness that you could break if you are not careful. In that case, you would either have to proceed with the purchase of a replacement base or try to find replacement parts for the connector.

Here is a summary of some of the steps and some highlights that might be useful.

There are others who have written detailed accounts of their replacement of the antenna base, so I won't go into much detail regarding the removal of the base.

Gain access to the underside of the antenna base and the connectors that connect the antenna base to the wiring harness by separating the headliner from the roof at the rear-most portion of the roofs.
Disconnect the antenna from the wiring harness
Remove the nut that holds the antenna base to the roof and carefully move the antenna base (to avoid damaging the wires on the sharp metal).
Identify the XM antenna unit in the antenna base
I did this by disconnecting one lead of the connection to the wiring harness at a time then turning on the car and observing the signal performance (no AM, no FM, no XM, etc) to verify which connection contained the wires I was looking for (When the XM antenna was not plugged into the wiring harness, the XM radio displayed an "ANTENNA" message instead of the "NO SIGNAL" message). Further isolation the XM antenna specifically was accomplished with a continuity test using a multimeter.
In my case, the XM antenna was the square module furthest from the antenna mast and circuit board (toward the front of the car). It appears to the left in the image below (ping/beige coloring) and was connected to the white plastic connector with two black wires (as opposed to the two gray wires that ran to the other connector). I'm assuming that like models would be configured the same way, but I can't guarantee it.

Remove the XM antenna module
You can release the XM antenna using a small jeweler's screwdriver to gently pry up the two tabs of the black plastic frame that surrounds the module.
You will also need to remove the four screws that hold down the white-bordered module to the right so that you can remove/install the wire that connects the XM antenna module. You might be able to avoid this if you have the soldering tools/skills to unsolder the module and solder up the replacement at this point. I had neither the tools nor the skills to perform this type of board-level soldering work, so I opted to release the connector and wire from the white connector (seen in the picture above - wire already remove and wrapped in yellow electrical tape) and keep the existing wire from the replacement antenna (seen in the picture below). The process of removing the wire from the connector and connecting the new wire was the most time-consuming part of this project, as it involves working with small parts that will not tolerate a lot of force before breaking.

Removing the metal connector from the white plastic connector can be accomplished - note some seams toward the middle of the white plastic connector (seen in picture below, this section -circled in red- will slide up). There is a notch on the top of the connector that will allow you to pry this middle section up slightly so that the metal internal parts of the connector can be released and slide out of the white plastic connector. Do not pry it up too far. Inside the connector, there are some small tabs that can be pried up slightly to release the metal components from the white plastic connector.

Once released, the center, metal portion of the connector will need to be carefully pried open to release the wire (as seen below) before the wire can be replaced. The core section that remains attached to the wire will also need to be removed for reuse, but it is so small that I found it easier to cut the wire and use solder to connect the replacement wire to it rather than trying to pry it open. Note that the core section and the metal cladding that surrounds it in the wire should not be in contact with one another when you reassemble the connector - make sure to leave some of the inner insulator on the core of the wire and fold the cladding back over the outside of the wire.as you observed when you unfolded the outer-most metal connector. In the picture below, the inner insulator that surrounds the core of the wire is clear in color so it is hard to see.

Once you've successfully separated the wire from the connector, you can reverse the process to connect the replacement wire.

Install the new XM antenna module.
Once you've removed the old XM antenna module, you can reverse the process to install the new one. Below you can see the replacement module installed.

Test the new module.


I suspect the XM antenna module degrades over time due to exposure to the elements. Hopefully this one lasts a little longer than the last one.

Good luck to you if you choose to follow this path in resolving your issue. Hopefully this post is helpful.

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I pretty well knew what your problem was by just looking at the thread title although the dealer may have used a special antenna signal strength meter. Just change the Antenna Base itself with a new one. Accessing the antenna base is the hard part . You can get the correct part number from a dealer's parts department by supplying your vin. In my case an updated part was available so buying a used one may not be a good idea. I ended up saving money online. See link and pdf attachment. Prius v Antenna XM Satellite Fading | PriusChat