Will my Sirius radio let me down in new york city?

June 16, 2006 9:31 AM

Just bought the Sirius Satelite Sportster unit and portable bombox. I live and work in NYC. Now , I have asked around and have repeatedly been told that living in NYC will not be a problem in a 'reception' sense. My father seems to think that there are too many buildings and obstructions for me to ever get a decent dignal from my aprtment or office. ...

Howver, I have heard that there are things called 'repeaters' that the Satellite companies place all over metropolitan cities so, that we wouldnt need a direct south east path to the sky in order to use these radio's...

this makes more sense to me ,as XM and sirius would be losing millions of potential customers...

so just looking to hear from users....am i in the clear? will i have to keep this boom box near a window at all ties, or am i safe to move it round my apartment? i am aware, that subways and tunnels will present disruptions....

just want some piece of mind on my purchase.....thanks

posted by TwilightKid to Technology (4 answers total)

You should be in the clear. I can't speak for NYC but in Philadelphia, I receive clear XM Reception all over. They provide terrestrial "Repeaters" over the city, so that you receive signals between buildings, in underpasses, etc.

I actually have worse reception in the suburbs (especially in spring, summer, and fall) because tree leaves block the signal sometimes.
posted by aurigus at 9:47 AM on June 16, 2006

I live in NYC and the reception is excellent. They do have terrestrial repeaters, and most big cities - NYC included - have one.

If you're driving out of the city, there's a spot around Rye, NY on 95 where you lose the signal for a few seconds, and a spot about 10 min up the Palisades where you lose it for a few minutes.

We've had zero problems otherwise.
posted by rachelv at 10:03 AM on June 16, 2006

I should add that we have a Starmate Replay, and do have the included antenna out the window. You'll likely need to keep the boombox near a window, or use an antenna, but I can't speak to that for sure.
posted by rachelv at 10:06 AM on June 16, 2006

a direct south east path to the sky

FYI, if you're in New York you should try to aim your antenna northwest or west, not southeast. That should help with reception.
posted by amro at 4:10 PM on June 16, 2006