GPS & Satellite Radio Coveerage

GPS works great thru Canada and Alaska. We have a Garmin Nuvi and use it all the time when we travel between AK and the lower 48. Our GPS has a speed display and when we hit the Canadian border it calculates KPH into MPH. For example, if we're in a 100 kph zone it will display 62 mph and we just drive with our mph speedometer. Handy.

I don't have satellite radio but i understand it fades out the farther north you go. The sats are in an equatorial orbit so the farther from the equator, the poorer the reception. I'm sure others with satellite radio will chime in with their experience…

Come on spring, indeed!

Sat reception all the way to Fairbanks, no problem any where with GPS.

Because your GPS works off multiple satellites that are always moving, GPS reception in the northern latitudes is just about as good as in the south. Of course you can get into steep canyons where your view of the sky is limited, and you may lose GPS for a period until another satellite comes into view. Not the same on satellite radio. These networks use stationary satellites located over the equator, and if you can't see it---no reception. With the way the mountain ranges run along the Alaska highway, you'll find reception north of Whitehorse is spotty to non-existent. We have gotten signals as far north as Haines Junction and occasional patches north of there. Once in AK, you'll find the satellite is so low on the horizon that any hills will hide it. We're talking 10-15 degrees over the horizon, but that's just the geography.

Thanks to all of you. I guess I should be happy when sat radio works up north.

We had sat radio in Fort Nelson but not in Watson Lake. Somewhere between those two towns we lost the signan.. GPS can get a bit strange in places. You need three good signals but in places mountains can cause problems. We had issues in the Valdez area at times. Plus the map showed Valdez on the wrong side of the bay.

GPS anywhere. Sat Radio northbound pretty well quits by Tok. I may see brief bits at odd times in the Soldotna area. Going south, it seems to be pretty decent from before Glenallen and improving all the way to Tok, and about perfect beyond. Part of that is the antenna location on the truck in relation to the 5th. Mostly it is that the Alaska road system is too far west to get reception.

We had great GPS in Alaska. DTV to Delta Junction and Denali and south. Didn't try in Fairbanks.

We haven't enabled Sat radio and were too occupied by the trip to even consider radio.

Of course you could say the same about DTV.

I have to say this: Sat radio, GPS and sat TV should not be a factor on a trip to Alaska. We went as a "Once in a life time adventure" to finally cross off of our bucket list. It wasn't a cheap trip and I under estimated our costs. But it turned into an adventure and we plan to return in 2015. It's like "Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead", like "Damn the once in a life time adventure, full speed ahead to the adventure."

Have a great trip!

We had Sat radio southbound leaving Deadhorse. Good service until we close to the mountains.