I am new to the forum and have been searching for help with my issue with the signal on XM radio. From time to time, the signal will drop constantly. I called XM radio and as always, they say the problem is not on their end. I was looking into getting a shark fin antenna to see if it will fix the issue. Can anyone give me ideas on what to try first to fix the issue or which shark fin antenna would be best to use to solve the issue.
2008 Cr-V EX-L XM radio issue
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Well b4 we can offer assistance we need more detailed info.
Like how long have you owned the car, had XM? When the signal drops does it re-acquire it after you've driven a little bit?
Is this a new occurrence? Where are you located, city, suburbs, near a large city, etc. Are there hills, mountains, large buildings near you?
Did it work fine before and it just started dropping?
If you have the twisty antenna that came with the car that should be fine. I have the same car and rarely have any problems with XM.
I guess it's possible the connection to the antenna could be loose at the rear of the vehicle or where it goes into the back of the head unit.
Like how long have you owned the car, had XM? When the signal drops does it re-acquire it after you've driven a little bit?
Is this a new occurrence? Where are you located, city, suburbs, near a large city, etc. Are there hills, mountains, large buildings near you?
Did it work fine before and it just started dropping?
If you have the twisty antenna that came with the car that should be fine. I have the same car and rarely have any problems with XM.
I guess it's possible the connection to the antenna could be loose at the rear of the vehicle or where it goes into the back of the head unit.
Assuming you have the US OEM stock XM setup, your Am/FM/XM antenna is located on the rear roof of the car. The wiring is under the roof, above the headliner. The first thing I would do is check the antenna mast to see if it is loose. If so tighten it and see if that solves the issue. If not, you can try replacing the antenna mast ($16)(Part #3). Also check and see if the whole thing feels loose on the roof. It is held in place by one nut from underneath. If the nut is loose it will affect your reception because when it loses the ground to the metal, that affects the ground plane of the antenna. This will also affect your AM/FM reception. You would need to pull the rear section of the headliner loose to get under it and tighten the nut. If that fixes it, you are done. If not, check the antenna connections right next to the antenna where they plug into the long harness. Then, if necessary, pull your right front kick panel and check to see if the antenna connections have come loose there, and also at the back of the head unit in the dash. If you get through all that and still no joy, you might have to replace the antenna base, which is $166 (Part #5)! I've never heard of one of those going bad, though. Most of the time just finding something loose fixes it. Worst case scenario is the XM tuner (Part $9) in the right front kick panel is bad, or the head unit - I'd go to a wrecking yard for anything like that. Those are very pricey new. But 99% of the time just a new antenna mast or finding something loose will solve it. Good luck and let us know how it works out.
Parts list and diagram:
https://www.hondapartsnow.com/parts-list/2008-honda-cr-v-5dr_ex-l_4wd_nav-ka-5at/antenna.html
Parts list and diagram:
https://www.hondapartsnow.com/parts-list/2008-honda-cr-v-5dr_ex-l_4wd_nav-ka-5at/antenna.html
I have had the car for about 3 months now. I have no issues with my AM/FM radio reception. I can be driving down the road and nothing around and it drops signal out of the blue. My parents have XM radio and they do not experience the same loss of signal in the same areas that I do. They had a CR-V same year I have and had no issues. I am starting to think since me and my wife have the deal of 6 months for $30 and then pay $21 and change after 6 months might be the issue. But I will look at the base to see if it's loose. Last I checked it wasn't loose.
I have a 2010 EX-L and have been experiencing the same loss of signal. I live north of Dallas, Tx and understand loosing it driving around large buildings and tunnels, but lately it's loosing it out in the wide open, no obstructions around to block the signal. Antenna is tight, connections are tight. Riding with a friend in their car (VW) no loss in the same areas. I'll do the easy thing and replace the screw on antenna first.
I replaced the antenna mast with an AntennaX OEM part from Amazon. It is still doing the same thing. I am going to reset the radio by turning off the radio turning off the car and turn on the car and radio. If that does work, I’ll try once again resending the signal to the radio. If still not results, I’ll have to replace the base or the turner. I’ll look on Amazon for those. The AntennaX antenna was a lot cheaper than going into the dealer and parts store. Does anyone else know what to do? I really do not want to spend the $160 to $300 to replace the antenna base or the radio receiver.
Did replacing the screw help at all?
As an extreme measure, there are available satellite radio antennas for big trucks that supposedly have more powerful reception. But, in the end, if most of these units work in most CR-V's, I'd guess it's a hardware issue, with either the antenna mast, base, cord, etc., or the receiver. Or the involved parts of the body's wiring harness. A really good and willing radio tech at a nearby shop could probably track it down, but it likely wouldn't be cheap or easy. I have had XM tuners go bad in the past, but also antennas. At this point, if the condition is intermittent it is more likely a loose connection somewhere, but it could be anywhere from a wire to a circuit board. And if it is definitely a lost connection, it's likely just the same issue only worse. unfortunately that doesn't narrow it down. Good luck and let us know what you find.
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