Sirius/XM 'Dead zones"

[ilovemygenesis]

I have had my Genesis for 6 weeks now, and every now and then when i'm listening to my satellite radio, it goes in and out mostly when i'm driving under phone lines. Does anyone else have this problem? Also how long do you have the introductory 'free' package. I've seen some places advertise for 1 year, i have a 3 month deal, share your thoughts.

 

[Sim]

Usually sound drops for a second while I slowly drive under overpass.

 

[dataguy]

Never had an issue with XM reception, but I assume that's because I'm in a major city that probably has repeaters when the birds are not in view.

XM subscription with the Tech package is 12 months included. It's listed on the window sticker under the Tech package description and takes precedence over the 3 months that's listed elsewhere on the sticker for the factory radio.

 

[MADDMOE]

12 months for my 4.6 v8 w/ tech & yes i have a location in mount vernon ny , that every time i drive by this corner i lose the xm for about 2-3 city blocks & this location doesnt have anything such as a bridge or anything blocking my roof antenna from the sky up above, im starting to believe this bldg on the corner might be a NSA or CIA bldg & they have something on their bldg blocking signals because i can not for the life of me understand why i keep losing my xm at this same location all the time, spooks cant live with em & you cant live without em

 

[moose66]

I too have experienced a very brief interruption in service. Happens in the same place everytime I drive by. Can't understand what causes the outtage. For what it is worth, the outtage also occurred with the M35 satellite system as well. Same place. So it isn't the vehicle system.

 

[Wordman]

Interesting...

I used to have a similar experience with my appliqué Sirius unit in my old car at exactly the same place on Jamboree Road in Irvine, CA, next to the old Tustin MCAS. It never made sense since I had an unobstructed path to the satellite. Given I have a degree in electrical and electronic engineering, and spent over 20 years working as an engineer for the Marconi Communications company, I can tell you I'm at a total loss as to why this would happen.

Having said all that, I have not had the problem with the XM radio in my Genny, so there's a plus...

 

[HeavyG]

I notice satellite radio drops out a lot when passing under big overpasses, driving around tall buildings or through cuts in mountains. The problem is less noticeable here in the DC area as they have terrestrial repeaters supplementing the satellite signal, but the problems will be worse anywhere else.

 

[ctrcbob]

I see this as a non issue. Yes, once in a while, when I go under a large group of trees, or go around a large building, I lose my XM for a very few seconds, however, this only happens around my home county. I've never had my XM drop out when I was on one of my travels.

BTW, When I first got my XM, I said to myself that when the free year is up, I would just drop it, just as I dropped my Serius in my last car. Well I have changed my mind.
Its not that I love it, but more like I have got used to it, plus I like the idea of having the Traffic Updates when I take a trip. When I drove out to Phoenix (then Roswell) and also when I drove up to Penfield (Rochester) and Lake George, I found that I only listened to XM, and never did listen to the six MP3CD's that I have in the CD player.
Yes, I'm going to have to renew when my free year is up.

 

[ilovemygenesis]

I have experienced drop out when i drive under an overpasses and tall trees as well. Glad to hear it's not an equipment problem, i guess i just have to live with it.

 

[ImInPA]

SAT radio is "line of sight." It generally attempts to buffer a few seconds of sound so that minor interruptions don't cause drop outs. In reality though I think it is just the nature of the beast. I find there are certain areas that drop outs just seem to occur. Then, there are other areas where you can drive for hours and never experience a drop out. Go figure. I have experienced this "feature" of SAT radio in several different vehicles, so I think it is normal behavior. I am truly impressed though with HD radio. Much better dynamics than SAT radio and crystal clear reception when present.

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[dataguy]

I just jinxed myself. Two dropouts in as many days after flawless signal before that. No more than one seconds interruption, and nothing obvious in terms of line of sight.

 

[ilovemygenesis]

The only problem with the HD radio is that it goes in and out quite frequently, but i agree there is a distinctive difference in the quality of sound

 

[meanderthal]

"The nature of the beast", as ImInPA said. I find it easy to live with. In our Woodstock NY environs are 3 places where hills rising abruptly from roadside create signal "shadows" that cause dropouts of 3 or 4 seconds at normal speed. But our area is a dead area for FM anyway, so for 99.99% of the time I am now enjoying jazz that isn't otherwise available.

And speaking of dropouts, we just completed a leisurely 45-day, 10,500 mile "meander" from home to the west and midwest and back in our new V6, during which we encountered only four 2-second dropouts. Last time we made such a trip, there were vast segments where the choice of radio entertainment was either farm reports on the price of cattle feed or else the rantings of fundamentalist preachers exhorting us to change our ways before it's too late. We took that advice, bought the Genesis and now listen to XM Channel 70 instead. We're probably still doomed, but death-by-saxophone seems a much better way to go.

 

[Genesis Canuck]

Just bought 4.6 Tech. Occasional dead zones too. Only lasts a second.

Great tip on the XM for 12 months. they told me only 3 at the dealership, and I was happy with that. Will definitely look into that! Does someone from XM call you, or do you need to reach out?

Finally, I notice on XM you can list by category or channel. I used to do both. However, since I preset my 16 XM stations, when I go to the "Channel List", it only gives me 2 options listing some type of satellite. Anyone seen this? Anyone know how to restore (without doing factory reset) so I can see the full list of channels?

I can see the list of channels when I click on a category, which then lists the channels within that category, but I cannot see the channels when I go to "Channel list".

thx for the help!

 

[moose66]

Should be listed on the window sticker that you have XM Radio/traffic Service for a year by purchasing the V8. The dealership should activate the service for you. You should have to do nothing.

I am no help with the other questions you have.

 

[dataguy]

Not sure whether the year XM service applies to Canadian sales, but I agree that it should be listed on the window sticker and that the dealership should activate the service for you. You can always call XM to confirm using the Radio ID listed when you tune to Ch. 1.

If your channel list is blank, it's probably because the category filter has reset to none. It happens to me every once in a while for no apparent reason.

Go to Settings > XM Radio > Category Filter to select/deselect what appears in the Channel List.

Hope that helps.

 

[moose66]

Not sure whether the year XM service applies to Canadian sales, but I agree that it should be listed on the window sticker and that the dealership should activate the service for you.

Good point. Didn't even notice that this was a Canadian vehicle. Could very well be different complimentary periods from the V8's sold in the US. No doubt we get a year here in the US.

 

[dataguy]

Aside from the rumor that the year package is going away for the 2010 model, I'm pretty sure that the year of XM Everything and NavTraffic comes with the Technology Package option on both the 3.8 and 4.6. Everything else is 90 days.

 

[medhat]

I'm expecting my free XM trial to end at the end of 3 months in my non-tech 4.6 (tech packages in both V6 and V8 get a free 1 year). I don't expect to renew, because my "free" radio reception doesn't cut out underneath bridges or trees, and we don't get (and don't need) live traffic info.