Help, looking for a base antenna

Robert Runyon

Member
Original poster
Mar 28, 2020
6
5
Tennessee
I've gotta an XM radio docking station that I am running off of a power supply in my shop. I am using a crappy mobile antenna right now and it stinks. I am looking for a good base outdoor antenna for this thing. The antenna connector is a SMB I think. Any ideas or recommendations?
 

i forgot to also mention you might have to invest in some RG 6 cable at an additional cost since in most cases the antenna don't come with it. that's why i like SRS you get 25 FT of RG 6. and never any issues with them either.. i had min on my balcony behind a tree and i still got full signal from the sats. that plastic POS mini antenna was useless!!! but we don't know how long of a run you need as well
 
All great information, thank you for all the help with this. I went with the Browning antenna I like the mount and the antenna line etc. Cost is another goody too. Thank you again for the help on this, I had no idea what to use and I am tire of the crappy signal this mobile antenna gives.
 
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All great information, thank you for all the help with this. I went with the Browning antenna I like the mount and the antenna line etc. Cost is another goody too. Thank you again for the help on this, I had no idea what to use and I am tire of the crappy signal this mobile antenna gives.
let us know how it works out for you.. i don't know of anyone ever using one!!!
 
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well I got the new antenna and not working like I hoped. Near my house I get no signal. I have to set the thing out in the driveway. If you walk by it it reflects and cuts out. I think I might go streaming version with one of the base radios instead. I don't think XM has full proofed the RF side. Disappointing....
 
XM as I'm sure you know is satellite based. The satellites are in the southern sky. The antenna needs a clear visual view of these satellites in order to work. I've set several of these antennas up at remote lake homes and hunting cabins and they work great. Placing the antenna in your driveway isn't going to be a good indicator of its capabilities. It needs to be mounted properly.
 
I have an older house XM tuner that has three separate radios built into one stereo deck with a PRO-600 antenna. I had trouble getting good reception the first time I set one up, but when I got the new antenna I learned my lesson.

I used one of the "Satellite Pointer" apps most FTA hobbyists use to help me get the general direction right. I believe I chose XM 4 (115W) and Sirius XM 5 (85.2W) which give you a good range. That helps you figure out where obstacles might be (trees, etc). I've got one of the old portable XM radios (the one with the battery and headset) so I took it outside during the setup and used it to help me fine tune the signal. You can still find those on eBay cheap, or use your regular radio with an extension cord, etc if that is an option.
 
You really don't need anything special for an outdoor antenna.

The original XM antenna that came with my Delphi SkyFi home kit has been fastened to my roof for the past 17 years and it works fine. That's 17 Western NY winters, and about a half a dozen different plug and play receivers and two A/V receivers.

 
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Ok I ran the cable out of my shop, could not get it to my roof way to far to go but that's ok, this alternative worked like a charm. I got tunes now and that's good to me
 
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