Satellite Radio Antennas: Home Installation is Easier Than You Think

Sirius or XM? When installing a radio antenna in your home for your satellite radio, this is your first question. What type of system do you have?

Indoor or Outdoor

This is the next question you need to ask. Do you want to set up your antenna for your satellite radio indoors or out? Many satellite radios come with an indoor antenna. Most manufactures of satellite antennas recommend mounting your indoor antenna in or near a window that has a southern expose. Mounting your indoor antenna is usually easy using the manufacturer supplied hardware kit, usually two to four mounting screws. Aiming your antenna is simple also. Most satellite radio receivers come already equipped with antenna aiming features and signal strength meters.

Outdoor Antennas

If you encounter problems with satellite signals with an indoor antenna, consider mounting an outdoor antenna. The plus of outdoor antennas is they are much larger than indoor antennas so aiming does not have to be as precise. The drawback to outdoor satellite antennas for you home is that installation is harder; you will need your do-it yourself skills on this one.

The first step in outdoor satellite antenna installation is site choice. You will need to find an area on your house or roof with a relatively clear view of the southern sky. Mounting of the bracket for the antenna is usually pretty simple. The manufacturer supplies screws, usually four, that will be long enough to securely mount your antenna to either the side of the house or roof. It is my recommendation that in a rooftop installation, that you calk the heads of the screws using a roofing calk, after the screws are in place.

Running the wire from the satellite antenna into the house is the tricky part. For this step, usually a long drill bit will suffice. After getting the wire into the house, silicone calk or duct seal to keep the elements out of the hole is recommended.

If you already have satellite TV, you can purchase a combiner/splitter package. You can hook the TV and satellite radio cables on the outside of your house using a combiner. The satellite TV cable then carries both the TV and the radio signal. Once inside the house, the cables are then hooked into a splitter where, just like it sounds, the signal is split back to separate TV and radio signals.

Should You Use a Signal Repeater?

This is both an easily answered question and an easy to use device. A signal repeater is a device that can be hooked to your home satellite antenna, whether an indoor mount or outdoor mount. After finding the best placement for your antenna, simply connect the cable from the antenna to the repeater. The repeater then sends the signal to an antenna that is connected to your satellite radio. This lets you use your satellite radio in any room of the house without the hassle of running wires.