Poor SiriusXM Reception

[kej]

Anyone else have terrible SiriusXM reception on their JL?

When I am up in the mountains with my JLUR, SiriusXM is constantly cutting out. I know it depends on the satellite angle but I don't have the same problem with my DD or my wife's car. Works fine in the flat lands.

Is the JL antenna just terrible with SiriusXM? Or do I have a faulty antenna? Is there an after market antenna that fixes the reception?

FM reception is fine. It is just SiriusXM. Thanks,

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[LittleDog]

Do you have anything on the roof? I think the GPS and Satellite Radio receiver is on top of the speaker bar. Lots of people mentioned reduced performance after adding a rack, cargo box, or tent. My GPS is slightly worse with a box on top; really only noticeable in poor weather, in a city.

There are a few relocation write-ups here somewhere. Looks pretty easy, but I never renewed the Satellite service, so not necessary for me at the moment.

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

I don't have the same problem with my DD or my wife's car

Do those vehicles have Sirius or XM? I know the two merged a long time ago, but they still use separate satellites. My wife’s GMC (XM) gets significantly worse reception than my Jeep (Sirius). I was told that XM works better down south and Sirius works better up north. Maybe it’s BS… dunno.

 

[Carolina Jeeper]

Mine has nothing added on top of the factory hard top and reception has been mostly good but does drop out intermittently in some areas. I mostly drive the same roads near where I live and the problem does not seem to occur in the same stretch of road consistently.

 

[kej]

Do you have anything on the roof? I think the GPS and Satellite Radio receiver is on top of the speaker bar. Lots of people mentioned reduced performance after adding a rack, cargo box, or tent. My GPS is slightly worse with a box on top; really only noticeable in poor weather, in a city.

There are a few relocation write-ups here somewhere. Looks pretty easy, but I never renewed the Satellite service, so not necessary for me at the moment.

I do have a Rhino Roof Rack. I'll take it off and see if that makes a difference when I go back to the mountains in 2 weeks.

 

[kej]

Do those vehicles have Sirius or XM? I know the two merged a long time ago, but they still use separate satellites. My wife’s GMC (XM) gets significantly worse reception than my Jeep (Sirius). I was told that XM works better down south and Sirius works better up north. Maybe it’s BS… dunno.

I have a 2017 BMW which is SiriusXM like the 2021 JLUR. My wife has a 2009 convertible which I believe was originally Sirius.

 

[tonygiotta]

Tall trees is what usually gets me when I'm travelling in the mountains. If they're between you and the satellite, you can expect some signal drops. Roof rack could definitely be a contributing factor as well.

 

[Jeepney Johnny]

Maximus-3 offers a satellite antenna relocation kit:
https://maximus-3.com/home/maximus-3-jl-satellite-antenna-relocation-bracket

For more info, you can refer to step (I) of the instructions attached to this post:
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/sirus-xm-antenna-location.12465/post-303631

Bonus trivia: Did you know that most of the XM satellites have nicknames?

• XM-1 was nicknamed "Rock"
• XM-2 was nicknamed "Roll"
• XM-3 was called "Rhythm"
• XM-4 was "Blues"

Clearly, an opportunity was missed to call XM-3 and XM-4 "Sex" and "Drugs".

 

[sportsguy]

I do have a Rhino Roof Rack. I'll take it off and see if that makes a difference when I go back to the mountains in 2 weeks.

Kej, did you ever do this? After 4 months of having my Rhino Rack and tent on the Jeep, my reception suddenly dropped off. Worked fine with the Maximus-3 relo bracket for 4 months, now terrible. Dealer is telling me it’s because I moved it. Because it’s now “covered”. Basically, what they’re telling me is BS. Sigh. The only “cover” is the fiberglass roof. Same one it was originally under…lol

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