Solutions for Home Reception of Satellite Radio

[Mister B]

I have been looking into satellite radio as most of the radio stations where I live are in Spanish and the one "Oldies" station that I enjoy is on AM, 60 miles away.
I am only interested in home reception. The AM station is fine in the car locally, and on the occasional out of town trip I enjoy hearing the stations from Tucson or Albuquerque.
I basically understand the wifi sound station piece of equipment. However internet here tends to have outages and I can not guarantee that I will always have it at a reasonable price. The satellite equipment is what I am not completely understanding. I have a south-facing window at about the 101 degree location. It would be somewhat difficult to get a wire outside. I see on BestBuy's web site, Road ready, Onyx, Home Kits and no clear explanation of what I would need.
What equipment would be recommended in my situation? Thanks!

 

[Jimbo]

Are you looking at Satellite (as in D* or DISH) or SiriusXm ?

I'm thinking your looking at SiriusXm.

I Do have SiriusXm for the vehicles, but I also (everyone does now) get the Streaming version.

So,, provided your internet is ok, you should be able to get it that way for the inside of your home.
For a long time, they only offered the "Home"Kit addl. recvr and money ...

The way I am set up is I have access to various options to it now.

1. I have an Alexa, which I allow the App to connect to, so I can always use my SiriusXm with ...

2. My second option, I use when I want to hear it thru my home A/V system ...
I downloaded the SiriusXm app on my Sony TV, you can also do this on a Roku (or Firestick I would imagine, I don't have one) then open the App, find your station and have it run thru your Home set up.

You also have access to it thru your Laptop or phone

 

[cpalmer2k]

You're on the right track. First thing you want to do is buy a radio with a Home Kit, or buy a radio and a home kit if you can't find a package with them combined. I did the same thing last fall. You can try putting the antenna that comes with the unit near a window, but your success on that is going to be mixed. The best thing to do is buy an outdoor home antenna built for SiriusXM radio off Amazon or eBay and install it outdoors.

I used one of those FTA satellite finder apps to help me find the general direction the SiriusXM satellites were located at and then used the radio itself to make sure I was getting a strong signal.

Another tip- if you have an over the air antenna you can buy some specialized diplexers that combine the OTA signals and the SiriusXM signals onto one wire. In my case I'm running both Over the Air TV and the SiriusXM signal on the same wire to the room where my receiver is located.

They used to sell a kit that let you combine it with DBS and cable too, but I haven't been able to find that particular one anywhere else for sale.

 

[TRG]

The home kit should include everything you need to get started. You will need some sort of amplifier and speakers of course. I've had success with positioning the antenna in a south facing window. But for the best reception you would want to install an outdoor antenna.

You could buy the radio and try it in your location. SiriusXM has a preview channel you can test with. You don't have to activate the radio to try it. Most radios have a signal strength feature that you can use to optimise the signal. If it dosn't work for you then just return it.

SiriusXM- Sirius Universal Outdoor Home Antenna (SXHA1)

 

[harshness]

What equipment would be recommended in my situation?

Amazon product ASIN B0BYQ2777D
View: https://www.amazon.com/SiriusXM-SXEZR1H1AZ1-Satellite-Speakers-Activation/dp/B0BYQ2777D?ref_=ast_sto_dp

 

[cpalmer2k]

This article gives a good breakdown of the home antenna options too:

Does Your SiriusXM Home Signal Cut In and Out?

If you are having an issue with your SiriusXM home antenna providing low signal or the music cuts in and out, try one of our amplified antennas. Click the blue links below to order. The SR-6P is our most affordable amplified antenna. It has a smaller mounting arm designed for homes or smaller...

www.xm-radio-satellite.com

 

[Mister B]

If I go this route for music, I believe it will be the wifi streaming. Logically, an indoor antenna is likely to be less than satisfactory. I thank "TRG" for pointing out that I would additionally need powered speakers or at least drag an old stereo receiver out of the closet. That all sounds like too many wires and connections compared to the one piece wifi sound station.
In the mean time I am having some success using an old Realistic long distance AM radio to get that 5,000 watt 570 AM from New Mexico. Thanks to all!

 

[harshness]

That all sounds like too many wires and connections compared to the one piece wifi sound station.

You expressed an interest in not using broadband so I'm not sure what you're asking. "Wi-fi sound stations" typically require broadband Internet (or an in-home digital music server of some sort).

You didn't let on that you didn't have some sort of basic sound system. That being the case:
Amazon product ASIN B07XG27NNZ
View: https://www.amazon.com/SiriusXM-Speaker-Dock-Onyx-Vehicle/dp/B07XG27NNZ/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=sirius+boombox&qid=1687184507&sprefix=sirius+boom%2Caps%2C188&sr=8-5&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0

 

[Foxbat]

That’s a neat idea, the same SiriusXM receiver for home and car. Thanks for posting that, harshness

 

[Jimbo]

You expressed an interest in not using broadband so I'm not sure what you're asking. "Wi-fi sound stations" typically require broadband Internet (or an in-home digital music server of some sort).

You didn't let on that you didn't have some sort of basic sound system. That being the case:
Amazon product ASIN B07XG27NNZ
View: https://www.amazon.com/SiriusXM-Speaker-Dock-Onyx-Vehicle/dp/B07XG27NNZ/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=sirius+boombox&qid=1687184507&sprefix=sirius+boom%2Caps%2C188&sr=8-5&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0

This is one that works well, we use it at work !

 

[harshness]

That’s a neat idea, the same SiriusXM receiver for home and car.

This is one that works well, we use it at work !

I use a previous version with the Sportster 4 radio in my yard, at my retreat (and on the way there). I also had a Boombox for my original Sportster. The radios weren't dock compatible but the later Boombox offered much better performance.

 

[cpalmer2k]

All our vehicles have SiriusXM built in already but I picked up a SirusXM Tour radio and a home kit back at the beginning of the year for home use at my desk. If you check eBay you can often find the Satellite Radio stores selling Tuner only Tour's fairly cheap. I paired it with a home kit and the outdoor antenna. One feature I like about the Tour is that it has internet capability too, so if the satellite signal is blocked it can stream from the internet as well. To me it is the best of both worlds.

 

[kshaw]

Yes, Get the XM Tour radio. With the home kit, you can receive at home but you can also use it with the XM Boombox for camping and I use it in my airplane with the automobile dock. It has bluetooth also..