Getting Sirous Antenna To Work With A Camper

[MJWenrich]

I searched for a post I read before about getting your Sirous radio to work after putting a camper on your truck. I just added a camper and find that the radio only works when traveling south or east. There was a post for 2012 trucks that have the antenna on the passenger rear I believe and mine is on the driver front of the roof. That link did not address my questions, which are...

Does the antenna serve as the navigation antenna as well as the radio? I thought the bubble in the center of the dash by the windshield was the nav/gps but it seems some folks experience a problem with the nav when a camper is on the truck.

And does anyone have a solution for the 2014 trucks to have the radio work with a camper. A shop next to the business where I purchased the camper installs a puck on the hood for $150 to enable the radio but on a truck camper forum I read that some folks had trouble with nav when that is done. Any thoughts????Answers???

 

[kthaxton]

I can't answer your other questions, but the "bubble" on the dash is a light sensor that controls the auto-headlights.

 

[Tuesdak]

The SiriusXM antenna needs a clear sky view to work. Windshields can cause loss of signal power. Even a stationary antenna can loose signal to something blocking it as the birds in space move in their orbit causing signals to cut out and then later work again. So if you are driving and the camper casts a shadow in the signal say on a antenna mounted near the windshield on the hood your radio is going to cut out.

GPS is the same issue with satellite reception.

So ask the installer if they relocate both antennas or if they relocate a combined antenna and what location is it relocated to. If the antenna is put near the windshield - don't waste your money! (The camper shadow will cause it issues still.)

IMO run the wire under the hood and pop it out on the very front for best reception like a hood ornament. On top of the camper would be great, but, is that practical?

 

[MJWenrich]

Good point on the location. I read that one fellow ran an antenna wire under the hood to the front. Another mentioned that he mounted one on the hood in front of the windshield but someone liked it more than him and stole it. Mounting on the camper would be a good idea but you would need some kind of disconnect and I don't know where and how you access the radio and do that. Kinda didn't want someone blowing smoke up my you know what for 150 bucks and then not have it work. As for the doodad up by the windshield, I kinda thought it might be for the automatic lights and thanks to both of you for some feedback. If I find a good answer to this I will post it on the forum.

 

[gsbrockman]

I searched for a post I read before about getting your Sirous radio to work after putting a camper on your truck.

https://www.turbodieselregister.com/threads/247544-XM-Remote-Antenna?highlight=antenna

 

[MJWenrich]

Thank you for the reminder Brockman. I recalled reading something before but it got lost in the cobwebs of my mind. When I searched for a thread I must have put too much information in the search box. I printed the article from RAM and the responses so now it's off to search for the parts.