XM Radio
I have a cab over camper on my crew cab F350. When I have it on the truck, I loose XM reception. Is there an extended antenna that you could install to connect to a ford radio?
Forum Discussion
Basically the postage stamp sized antenna pods used for XM and GPS need a clear, visual line of sight "view" to the satellites for a connection. The vehicle manufacturers typically hide them under the dash (on top of the metal part of the dash) which gives pretty good reception for satellites in front and directly overhead, but the cab tends to mask the satellites behind you. When you load something like a camper with a front overhang you mask them even more. What's worse for XM is there are fewer satellites to receive from, although GPS has the problem of needing multiple satellites to provide a good fix.
The solution, as others have pointed out, is to get another antenna and place it where the masking will be minimal. Unfortunately for the person with a camper that will probably mean putting the antenna on top of the camper. That's a hassle when you remove the camper because it means having to connect/reconnect the antenna to the radio under the dash. I guess you could bring the connection out to a convenient spot under the dash using an extension cable making it simpler to switch between two different antennas - the one on the truck and the one on the camper.
My Class B had both XM and GPS antennas under the dash and I would get dropouts depending on where I was, what direction I was traveling and time of day (GPS satellites change position as they orbit). My "solution" was to move them from under the dash and place them on top as close to the front of the vehicle as possible. It's not perfect but it helped a lot. Of course I now have two little postage stamp antennas on top of the dash.
Oh, lesson learned on the XM antenna connection. It is an RCA type connection which is a push on connection held in place with friction. Mine jiggled loose on a long trip and I lost all my XM radio. When I found the problem and reconnected it I sealed the connection with electrical rubber glue.
The solution, as others have pointed out, is to get another antenna and place it where the masking will be minimal. Unfortunately for the person with a camper that will probably mean putting the antenna on top of the camper. That's a hassle when you remove the camper because it means having to connect/reconnect the antenna to the radio under the dash. I guess you could bring the connection out to a convenient spot under the dash using an extension cable making it simpler to switch between two different antennas - the one on the truck and the one on the camper.
My Class B had both XM and GPS antennas under the dash and I would get dropouts depending on where I was, what direction I was traveling and time of day (GPS satellites change position as they orbit). My "solution" was to move them from under the dash and place them on top as close to the front of the vehicle as possible. It's not perfect but it helped a lot. Of course I now have two little postage stamp antennas on top of the dash.
Oh, lesson learned on the XM antenna connection. It is an RCA type connection which is a push on connection held in place with friction. Mine jiggled loose on a long trip and I lost all my XM radio. When I found the problem and reconnected it I sealed the connection with electrical rubber glue.
