Topic: Poor XM Reception (Read 2843 times)

Ride2cusa · « **on:** October 18, 2019, 05:05:41 PM »

I just took advantage of the three month free trial on Sirius XM Radio on a 2017 Electra Glide Limited CVO (I just discovered that the bike came with the Harley XM module installed). Anyway, the XM signal seems to cut in and out whenever I'm riding hilly roads and when there is a lot of tree cover.

The XM radio in my car does not cut in or out, at all.

Is there a fix for this, like relocating the XM antenna, or buying a better XM antenna than the one that came with the Harley set-up?

Thanks for any help or suggestions

Designflaw · « **Reply #1 on:** October 18, 2019, 05:08:14 PM »

Relocate the antenna from inside the fairing to on top of the inner fairing coming between the gap at the fairing vent.

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grc · « **Reply #2 on:** October 18, 2019, 05:24:20 PM »

The problem can be caused by the location of the antenna (get it out in the open, not buried in the fairing), and it can also be affected by the size of the buffer built in to the system. Downloaded content doesn't play immediately, it is sent to a storage buffer first. That's what makes it possible to drive into a tunnel or a garage in your car and the satellite radio keeps playing for a small amount of time. If the buffer is too small ( I don't know how small or large it is in the Harley system), riding in an area with a lot of trees could cause the system to cut in and out. I don't know of any simple fix if the problem is due to buffer size.

Jerry

GB506 · « **Reply #3 on:** October 18, 2019, 05:48:53 PM »

Quote from: Ride2cusa on October 18, 2019, 05:05:41 PM

I just took advantage of the three month free trial on Sirius XM Radio on a 2017 Electra Glide Limited CVO (I just discovered that the bike came with the Harley XM module installed). Anyway, the XM signal seems to cut in and out whenever I'm riding hilly roads and when there is a lot of tree cover.

The XM radio in my car does not cut in or out, at all.

Is there a fix for this, like relocating the XM antenna, or buying a better XM antenna than the one that came with the Harley set-up?

Thanks for any help or suggestions

I relocated my antenna as Designflaw indicates and the reception improved considerably to the point where it’s similar to my trucks and cars. Prior to moving it, the signal dropouts were comically bad.

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fastfreddy · « **Reply #4 on:** October 18, 2019, 05:54:55 PM »

as stated above … relocate antenna, and check the part number HD did update the antenna, but I think your 17 may have the better/updated one FYI. I got mine replaced under warranty, its a 2016. its better but not perfect

CVODON · « **Reply #5 on:** October 18, 2019, 07:17:58 PM »

Go to the XM site (or call them) and flash your signal. May not fix it, but also can't hurt.

Bobs14Limited · « **Reply #6 on:** October 18, 2019, 08:48:35 PM »

Harley cheapened out with their XM module which only has about 2 seconds at best of buffer built into the chip. Auto manufacturers have at least a 20 second buffer.

Also, even though I don't care for the look of it, I moved the XM antenna outside the fairing to the right of the vent. Makes a huge difference with reception.

Joel · « **Reply #7 on:** October 18, 2019, 10:30:38 PM »

I moved my antenna to the right of the vent, I used a small round file to cut a grove so the wire didn't get pinched but still snug.
Relocating the antenna puck made a huge improvement and really, it looks fine to me.

Threephase · « **Reply #8 on:** October 19, 2019, 11:12:00 AM »

I have wondered if the metallic paints on the bikes affect reception. Automobiles have the antennas on the outside, Harleys are under the fairing. My friend has a vivid black streetglide and his reception is great. Mine is spotty as described elsewhere in this thread. I have the dash pouch so relocating is not easily feasible.

iski · « **Reply #9 on:** October 20, 2019, 07:47:02 AM »

I relocated the antenna to the outside of the inner fairing & reception improved greatly on my 2010. The reception compared to my other vehicles was still poor probably due to the buffering issue. My solution for 2017 was to try the 3 month trial, discover that the issue was not fixed, and then decide to use several USB with favorite MP3s recorded. No skips, no drops, no talky DJs, and all songs are favorites plus I have an option to skip to the next track.

rayson56 · « **Reply #10 on:** October 20, 2019, 01:56:16 PM »

Couldn't agree more Iski! I use an Ipod with close to 800 of my favorite tunes set on shuffle and If I'm not in the mood for a certain song as it cues up I just hit next. Easy Peasy

iski · « **Reply #11 on:** October 20, 2019, 04:33:20 PM »

Good to listen to the music we like, Rayson! Besides, no XM channel plays music ranging from Gene Autry to Stevie Ray Vaughan - but I have a USB that does.

Ride2cusa · « **Reply #12 on:** October 31, 2019, 07:34:42 PM »

Just a note to express my appreciation for those who responded to my earlier post about poor XM reception on my 2017 Electra Glide Ultra Limited CVO. The advice was to relocate the XM antenna from inside the fairing to just behind the windshield to the right of the fairing vent.

I finally got around to doing that and it has made a world of difference in reception. No more lost signals and the XM reception is now just as good as that in my Jeep Cherokee.

This location behind the windshield to the right of the fairing vent is perfect; there is just enough wire with the XM antenna to make the relocation an easy task. I'm now a happy XM listener !!!

CVODON · « **Reply #13 on:** October 31, 2019, 09:51:19 PM »

XM may not have a single channel playing Gene Autry to Stevie Ray Vaughan but it does have one playing each of them (Personally I do not get Stevie Ray Vaughn). USB's or Ipods or whatever canned music also do not play NFL, NASCAR, talk radio or comedy. I have been a constant subscriber to XM for over 15 years, like it and would not do without it.

GB506 · « **Reply #14 on:** October 31, 2019, 09:56:48 PM »

Quote from: CVODON on October 31, 2019, 09:51:19 PM

XM may not have a single channel playing Gene Autry to Stevie Ray Vaughan but it does have one playing each of them (Personally I do not get Stevie Ray Vaughn). USB's or Ipods or whatever canned music also do not play NFL, NASCAR, talk radio or comedy. I have been a constant subscriber to XM for over 15 years, like it and would not do without it.

Yes. We like listening to Brewer games while riding and terrestrial radio (or wireless streaming) doesn’t work well where we are. Oh, and Fox News...

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iski · « **Reply #15 on:** October 31, 2019, 11:46:21 PM »

Quote from: Ride2cusa on October 31, 2019, 07:34:42 PM

Just a note to express my appreciation for those who responded to my earlier post about poor XM reception on my 2017 Electra Glide Ultra Limited CVO. The advice was to relocate the XM antenna from inside the fairing to just behind the windshield to the right of the fairing vent.

I finally got around to doing that and it has made a world of difference in reception. No more lost signals and the XM reception is now just as good as that in my Jeep Cherokee.

This location behind the windshield to the right of the fairing vent is perfect; there is just enough wire with the XM antenna to make the relocation an easy task. I'm now a happy XM listener !!!

Glad it worked for you. This forum is a great resource for problem solving - this forum is where I found the fix for my 2010 XM antenna issue. I also used a dremel to make a small groove for the wire to keep it from crimping, might not be necessary depending on how tight the fitment is on the inner fairing at that point.

We have a couple of vehicles with Sirius & enjoy the service mostly for the music. On the bike I got tired of the drops since quite a bit of the local riding I do is in heavily forested areas & the reception is terrible on the bike but good/acceptable in the truck & car.

grc · « **Reply #16 on:** November 01, 2019, 08:08:22 AM »

It's a shame Harley never addressed the issues their chosen location for the XM antenna created, but at least this is one of the Harley issues that is easy to fix. Going forward it will be up to the customer to decide where they want to place the antenna, since it appears Harley will no longer be installing XM modules in production.

As for Sirius/XM itself, everyone has their own opinion as to the service and it's offerings. Mine is that as the years go by there is more meaningless chatter on the music only stations, to the point that at times it's worse than local over the air FM. One example is the Blend, which was all music except for a very occasional short ad for the station or XM itself. Now they have Debbie Gibson running her mouth while playing her favorite picks, which irritates me to no end. If I wanted talk radio I can get tons of that crap for free locally over AM or FM.

JMHO - Jerry

Bobs14Limited · « **Reply #17 on:** November 02, 2019, 08:59:46 PM »

Quote from: grc on November 01, 2019, 08:08:22 AM

It's a shame Harley never addressed the issues their chosen location for the XM antenna created, but at least this is one of the Harley issues that is easy to fix. Going forward it will be up to the customer to decide where they want to place the antenna, since it appears Harley will no longer be installing XM modules in production.

As for Sirius/XM itself, everyone has their own opinion as to the service and it's offerings. Mine is that as the years go by there is more meaningless chatter on the music only stations, to the point that at times it's worse than local over the air FM. One example is the Blend, which was all music except for a very occasional short ad for the station or XM itself. Now they have Debbie Gibson running her mouth while playing her favorite picks, which irritates me to no end. If I wanted talk radio I can get tons of that crap for free locally over AM or FM.

JMHO - Jerry

Agree with everything you mentioned. If I could get good FM reception, I'd scrap XM. But with all the canyons and mountains here, FM is just unusable.

17 StreetGlide CVO · « **Reply #18 on:** November 12, 2019, 06:04:31 AM »

Moved my XM antenna to up top and right of the vent. 150 miles later not one drop out, thanks for the great tip!

68 XLCH · « **Reply #19 on:** November 12, 2019, 09:00:18 AM »

I have the XM/Sirrus app on my phone. And since they now have Pandora, I set up my own music using my computer and those stations are available on my iphone.

I have about 5 stations set up one for real Doo Wop, ie students, penguins, moonglows etc. not the 50's channel which kinda of sucks half the time, one for guitar jazz, mellow jazz jazz fusion, standard vocals, one for classic rock that i like etc. I keep my iphone in the saddle bag or my jacket and it never cuts out, same roads, same trees etc. 5 dollars a month and every song is a good one.

So you can use the app your phone, computer and listen to the artists/specific music, talk shows you like anywhere.

Bobs14Limited · « **Reply #20 on:** November 12, 2019, 08:43:56 PM »

Quote from: 68 XLCH on November 12, 2019, 09:00:18 AM

I have the XM/Sirrus app on my phone. And since they now have Pandora, I set up my own music using my computer and those stations are available on my iphone.

I have about 5 stations set up one for real Doo Wop, ie students, penguins, moonglows etc. not the 50's channel which kinda of sucks half the time, one for guitar jazz, mellow jazz jazz fusion, standard vocals, one for classic rock that i like etc. I keep my iphone in the saddle bag or my jacket and it never cuts out, same roads, same trees etc. 5 dollars a month and every song is a good one.

So you can use the app your phone, computer and listen to the artists/specific music, talk shows you like anywhere.

Sounds good, well as long as you can continue to receive a cell signal and have an unlimited data rate plan.

GB506 · « **Reply #21 on:** November 12, 2019, 08:48:48 PM »

Quote from: Bobs14Limited on November 12, 2019, 08:43:56 PM

Sounds good, well as long as you can continue to receive a cell signal and have an unlimited data rate plan.

Funny how the best riding is so often out of cell range...

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Author Topic: Poor XM Reception (Read 2843 times)