I got hooked real good on satellite radio and am now an XM subscriber with an Xpress EZ unit and a home kit with a small antenna (Belkin?). I've hooked the whole thing up to my Insignia executive shelf system (and earlier a Radiosophy HD unit) and have enjoyed listening to it in my bedroom.

However, I get reception problems sometimes and they seem to have gotten worse. This spring, when I first got the unit, I didn't have too much of a problem....but now I can only get one bar, maybe two at most, and sometimes there's a "no signal". This happens no matter which radio I hook the Xpress EZ up to. I can improve the signal by opening the window (sometimes I get 3 bars) but it is getting cold outside (Salt Lake City area) and even with the open window I get signal dropouts sometimes.

The window faces south, and so does the antenna. I've tried propping it up on books and placing it on a shelf, with limited success, I've also tried pointing it southeast and southwest as well as due south. Part of the problem may be that there's another floor above my bedroom and that there's a tree right outside the window. Is there a more powerful indoor antenna that I can get, or would an amplifier help? I've searched the internet and haven't found much in the way of solid info so far, other than where the XM satellites orbit.

Thanks in advance.

There is an antenna wire extension you can try. It's 20 foot long. That way you can maybe try another window, one that doesn't have a tree right outside of it. Be aware though make sure you get a 100% clean view of the satellites if you use an extension..If you use this the extra length will cause you lose some strength of signal. IMO this would be the cheapest way to go.

Another is a repeater antenna. More expensive but a better option, IMO.

Here. look around on XMFAN's site. Lot of good stuff.

This is a link to their XM antenna's, extensions and repeaters.

http://store.xmfanstore.com/xmanandex.html

Hope I'm not breaking any rules posting a link to another site.

You may have to run the antenna outside and hang it on a wall or post with a clear view of the southern sky. An inch or two of placement can make quite a difference in reception, too.

Thanks for the replies. I see there's a Delphi repeater and antenna, it's listed as working with any Delphi XM home kit. Would it also work with non-Delphi equipment (i.e. the Xpress EZ and the home kit for it)?

Due to the way my bedroom is situated, the signal repeater seems to be the most practical option, especially if I can stick the repeater outside the window and one antenna inside.

Thanks for the replies. I see there's a Delphi repeater and antenna, it's listed as working with any Delphi XM home kit. Would it also work with non-Delphi equipment (i.e. the Xpress EZ and the home kit for it)?

Due to the way my bedroom is situated, the signal repeater seems to be the most practical option, especially if I can stick the repeater outside the window and one antenna inside.

Since it's $100 I'd check and make sure.. BUT since all the antenna connectors on the home docks are the same it should work with any unit as long as it's in the home cradle, whether it's a Delphi cradle or not.

BTW edit: I 'think' how the repeater works is you'll still need your home antenna. You will position that so you get a good signal, maybe even outside, then run the antenna wire inside and that plugs into the repeater which has to be inside your house. Then the repeater antenna plugs into your home docking cradle. The repeater then transmits a signal from the repeater to the repeater antenna that's plugged into your home dock.

I think that's how it works.

Thanks, Barbie. I had a thought that maybe I would have a better spot indoors somewhere and I'm going to check that out. But is there a "reception tester" of some sort that can map out the best areas? My other option is hooking up my Xpress EZ and radio combo at various spots and seeing how it does, or using my portable kit and headphones (that I plug the Xpress EZ unit into) and seeing where I get reception.

I tried my portable kit/headphones out last night and tested various spots, it wasn't too promising. When I walk outdoors of course, it's a different story. If I can't find a good spot indoors I'll need to arrange something for storing the antenna out and leading the wire inside.

Thanks, Barbie. I had a thought that maybe I would have a better spot indoors somewhere and I'm going to check that out. But is there a "reception tester" of some sort that can map out the best areas? My other option is hooking up my Xpress EZ and radio combo at various spots and seeing how it does, or using my portable kit and headphones (that I plug the Xpress EZ unit into) and seeing where I get reception.

I tried my portable kit/headphones out last night and tested various spots, it wasn't too promising. When I walk outdoors of course, it's a different story. If I can't find a good spot indoors I'll need to arrange something for storing the antenna out and leading the wire inside.

There's no tester that I know of. The good news is XM sats stay in one place so when you find a spot it should be good. The bad news is if your area is like the Northeast you may find a spot now, and then in the Spring when the leaves come back it won't be good anymore.

It sounds like you are going to have to put your antenna outside and then run the wire in to your unit, or a repeater. A friend of mine has a house that everything faces north, and finding a spot for his XM antenna was also a pain. Finally he bought a 50 foot extension and ran the antenna outside all around his house to the south. And even then since the extension wire was soooo long he lost a lot of signal strength. He finally found a sweet spot, but it had to be a spot that had a dead on view of the sats.

Good luck..

Good News! Tonight I finally found a spot - very high on a shelf in the bedroom within reach of my existing setup - where I'm getting 2-3 bars even without a window open. Aesthetically it isn't very good but it works and now there's no need for a repeater.

Thanks again to all.