What Is the Best Place for an XM Antenna?

Identification

SiriusXM is a satellite radio company formed by the merger between Sirius and XM. XM satellite radio, one of their services, allows users to pay for a wide range of satellite radio channels. These channels include everything from specialized music stations to talk shows to sports programming.

As part of the XM satellite radio service, users receive their radio stations via an antenna that is hooked up to an XM satellite unit. For users who want XM service in their vehicles, there are two types of antennas: standard and magnetic. Aside from the ways in which these antennas are mounted, vehicle antennas follow the exact same optimization principles, regardless of model. For the home, however, there are two antenna choices, the Indoor/Outdoor Home Antenna and the Outdoor Home Antenna, which require different positioning to optimize the signal.

For vehicles that use XM satellite radio, users receive a signal via an antenna that attaches to the exterior of a car. For any type of vehicle, avoid placing the XM antenna closer than three inches to any other antenna on your car. Also, for all vehicles, the best place for the antenna is on the roof, trunk lid or hood, never inside the car itself. The antenna should also never be placed on the side or pillars of the car.

Indoor/Outdoor XM antennas should be placed facing due south, according to SiriusXM. Optimally, they should be facing out a window that has no obstructions such as plants or other buildings and should be ideally placed on the windowsill. The Indoor/Outdoor XM antenna, if placed outside, should optimally be placed on the exterior of a non-obstructed window or on the corner of the roof, again facing south. The XM Outdoor Home Antenna can only be placed outdoors. When it is, the best placement is anywhere the antenna has an unobstructed view of the sky, either on top of the roof or extended far enough from the roof to avoid obstructions from the house itself.