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Satellite radio antenna location

33K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  Tishers 
#1 ·
Where is the satellite radio antenna located ? Is it the one on the roof on the back of the car ? Or is it the extra wiring in the rear hatch window ? Or is it somewhere else ? I had my car serviced couple of days ago ( working on the dash for the rattle mystery ), and since I got it back I get intermittent and inconsistent satellite signal loss , and not to do with some loose cable" I think" as it happens on smooth roads, and is not affected by bumps. Could be also from XM company themselves, not sure yet.
 
#7 ·
Interesting, I haven't had any dropouts at all. Could be they are working on the Sirius system, but not the XM system. Dropouts are usually caused by obstruction of the signal, e.g., extreme terrain, large buildings, summer foliage. If you have dropouts in areas where the signal is normally good, and nothing new is obstructing the antenna, it's possible they may have disturbed the cable/connector. It locks into the head unit pretty securely though, so it would require a strong yank to do any damage.

Sirius antenna is on the roof (incorporated in sharkfin on 2016s).
Just for clarity, our Subarus have XM receivers, not Sirius. So, technically, we have XM antennas (but both signals cover similar frequencies, so not really that much different). The systems are still separate despite the merger - this is why you don't get certain premium Sirius channels without an upgrade (Stern). But, yes, it's in the sharkfin (or "puck" if you have a 2015) located on the roof.
 
#8 ·
You're right, it's XM. Anyway what they told me is they're updating some receivers in my area ( Montreal, QC ) and they should be done by the weekend. I'll wait to see if that works before going back to dealer and removing radio to diagnose connection.
 
#9 ·
I have the shark fin on my 2017 , The thing is in the way of the new roof rack I am installing. I need to get rid of it and get something smaller if available. The pic shows the disconnected plug, 2 separate coax's, anyone know what they are for? One I figured out as the xm radio , I get the message on my dash "antenna disconnected". The AM and FM work fine with the disconnect.
Ideally I would like to just swap out the shark fin got something smaller profile, probably from subaru as I've learned that the plugs are all different for different car makers.
2 local dealerships seem clueless, maybe I've not been steered to the correct person.I did stop at a local audio aftermarket shop and they seem to think the 2 coax's are for the xm, one for xm satellite and the other for xm terrestrial antenna.
any help appreciated.
2.5 premium no nav.
Thanks
avid hiker, can you confirm that a 2015 puck antenna will plug into my wiring?
 

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#11 ·
thanks for that.
I'm still looking for a smaller profile antenna to replace the big, in the way shark. anyone know of one, oem or aftermarket that will plug into existing wiring??
and yes, I've done the "search" thing
 
#12 ·
I'm still looking for a smaller profile antenna to replace the big, in the way shark. anyone know of one, oem or aftermarket that will plug into existing wiring??
The MY 2015 antenna was much lower profile, but it was SiriusXm only, and did not include the cell antenna. Unfortunately for you, antennas like this need to be carefully matched to their respective receivers. You can't just hack around on cables and connectors like you sometimes can with audio or DC power wiring.
 
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#13 ·
OH, so it's not a helicopter, lol (went to A school in Millington NATTC in 68 )
I'll have to look at how the wiring is bundled and see if I might be able to reroute coax to side window . I actually do not think I'll ever use star link or pay for radio. Maybe I'll remove fin and see how much dead space is in there, possibly cut down housing or fab one up.
Thanks again
Tim
 
#14 ·
Heh. If you do decide to replace the XM antenna with something smaller, I suspect it will work if done correctly. Maybe not as good as stock, but it should be close. Of course, splicing into coax like this is not advisable without the proper crimping tools and connectors (if you want to have some semblance of the original signal quality), so your options may be limited.

Can't say I'm surprised the dealerships are of no help. I've also tried a couple custom antenna shops on the internet and nobody seems to know much about these connectors. I was trying to tap into the XM connection at the head unit end so I could route it to a portable receiver I use. I've made some measurements and the SMB connector does appear to be sufficiently similar. You can get low-profile SMB magnet-mounts which work well, but most come with 12 feet of very small diameter coax which would probably be a real PITA to splice, if you can even find the right connectors (I haven't found any). This one, however, has a shortened cord, which would probably be ideal for you: 4-Foot XM Radio Micro Car Antenna

Myradiostore.com also used to make custom connectors for XM antennas (although that was several years ago, when they were based in CT), so you might try contacting them if you need assistance. The SMB on this micro antenna is the female end (accepts the pin and collar of the male), and male-to-male SMB adapters are available depending on what you're plugging into.
FYI, to make my adapter, I ended up plugging the female end of the XM antenna cable into this male plug (which contains the same male connector that Subaru is using, just in a different jack):
Metra 40-LX11 Antenna Adapter Connect a new car stereo to the factory antenna select 2009-up Toyota, Lexus, Scion, and Subaru vehicles at Crutchfield.com
I then crimped an SMB to the other end. This works - I can use the car's XM antenna to feed my portable receiver, although the signal does seem to be a little weaker, but doesn't generally cause problems. These are powered antennas, so the antenna system must be similar in my portable unit, otherwise I'd imagine it wouldn't work at all.
 
#15 ·
I yanked the shark fin off .. Here is what's inside the case. Lots of dead air and 2 antenna's. I'm guessing the xm is the small flat one in there front and the aft, tall one is for the star link .
Pics for your added enjoyment.
I need something to fill the hole in the roof, be heading to the dealer tomorrow with fin in hand. If I can get the xm only flat square I'ld be happy for around $30 in the parts book.There is enough antenna coax to reroute the star link to the rear most driver side window and mount it on the plastic interior side panel.
 

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#17 ·
No, the antenna fin housing is secured to the roof with a nut that screws onto the threaded section where the coax passes through the antenna base. See Dumpster Fire's pic #3 in the post above, which shows the nut that must be removed to lift the fin off the roof.

You need to access the nut from the rear edge of the headliner at the tailgate but you might also be able to gain access via the hole where the overhead light "barely shines" onto the rear cargo area. This would require a long wrench...and I can't recall offhand if it would be do-able as I dropped the whole headliner in replacing the racks. Might be easier to spend the time meticulously masking around the base of the fin than removing the fin... Hope this is helpful.
 
#18 ·
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