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Firehawvvk's avatar
Firehawvvk
Explorer
Jun 01, 2016

Satellite radio reception in the far north.

I was just wondering if I need to bring a bunch of CDs with me or will my XM/SIRIUS radio still receive signals way up north. Thanks for the help if anybody knows firsthand what reception is like.
  • It gets a lot more sensitive to things on the horizon in the way north. As I recall, XM became intermittent north of Dease Lake. Facing north, the signal was being blocked by the trailer towed behind me. Facing east/west, most of the time it was blocked by mountains or even trees.

    I think I had signal in Homer.

    Bring CDs or download them to an SD card (most OEM xm radio also accept an sd card full of mp3s)
  • On our last trip in our truck camper, where the SiriusXM radio was set up in the camper, external antenna on the camper roof, I had service staying at the 3 G Campground in Fort Nelson, but the next night staying at the Downtown RV Campground in Watson Lake, we didn't have a signal. So somewhere between those two towns we lost the service.
  • For the last two months the sirus signal has been greatly degraded. I drive the highway between Prince Rupert BC and Hinton Alberta several times a month. I have had sirus for over 10 years and know the few places the signal will cut out for a second or two. Over the last two months the sirus reception cuts in and out all the time. Everyone I know with sirus is having the same problem.
  • We just arrived in Alaska two days ago and have had Sirus turned on for the past two days and on a couple of occasions, it has tried to broadcast, but only for a few seconds. After entering we took the route to Veldez where we are presently. I suggest you bring your own CD's or stick.
  • You don't have to travel that far north to ger out from under the signal footprint.

    We are currently as far north as one can go in Newfoundland & the signal is very iffy. Our latitude is not even as far north as Calgary.

    If in doubt take another media.
  • I was able to get SiriusXM most of the way up the highway and here in Alaska. But it is sketchy and often interrupted by low hills and trees. This is because at this latitude the satellite is low on the horizon.

    I just put playlists on my phone and plug into my onboard ent system/radio in my Dodge P/U. This fills in those gaps and more.

    I just never bother with CD's anymore. They are a soon to die-off media anyway.
  • Drove from Anchorage to Denali National Park. It was useless.
  • I guess it depends on where you are up north. We were in Hay River North West Territories one summer and we got tired of no radio reception so I bought a Sirius radio and package from a local retailer there, commissioned it in the RV park there and used it throughout the north when we were up there, that included northern Alberta, NWT and the Yukon.