NMO XM Antenna

[fallinsouth]

this maybe a little off topic. but has anyone found a permanent mount xm radio antenna, I would much rather drill than use the standard mag mount antenna that comes with an XM receiver.

 

[WISCOMM]

Actually a pretty interesting question, I will take a stab at it.

Sirius / XM run in roughly 2350 Mhz band, very close to the 2.4 Ghz WiFi band. That being said, you could probably get away with a Laird Phantom Elite that runs in that 2.4 Ghz band.

Laird Technologies ETRAB24003 2.4-2.5 Ghz Phantom Elite Antenna, Black | TESSCO

You will still need a mount, due to the high frequency it you will need a special High Frequency NMO Mount like this.

Larsen NMOKHFDS 0-6000 MHz, 3/4" Mount, RG58A/U, No Connector | TESSCO

You will also need a "SMB" connector to affix to Radio, these should be able to be located, not sure how hard these would be to attach to cable, like fairly small connector.

Hope this helps.

Craig

 

[n9mxq]

They're all over fleabay.


Sent from my iPhone using that Tapatalk thingamabobber.

 

[W2NJS]

Is the XM antenna, as furnished with the receiver, an active antenna? If it is then the housing contains amplification circuitry to improve the rather weak satellite signal with the power sent to the antenna via the coax. I don't know if this is the way it's done, but if it is then there is more to solving the problem than just plunking a 1.2 inch whip on an NMO mount and feeding it to the receiver.

 

[SCPD]

Orientation

This thought crossed my mind when I looked at this thread:
Would a vertical be a good choice for satellite radio?

 

[fallinsouth]

This is what I got from PCTel about it:

You need an antenna specifically for XM. A mobile antenna will not receive a satellite signal, you need an amplified circularly polarized antenna.

 

[SCPD]

I may be talking rubbish here... but when you buy XM radio, its more the antenna that you pay for, right? So if you buy a Laird Tech antenna, isn't that like stealing XM?

 

[WB4CS]

I may be talking rubbish here... but when you buy XM radio, its more the antenna that you pay for, right? So if you buy a Laird Tech antenna, isn't that like stealing XM?

No.

You buy the radio/antenna to receive the signal. You pay for the programming on a monthly basis.

So, no.

 

[tcm4368]

If you have a large truckstop, check out the electronics. I'm not sure of the name brand, but I noticed an xm/sirius antenna for mounting on a mirror. It looked like a standard NMO mount with an L bracket for the mirror. Maybe you could remove the NMO mount and cable, and mount in the roof. Looks to me like you'd have all the parts right there.

 

[W2NJS]

In reply to AdamDaMan's post, above:

You get the XM signal turned on for your radio by contacting XM and giving them the ESN of your radio. They activate your radio and then you can use it. Putting another antenna on the radio, assuming the antenna will work, won't allow you to "steal" the signal because that's not how it works.

 

[SCPD]

But can't anyone tune into the frequencies for free?

 

[WB4CS]

But can't anyone tune into the frequencies for free?

No.

It's a digital signal, so if you used a scanner to tune to the correct frequency, all you would hear is digital garble. It requires using an XM receiver to decode the digital stream of the satellites.

With an XM radio and no paid subscription, all you will get is a couple of preview channels, and the occasional free trial weekends.

Here, go forth and educate yourself... (Let me Google that for you)
XM Satellite Radio - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XM_Satellite_Radio#technology
Welcome to the world of satellite radio - SiriusXM Radio