I moved into a house with a Dish TV dish in the back yard. I don't use it for TV. Can I hook up my XM antenna to it? Has anyone tried this?:rolleyes:

I don't know much about XM, but they likely have something similar to this:
http://www.tss-radio.com/sirius-home-signal-distribution-kit-p-4095.html

Sirius also has diplexors that will run the signal along the same cable as your existing satellite or cable coax lines.

http://www.tss-radio.com/sirius-catv-cable-distribution-kit-p-4093.html

:)

If you're not using the dish for DirecTV, you can try this: I saw a picture of a dish where someone had glued an XM antenna to the feedhorn of a DirecTV antenna -- facing "backwards" into the reflector. I don't know how much gain this will give at 2 GHz, but it could help if you have marginal signal strength.

It won't work - wrong frequency range and incompatible interface. The XM antenna units are active antennas and have all the gain you normally need to receive the signal. They also have a relatively wide aperture, so aiming is not critical.

If you're not using the dish for DirecTV, you can try this: I saw a picture of a dish where someone had glued an XM antenna to the feedhorn of a DirecTV antenna -- facing "backwards" into the reflector. I don't know how much gain this will give at 2 GHz, but it could help if you have marginal signal strength.This sounds like it ought to work for one XM satellite at a time (aren't there two?). Also, you'd have to know where to point the dish. This would not work for Sirius because their satellites don't stay at a fixed position above the earth - you'd have to track them.

This sounds like it ought to work for one XM satellite at a time (aren't there two?). Also, you'd have to know where to point the dish. This would not work for Sirius because their satellites don't stay at a fixed position above the earth - you'd have to track them.
Yes, this only works for one satellite at a time, but you only need one satellite to receive XM. All of the XM programs are available on either sat.

You can never assume, but I would hope that anyone who was technically inclined to try the DBS antenna reflector trick would know where to point the dish and how to set it up. I found the picture and attached it below.

This scheme would only help if you were in a marginal signal area, like Northern Canada, Southern Mexico, and the Carribean. See the link below for a very rough idea of the XM coverage area.

Yes, this will not work for Sirius, but that wasn't what the original questioner asked.

http://www.panbo.com/archives/2006/07/sirius_vs_xm_the_coverage_footprints.html

Yes, this only works for one satellite at a time, but you only need one satellite to receive XM. All of the XM programs are available on either sat.

You can never assume, but I would hope that anyone who was technically inclined to try the DBS antenna reflector trick would know where to point the dish and how to set it up. I found the picture and attached it below.

This scheme would only help if you were in a marginal signal area, like Northern Canada, Southern Mexico, and the Carribean. See the link below for a very rough idea of the XM coverage area.

Yes, this will not work for Sirius, but that wasn't what the original questioner asked.

http://www.panbo.com/archives/2006/07/sirius_vs_xm_the_coverage_footprints.html
Thanks for the reply, hp. I wasn't sure if both XM birds carried the same programs or not. If they split their programming it might be a problem (Murphy's Law says it would be a problem), but since they don't, it's not.

As you point out, this would only help in very marginal areas, anyway.

Even if the OP did have the information necessary to know where to point the antenna (I wasn't convinced of that, since he asked here if it would work), others who read about it here and decided to try it themselves need to realize that this information is also necessary and takes some effort to find. I threw out the Sirius comment for the same reason; someone reading this thread and thinking "well heck, if it works for XM it ought work for Sirius, too!" Nope.

The link to the animated GIF showing the Sirius tracks in the footprint article was broken, so it's attached below; it's really cool.