I've seen several folks on here talking about the same problem, but I'm still pretty unclear on the solution. My SIRIUS Sportster will regularly show "Acquiring Signal" with multiple bars of signal strength displayed in the lower left corner (not an "X" as shown when the antenna is not detected). Very often, even after it receives a station and I get to enjoy listening again for a few minutes, it will suddenly go silent while still displaying a station, song, and signal. Do I need a new antenna, new SIRIUS receiver unit, or neither? Any ideas?
Same problem as everyone else. Acquiring signal is now a constant message on the sirius unit. A weak signal will sometimes break through but not for any significant ammount of time. I have not called Sirius yet. I am thinking of cancelling my subscription if they cannot repair or replace the unit.Same problem as everyone else. Acquiring signal is now a constant message on the sirius unit. A weak signal will sometimes break through but not for any significant ammount of time. I have not called Sirius yet. I am thinking of cancelling my subscription if they cannot repair or replace the unit.
Exactly the same problem with my Sirius Sportster, and it started precisely on Nov. 12th 2008. Affects both my car and my 2 systems at home. I tried cleaning everything with high pressure electronic spray stuff--no go. Any ideas? Should I buy a replacement receiver on eBay, or is this something bigger than a receiver problem?
SusanExactly the same problem with my Sirius Sportster, and it started precisely on Nov. 12th 2008. Affects both my car and my 2 systems at home. I tried cleaning everything with high pressure electronic spray stuff--no go. Any ideas? Should I buy a replacement receiver on eBay, or is this something bigger than a receiver problem?
Susan
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Let me save you $30.00. A new antenna will not help, nor will cleaning the contacts. I just did both of those and it did not help. I have mine in the freezer right now cooling it down. Sirius told me that I should not leave it in the car because it gets to hot. They told me to buy another unit....
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More than likely the antenna connection has jogged loose somehow, and just needs to be soldered. The person who handles all of our repairs at TSS Radio does this often, and I'm sure could tell you specifics. His email is [email protected]
The "hideaway tuner" is bad. On the antenna input board there is a cold solder joint and it looses it's ground. If it's out of warranty you can get a rebuilt tuner on Ebay for about 50.00 This has been a huge issue among sat radio users for the past three years. The rebuilt units are better than the new ones. Hope this helps
I have a 3 year old Sportster 2 replay unit that worked perfect until 1 month ago. I posted my problem on this website a day before you did with this same problem. I googled to no end and even spoke to Sirius who wasn't willing to replace my unit at no charge since it was out of warranty. I found an unusual solution on the internet that worked for me. I place my receiver in the freezer for at least 20 minutes (this was recommended by a guy somewhere on the internet with the same problem). I have actually left it in freezer overnight too. This has solved my problem. It is the craziest thing but I thought I would try it before I resorted to replacing all my accessories and receiver since Sirius was less than cooperative with the issue. Anyway, hope this helps.
I had the problem of "acquiring signal" after years of working. The fix is simple. The connectors on the base unit that plug into the sportster, and the antenna connector on the rear of the base get slightly oxidized. Buy radio shack electronic contact cleaner (in a can) and spray a very small amount on the male connectors (both the antenna plug and the male to female connector that is in the dock itself. Plug the antenna in and out several times and swirl it. Place the unit into the dock and remove it several times. You will likely find the signal problem is solved. You usually dont need a new antenna, but simply a clean set of contacts. Sat signals are very very suseptible to the slightest impacts. Good luck!
Dick, Did u go to the menu to get the Sirius ID# or ESN# or did u get it from the box or back of the unit itself?? I used to work in activations department for sirius and the most common reason that a plug and play unit would not activate is a mismatch in ID #'s. I have seen units with one ID number, but the box or the back of the radio actually being labeled with a different number. By the way,only one signal can be sent to the radio every 20 minutes or so and most reps you talk to don't even know this. So after sending the first signal, all they are doing is clicking a button on the screen and getting a message back that says "Duplicate Provision" meaning that the signal cannot be sent because it is already sent. If you were hearing audio on channel 184 when the signal was sent and you made no adjustments during this time, and the SID or ESN number is the correct one for your unit, and the radio doesn't activate, I would get a replacement. But this never happens in my experience unless there are other signs of defect.
Hi guys!! I am a sirius satellite radio employee and unfortunately, when this happens (usually when the receiver is about 2 years old) the radio is pretty much shot. It is a common problem with the older sportster models, but not so much with the newer one. As the receivers are probably more than a year old, they are now out of warranty and the only resolution is to call us at sirius and say you want to cancel the subscription on the radio. When cancellation is imminent, we will offer to send you a replacement (although it will be a different unit not compatible with you current docking stations) at no cost to you. Sometimes an antenna replacement will actually stop the problem, but it will happen again very shortly afterward, and thus it is only a temp fix to a permanent problem. Hope this helps you out!!
Sirius does not stand behind their products, There is no out of warranty repair for their radios, and they do not offer sites for repair. Seems like this is a definite problem with this model. Their solution is to buy a new radio,(with all the new-docking,boombox etc) accessories. also they charge $75.00 to change to the new radio.I liked my sportster 1 because of the FM modulator. It just had to be centrally located and all the radios in my home picked it up(no docking) the new radios require $50.00 docking stations for each stereo location and radio location, unless you bring a boombox everywhere, and the sound isn't the same. I feel there should be a class action lawsuit against Sirius for these reasons and I might look into it. What do all you think?
Same problem as everyone else. Acquiring signal is now a constant message on the sirius unit. A weak signal will sometimes break through but not for any significant ammount of time. I have not called Sirius yet. I am thinking of cancelling my subscription if they cannot repair or replace the unit.
Exactly the same problem with my Sirius Sportster, and it started precisely on Nov. 12th 2008. Affects both my car and my 2 systems at home. I tried cleaning everything with high pressure electronic spray stuff--no go. Any ideas? Should I buy a replacement receiver on eBay, or is this something bigger than a receiver problem?
Susan
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