This is my first satellite radio, but it seems to really be affected by trees and losing the signal while I'm driving on the highways, back roads etc. I don't have the Harmon Kardon version, just the standard upgrade to sat radio, is this normal for the F56? My girlfriend has an R56 with the Harmon Kardon Sat radio and doesn't hardly ever miss a beat. I was on a 4 lane highway and lost signal because of trees to my side. Her car never lost signal.

 

Now that xm and sirrirus is one company, they no longer highlight the differences between the two systems....I wonder if you have one, and she the other...
The old XM system uses 3 geostationary satalites over the equator.... So a view if the southern sky is all that is needed ....(also has a slightly wider bandwidth for better sound)
The old sirririus system uses a larger number of lower altitude satalites to provide coverage.....and the coverage does vary a bit....
Some newer receivers are made to allow reception of both....but most are one or the other....they are on different frequencies..... The reality is you just revieve a single highly compressed mp3, and the radio slices it up to pull the different stations out....
Since the "f" cars are so new, not much is known about WHICH receiver they use...they seem to just call it satalite or XM/SIRRIUS radio....
If reception is an issue with a generally clear sky...I would notify you dealer...the antenna could be flaky, but you situation appears to be pretty normal in my experience.

 

I am pretty sure MINI/BMW use the Sirius receiver/antenna.

As mentioned above XM and Sirius are now "one" however the signal does indeed come from different locations. In my personal experience the Sirius signal is better than the XM signal. Sirius/XM is still working to combine the satellites and receivers, thus saving them a TON of operating expense. At last check they still have not completed this task.

You should not be having major issues unless the "view" is obstructed by a lot of tree cover, bridges, overpasses, buildings. Also in many major cities they both have ground repeaters which take the signal from the satellite, boost it, and send it back out lower in the horizon to overcome some of the obstructions (buildings, hills, tunnels, etc).

Of note, if there is any kink in the wire from the antenna to the satellite receiver this could explain the problem. The signal/format is so tightly compressed any little "hick up" may cause a signal loss.

I would not suspect any difference in the HK sound system either as they should both use the same receiver. The audio is simply decoded by the receiver and passed to the vehicles sound system.

From what your saying I would make an appointment with your dealer to have the system checked. They should be able to see/monitor the signals -db to determine if an issue is present.

 

Mine only loses signal if the car is under the awning at a gas station. The sound is pretty low quality IMO. I don't use it much for music, only talk/sports. My wife also got a 'free" year with her 2010 Honda Element and she still gets it!

 

I have had Sirius plug and play units in my old cars for years and rarely had signal drops. I think these units buffer a few seconds of the signal. With my F56 the signal drops out instantly when going under bridges etc. Maybe our stereos don't buffer the signal.

 

Exactly what mine does. Drive under something it's gone right away.

 

Jetmechanic,


I have had satellite radios in two Jeeps, a Toyota, and a Ram and now a MINI. They all suffered from 'tree fade'. Or in urban settings building fade. The further north you live (me, Washington state) the more likely the occurrence. This might be due to the birds position over the central/southern part of the country?


I am most affected by travel east and west.... rare interruptions on north or south direction. As the foliage drops from the trees you will seen a definte improvement in your reception... the building and bridges are another matter!

 

I guess it's normal like you all said, but as noted earlier, I'll have them check the antennae out anyway. Just seems to be odd to loose signal on a 4 lane highway with trees on your side, but 50-100 feet away.

 

I have satellite radio (Sirius) in my MCS. I also have it in my other cars. I have not noticed any difference in the signal from car to car. As others have noted, I generally will lose signal under a long overpass or in parking garages. If anything, I have noticed that the Mini tends to hold the signal longer when going into a parking garage.

 

I don't know if prior to 2014 MINI's have the buffer feature but my 2014 does. I believe it starts out with a 5 second buffer as that seems to be about the time it takes once powered up for the radio to start producing sound even thought the head unit is displaying the song information. Comes in handy actually.

 

Now you know why streaming radio to a smartphone (if you have the right data plan) won the race....
Satellite radio has some serious limitations......
there were stretches of highway i found using my XM to be far to annoying....usually heading EAST (southern sky is on your right), where the view of the southern sky was limited due to trees or other terrain, like frequent cuts or ridges.....