Sirius/XM Radio

I'd start here:
1 (888) 601-6296

On my trip to Alaska last year, my Sirius radio worked everywhere except Fairbanks and Dawson. Sometimes it would go out if the signal was blocked but that was temporary and very short lived.

It really depends on where your antenna for the Sirius/XM is located. If it has an unobstructed view of the southern (or SSE) sky, chances are you'll have reception. Any little thing can block reception though - the camper, the truck cab, etc. As you get further north the satellites will be closer to the horizon so even some ground based things can block you like mountains.

Sirius/XM doesn't have as many satellites in the sky as the GPS systems do, but then again you only need to "see" one of them to get reception unlike GPS.

Have a pioneer Inno which is a semi portable unit. I have used it stand alone as far north as Prince George holding it against the window. Any farther north and it probably would have not worked.

SteveAE wrote:
Hi,
Does anyone have any experience using Sirius/XM radio in Northern BC, Yukon Territory and Alaska? i.e.; does it even work there?
Thanks.

Mine quit somewhere past Dawson... can't remember if it worked in Seward. Coverage isn't guaranteed in AK or HI, according to Sirius.

The bird is so low in the sky, my trailer would shade the antenna sometimes, depending what direction I was towing. Other times, mountains / trees would shade it.

Spotty up North and in mountains. Depends on being able to see antenna. We actually used it quite a bit

We get a credit (MSRP Discount) on all new GM vehicles sold up here in Alaska due to Sirius not being available. Yes, it works for some folks in some areas, but don't plan on it working well.

Have a trucker mushroom antenna on my mh, reception all over the Yukon and Alaska unless in behind a hill to the south east, antenna mounted 1' above the roof. Perfect reception even through the tree's in Whitehorse where we stayed for a month, 1 mile from the Skagway turn off.

It worked in the tow car "almost" like normal. The antenna in the RV was a different matter altogether. It was spotty around Dease Lake, decent in Whitehorse, and intermittent in the mountains of Alaska. It worked in the RV in Seward, Valdez, and Homer but not Soldotna. But then, when did I want to listen to the radio next to the Kenai!

Thank you all for your feedback.
It sounds like, as with many things on this forum, "It Depends"
And it is probably spotty at best.
While watching these reply's come in, I did further research, finding similar results across the board. With some folks reporting coverage way up in Inivik and on the North Slope, and others saying it died south of the Yukon/BC border. Interestingly, when I called both Sirius.com and Sirius.ca, I got different stories. Sirius.com says there is no coverage in N. Canada and Sirius.ca says they cover most of YT (specifically, she said that they cover both Whitehorse and Dawson City). Perhaps they use different satellites????? However, both clearly said there was "no coverage in Alaska" (somehow the signal that "works well" in Whitehorse magically knows where the Alaska border is.......).

It does seem like a roll of the dice, though one major theme seems to be a good quality antenna, mounted as high as possible, with the best possible view of the S/SE sky.

As to what I am going to do (do I purchase the equipment and sign up for service or not?), the jury is still out. We enjoy listening to talk radio in the evenings (no TV along) and it's tough to get the programming we enjoy with the shortwave receiver.

Anyway, thanks again all. If someone has something else of value to contribute, I would enjoy hearing it.