Sirius Satellite Radio SIRIUS Outdoor Home Antenna User manual

Find the optimum placement to receive the best reception.

At SIRIUS, our customers’ satisfaction with the performance of their radios is extremely important to us.
In this section, we have prepared a series of tips for you to illustrate the best methods for
installing your Sirius home antenna and properly connecting your SIRIUS satellite radio in your
home or office.
There are two types of SIRIUS home antennas:
1. SIRIUS Indoor/Outdoor Home Antenna:
The Indoor/Outdoor Home Antenna is weatherproof, and can be placed either indoors or
outdoors. It is provided with the SIRIUS home kits, with some SIRIUS radios, and with SIRIUS
boom box kits. When correctly aimed and adjusted, this antenna will provide good signal
reception for most home installations.
2. SIRIUS Outdoor Home Antenna:
The Outdoor Home Antenna must be mounted outdoors. It has an extension arm and pole-mount
capability that provides more mounting and aiming options than the Indoor/Outdoor Antenna,
giving you additional mounting flexibility for correct positioning and aiming, to maximize signal
reception in difficult installations. The Outdoor Antenna can be purchased separately or as part of
a home distribution kit.
Find Out Which Option Is Right For You
To receive the SIRIUS satellite signal consistently in your home (or office), you will need the right
type of antenna mentioned above, depending on your home’s particular location and
surroundings. The antenna also needs to be mounted in the proper location and aimed in the
proper direction.
Please click on either of the two links shown below, depending on where you live in the USA or
Canada, to get step by step instructions on how to properly select, mount, position and aim your
SIRIUS home antenna.
I live in the USA - how do I install my SIRIUS satellite home antenna
I live in Canada - how do I install my SIRIUS satellite home antenna

There are 4 easy steps in selecting and installing your SIRIUS home antenna if you live in the
USA:
Step 1: Find your area number on the location finder map for USA
Step 2: Determine the general direction in which you need to aim the antenna
Step 3: Determine what type of antenna you should use and where you should place or
mount it
Step 4: Properly place/mount, aim and connect your antenna

Step 1: Find Your Area Number on the Location Finder Map
Use the map below to find your location in the USA and the corresponding area number (1 to 5).
For example, if you live in Florida, you are in Area 3.
Location Finder Map for USA

Step 2: Determine the General Direction in Which You Need to Aim the Antenna
Use your Area number you determined from Step 1 and the chart below to determine in which
direction your SIRIUS home antenna needs to be aimed:
AREA ANTENNA AIMING DIRECTION
Area 1 Aim the antenna EAST or NORTHEAST
Area 2 Aim the antenna NORTH or NORTHEAST
Area 3 Aim the antenna NORTH or NORTHWEST
Area 4 Aim the antenna WEST or NORTHWEST
Area 5 Aim the antenna STRAIGHT UP at the sky (may require outdoor placement)
Example:
It will help to imagine that the SIRIUS satellites are in the sky above northern Minnesota. That’s
the optimal direction in which you need to aim your antenna.
So let’s suppose you live in Area 2, per the location finder map shown in Step 1. You determined
from the chart that your antenna will need to be aimed North or Northeast toward the X in the
location finder map in northern Minnesota. The exact direction is determined by your specific
location in Area 2 relative to the X on the map: If you live in Texas, you will need to aim in a more
Northerly direction, whereas if you live in southern California, you will need to aim in a more
Northeast direction.

Step 3: Determine What Type of Antenna You Should Use and Where You Should Place or
Mount It
Determine what type of antenna you can use and where you need to place it after carefully
reading through this section. Your antenna selection and mounting location should be based on
your home’s geographic location and surroundings.
There are four different options you can choose from:
1. SIRIUS Indoor/Outdoor Home Antenna Placed Indoors at Any Location
2. SIRIUS Indoor/Outdoor Home Antenna Placed Indoors at a Window
3. SIRIUS Indoor/Outdoor Home Antenna Placed Outdoors
4. SIRIUS Outdoor Home Antenna Mounted Outdoors
Which antenna should I choose - Indoor/Outdoor Home Antenna or Outdoor Home
Antenna?
When correctly positioned, aimed and adjusted, the Indoor/Outdoor Home Antenna will provide
good to excellent reception for most home installations. For installations where an Indoor/Outdoor
Home Antenna does not provide adequate reception, the Outdoor Home Antenna should be
used.
Please read through the following descriptions of each option to determine which antenna is
suitable for you and where you should place or mount it:
Placement or mounting locations (shown in order of ease of installation):
1. SIRIUS Indoor/Outdoor Home Antenna Placed Indoors at Any Location
In addition to satellites, in major metropolitan areas SIRUIS also makes use of ground repeaters
to broadcast the signal. In these areas it may be possible to receive the SIRIUS signal with the
Indoor/Outdoor Home Antenna placed almost anywhere inside your home.
Click here to see a list of cities covered by SIRIUS ground repeaters. If you live with in the city
limits or are in very close proximity to the city limits of one of the cities in the list, it is highly likely
that you will be able to receive the SIRIUS signal with the indoor/outdoor antenna placed in a
variety of locations inside of your home.

Click here for step-by-step installation instructions if you have determined that you will place the
SIRIUS Indoor/Outdoor Home Antenna inside your home.
2. SIRIUS Indoor/Outdoor Home Antenna Placed Indoors at a Window
If there is a window in your house that has an unobstructed view of the sky in the general
direction that you determined from Step 2, you can use the SIRIUS Indoor/Outdoor Home
Antenna placed indoors on the windowsill of the window. An unobstructed view of the sky
means:
•There should NOT be any blinds or curtains between the antenna and the glass window
pane.
•There should NOT be any metal screens or bars on the window.
•There should NOT be any buildings, shrubs, trees, roof overhangs, or anything else
obstructing the antenna’s view of the sky in the direction you determined in Step 2.
Click here for step-by-step installation instructions if you have determined that you will place the
SIRIUS Indoor/Outdoor Home Antenna indoors on a windowsill.
3. SIRIUS Indoor/Outdoor Home Antenna Placed Outdoors
In most parts of Area 5 or if you do not have a window in your home that has an unobstructed
view of the sky in the general direction that you determined from Step 2, you will need to place
the SIRIUS Indoor/Outdoor Home Antenna outdoors.
Keep in mind that even if the antenna is placed outdoors, it still needs to have an unobstructed
view of the sky in the direction that you determined in Step 2. This means that there should NOT
be any buildings, shrubs, trees, roof overhangs, or anything else obstructing the antenna’s view
of the sky in the direction that you determined in Step 2.

Click here for step-by-step installation instructions if you have determined that you need to place
the SIRIUS Indoor/Outdoor Home Antenna outside.
4. SIRIUS Outdoor Home Antenna Mounted Outdoors
If you have problems receiving the SIRIUS signal using the Indoor/Outdoor Home Antenna, or if
you want to maximize the possibility of receiving the SIRIUS signal, SIRIUS recommends you use
the SIRIUS Outdoor Home Antenna. This antenna can be mounted outdoors on the roof, on an
exterior wall, or on a mast or pole, and offers more placement and adjustment options.
Click here for step-by-step installation instructions if you have determined that you will use the
SIRIUS Outdoor Home antenna.

Step 4: Properly Place, Aim and Connect Your SIRIUS Indoor/Outdoor Antenna Placed
Indoors at Any Location
Follow these step-by-step installation instructions:
A) Place the Antenna
If you determined in Step 3 that you live in an area covered by one of SIRIUS’ ground or
terrestrial repeaters, place the antenna in a convenient location inside of your home.
B) Aim the Antenna
1. Open the antenna clamshell so that it is halfway between the horizontal and vertical
positions as shown below.
2. Aim the antenna so that the shaded surface shown below is facing a window. It should
not face your SIRIUS radio.

C) Connect the Antenna to Your SIRIUS Radio or Home Dock
Route the antenna cable to your SIRIUS home tuner or home dock and connect it to the ANT
connection on the tuner or dock:
If the cable attached to the antenna is not long enough, you can use a 50’ long extension cable
(sold separately) to extend the antenna cable. Click here to find out more about the 50’ extension
cable.
D) Verify Signal Reception
Turn your SIRIUS radio ON and access the signal indicator (or antenna aiming) screen. (Consult
your radio’s manual for instructions on accessing the screen.)
The signal indicator screen shows the strength of both the satellite (SAT) signal and the terrestrial
(TER) signal (if available). The strength of the terrestrial signal may vary which is normal. Just
confirm that you are always receiving a terrestrial signal.
NOTE: If you are not receiving a terrestrial signal, try moving the antenna to another location or
room in your home. Make sure that the antenna surface shown above is facing a window in the
new location.
If you are unable to receive the terrestrial signal after a few attempts, or if the signal is weak and
the audio cuts in and out, the location of your house is most likely outside the coverage area of
the SIRIUS ground repeaters. In that case, you need to choose one of the other options
described in this guide.

Step 4: Properly Place, Aim and Connect Your SIRIUS Indoor/Outdoor Antenna Placed
Indoors at A Window
A) Place the Antenna
1. Find a suitable window in your home that faces in the general direction you determined in
Step 2.
•This window needs to have a clear, unobstructed view of the sky in the direction
determined in Step 2.
•There should NOT be any blinds or curtains between the antenna and the glass window
pane.
•There should NOT be any metal screens or bars on the window.
•There should NOT be any buildings, shrubs, trees, roof overhangs, or anything else
obstructing the antenna’s view of the sky in the direction determined in Step 2 (see
below).
2. Place the antenna on the windowsill of a suitable window that faces the direction you
determined in Step 2
Note: If placing the antenna on the windowsill results in the antenna directly facing the
window’s frame, place a book or other flat object under the antenna to prop the antenna
up so that it is facing the glass window pane.

3. The surface of the antenna shown below in gray should be facing the window pane and
should be pointed in the same direction you determined in Step 2.
B) Aim the Antenna
1. Open the antenna clamshell so that it is halfway between the horizontal and vertical
positions as shown below.
2. At this time, the shaded surface of the antenna shown below should be pointed in the
direction of the SIRIUS satellites, which is the direction you determined in Step 2.

C) Connect the Antenna to Your SIRIUS Radio or Home Dock
Route the antenna cable to your SIRIUS home tuner or home dock and connect it to the ANT
connection on the tuner or dock:
If the cable attached to the antenna is not long enough, you can use a 50’ long extension cable
(sold separately) to extend the antenna cable. Click here to find out more about the 50’ extension
cable.
D) Verify Signal Reception
Turn your SIRIUS radio ON and access the signal indicator (or antenna aiming) screen. (Consult
your radio’s manual for instructions on accessing the screen.)

The signal indicator screen shows the strength of both the satellite (SAT) signal and the terrestrial
(TER) signal (if available).
E) Fine-Tune the Aim of the Antenna to Optimize Signal Reception
1. While watching the signal indicator screen, rotate the antenna left or right in small
increments as shown below until the highest possible satellite (SAT) signal strength is
achieved.
2. While watching the signal indicator screen, adjust the tilt angle in small increments
toward the horizontal or vertical positions as shown below until the highest possible
satellite (SAT) signal strength is achieved.
3. The SIRIUS satellites are not in a fixed place in space and move relative to the earth. As
a result, the signal level at the antenna will vary throughout the day. Once you think you
have aimed and pointed your antenna at the optimal direction, it is important to check that
you are receiving an uninterrupted signal all the time. To ensure that you continuously
receive the SIRIUS signal, we recommend that you observe your antenna set-up
occasionally over the period of few hours and adjust the aim and tilt of the antenna as
necessary.

Step 4: Properly Place, Aim and Connect Your SIRIUS Indoor/Outdoor Antenna Placed
Outdoors
A) Place or Mount the Antenna
1. Place the SIRIUS Indoor/Outdoor Home Antenna outdoors on a flat surface with a clear
unobstructed view of the sky straight up (A, in illustration below), or you can attach it to
the house using the mounting points on the antenna’s base with the antenna having a
straight up view of the sky (B, in illustration below).
There should NOT be any obstructions such as bushes, trees, other homes or buildings,
overhangs, soffits, chimneys, gables, dormers, etc, blocking the antenna’s view of the sky
in the direction you determined in Step 2.
2. If you place the antenna outdoors on a flat surface, keep the clamshell closed and orient
the body of the antenna to face the direction of the satellites that you determined in Step
2. Then go to Section B below that describes how to aim the antenna.

3. If you attach the antenna to the house using the mounting points on the antenna’s base
with the antenna having a straight up view of the sky, skip to Section C that describes
how to connect the antenna to your SIRIUS radio or home dock.
B) Aim the Antenna
1. If you are in Areas 1 – 4 (as determined in Step 1), open the antenna clamshell so that it
is halfway between the horizontal and vertical positions as shown below.
If you are in Area 5, the clamshell should remain closed.
4. If you are in Areas 1 – 4, at this time, the shaded surface of the antenna shown below
should be pointed in the direction of the SIRIUS satellites, which is the direction you
determined in Step 2.
If you are in Area 5, the clamshell should remain closed, so the surface shown below in
gray faces straight up.

C) Connect the Antenna to Your SIRIUS Radio or Home Dock
Route the antenna cable to your SIRIUS home tuner or home dock and connect it to the ANT
connection on the tuner or dock:
If the cable attached to the antenna is not long enough, you can use a 50’ long extension cable
(sold separately) to extend the antenna cable. Click here to find out more about the 50’ extension
cable.
D) Verify Signal Reception
Turn your SIRIUS radio ON and access the signal indicator (or antenna aiming) screen. (Consult
your radio’s manual for instructions on accessing the screen.)
The signal indicator screen shows the strength of both the satellite (SAT) signal and the terrestrial
(TER) signal (if available).
E) Fine-Tune the Aim of the Antenna to Optimize Signal Reception
1. While watching the signal indicator screen, rotate the antenna left or right in small
increments as shown below until the highest possible satellite (SAT) signal strength is
achieved.
Note: If you are in Area 5, the clamshell will remain closed.

2. If you are in Areas 1 – 4, while watching the signal indicator screen, adjust the tilt angle in
small increments toward the horizontal or vertical positions as shown below until the
highest possible satellite (SAT) signal strength is achieved.
3. The SIRIUS satellites are not in a fixed place in space and move relative to the earth. As
a result, the signal level at the antenna will vary throughout the day. Once you think you
have aimed and pointed your antenna at the optimal direction, it is important to check that
you are receiving an uninterrupted signal all the time. To ensure that you continuously
receive the SIRIUS signal, we recommend that you observe your antenna set-up
occasionally over the period of few hours and adjust the aim and tilt of the antenna as
necessary.

Step 4: Properly Mount, Aim and Connect Your SIRIUS Outdoor Antenna
A) Mount the Antenna
1. Choose a mounting location for the antenna that has the best possibility of receiving the
signal from SIRIUS satellites, in the direction determined in Step 2. There should be no
obstructions such as bushes, trees, other homes or buildings, overhangs, soffits,
chimneys, gables, dormers, etc, blocking the antenna’s view of the sky.
An ideal mounting location would be one which has a clear view of the sky in all
directions (A). If that is not possible, then you’ll need a location with a clear view of the
sky in the direction you determined in Step 2 (B).
If you look closely at illustration B, you can see that the antenna does not have a clear
view of the sky in all directions due to trees. However, it does have a clear view of the sky
in the direction of the satellites. Your antenna will also need to have a clear view sky in
the direction you determined in Step 2.
2. Mount the Outdoor Home Antenna on a wall, or on the roof of the house, or on a pole or
satellite dish mast.
Wall Mounting
Use the provided screws to mount the base of the antenna to a wall on your home.

Roof Mounting
Use the provided screws to mount the base of the antenna to your home’s roof.
Note: If you decide to choose this option, DO NOT mount the antenna such that it
requires you to drill mounting holes through the shingles of your roof. Mount the antenna
on an eave or soffit of the roof.