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Lexus LS XM and Sirius

13 messages,  Last post on May 21, 2008 at 1:30 PM

You are in the Lexus LS 460/460L Forum.

What is this discussion about? Lexus LS 460, Audio, Sedan

Messages Page 1 of 2

#2 of 13 Sirius radio antenna by mheni1

Jun 07, 2006 (10:01 am)

I purchased Sirius radio with my '06 LS430. Two concerns I would appreciate input on:
1. satellite connection is lost rather regularly when driving around the Wash,DC metro area.
2. antenna box is mounted on front windshield to right of rear view mirror. I can best describe the box as "ugly." Black plastic, triangle shaped, 5" at top tapering to 2" at bottom. Dealer says that antenna cable is too short to mount on rear window. Sirious radio has no suggestions. It seems to me that there should be some cable that will run from radio to rear window. Unfortunately, I have been unable to locate same. Will appreciate any suggestions!

#3 of 13 Re: Sirius radio antenna [mheni1] by thegadgetguru

Jul 08, 2006 (2:42 pm)

Replying to: mheni1 (Jun 07, 2006 10:01 am)
This internal front mounted antenna was originally designed for convertibles, not sedans as it was an alternative to mounting the antenna on the roof where you will get your best reception. The rule for any satellite radio or GPS is to have the antenna mounted to receive an unobstructed view of the sky. There are two reasons that Lexus is installing the inside, front mounted antenna for Sirius radios:
1) It's cheaper to mount and less wire to run.
2) It's a retrofit as Lexus/Toyota radios are designed to work with XM, not Sirius. If you don't believe me, go to either XM or Siuris's website and see which manufactuer's are authorized.
It is truly a "cheap" fix and an inside antenna will never deliver the quality signal that you will receive from an outside mounted antenna.
Also, note that both Sirius and XM have a built in buffer memory that delays the programming for four seconds. When you lose the signal by going under an overpass, you it will kick in and you won't notice the loss in signal. With the interior antenna, you will notice constant dropouts.
 
Shame on you LEXUS!

#4 of 13 Satellite Radio "no signal" by mheni1

Jul 04, 2006 (4:52 am)

Lexus installed Sirius satellite radio and antenna on my 2006 LS 430. Live in Wash, DC area. Sounds great! Problem--periodic "no signal" and no sound. Sirius suggests outside antenna mounting to improve signal quality. I am not excited about mounting anything on roof. Antenna is now mounted behind rear view mirror. Dealer reports that antenna cable is not long enough to mount on rear window. Would appreciate hearing from anyone with similar problems and solution (s) to same. Thanks.

#5 of 13 Re: Satellite Radio "no signal" [mheni1] by wwest

Jul 04, 2006 (11:05 am)

Replying to: mheni1 (Jul 04, 2006 4:52 am)
Think of how well it would work on the inside, bottom, front of the sunroof glass and then build a small bracket to mount it in that approximate position.

#6 of 13 Re: Satellite Radio "no signal" [wwest] by mheni1

Jul 05, 2006 (5:11 am)

Replying to: wwest (Jul 04, 2006 11:05 am)
Thanks for reply.Lexus Sirius antenna is triangle shaped about 5" at top and 2" at bottom and 4" in length. Any other thoughts?

#7 of 13 Re: Satellite Radio "no signal" [mheni1] by topspin628

Aug 03, 2006 (8:37 am)

Replying to: mheni1 (Jul 04, 2006 4:52 am)
Mine is mounted on my trunk and I still get some spots of "no signal". I think it's the service that is not 100% able to cover the country. By the way, I love sat. radio and think that it's the best entertainment invention since color tv.

#8 of 13 Re: Satellite Radio "no signal" [topspin628] by rgsw

Aug 03, 2006 (6:22 pm)

Replying to: topspin628 (Aug 03, 2006 8:37 am)
I have XM and it also is mounted on the trunk in the middle at the top of the lid. The only time I loose reception is in underground parking lots. I agree with your comments and find it very satisfying not to have to listen to commercials on music stations.

#9 of 13 Sirius availability by kmbaer

Jul 15, 2007 (5:09 pm)

Today I test drove an LS460 and was disappointed to see that Sirius is not available through Lexus. I e-mailed Lexus some time ago, and got a BS answer that Sirius quality is not up to Lexus standard. I've had Sirius in all my vehicles since 2003 with no quality issues to speak of. Anyone know if Lexus is truly working on making Sirius available in the near future? I'm afraid that this is truly a deal breaker for me.

#10 of 13 Re: Sirius availability [kmbaer] by sidgriggs

Jul 15, 2007 (5:15 pm)

Replying to: kmbaer (Jul 15, 2007 5:09 pm)
My 07 LS460 came with a free 3 month trial subscription to XM and Nav Traffic -- it is great!

Messages Page 1 of 2

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