Howard Stern's Phony Phone Call - Dial-A-Trade Dropped Calls

When Richard Christy noticed a Dial-a-Trade radio show host frequently dealing with dropped calls, he saw a comedic opportunity. On Monday, Howard unveiled the Stern Show staffer’s latest prank call, exploiting this vulnerability for maximum hilarity.

Why Is Sirius XM Getting So Many Reception Complaints?

See SiriusXM's Coverage Map

There can be several reasons why any satellite radio service like Sirius XM might receive reception complaints. Here are a few possibilities:

SiriusXM Roof Rack Interference

XM satellite radios will experience dead zones or dropouts if the receiving is not properly installed far away from the roof rack.  This interference will become a major problem especially when you are near a T-Mobile cell phone tower. 

Don't mount the antenna close to a roof rack. Adjust the rack so it's further away from the antenna. If you have a surfboard or something on the roof this will also interfere with the signal.  

Troubleshooting Tips for Common Signal and Audio Reception Problems Here are ways to identify and correct some of the common signal and audio reception problems you may encounter:

• PROBLEM: XM RADIO DISPLAYS "CHECK ANTENNA" or "CHECK ANTENNA CONNECTION" or "ANTENNA"
• Possible cause #1: The antenna is not properly connected to the Radio or Vehicle Dock, or the connection has become loose.
• Solution: Check the antenna connection to the XM Radio or Vehicle Dock and make sure it has a good, snug fit.
• Possible cause #2: If the antenna is properly connected to the XM Radio or Vehicle Dock, there may be a break in the antenna cable, or a problem with the antenna.
• Solution: Replace the Magnetic Mount Antenna.
• PROBLEM: XM RADIO DISPLAYS "ACQUIRING SIGNAL" or "NO SIGNAL"
• Possible cause: The Magnetic Mount Antenna is not receiving a satellite signal.
• Solution 1: Make sure the vehicle is outdoors with a clear view of the sky.
• Solution 2: Make sure the antenna is mounted on the outside of the vehicle in an optimal location. (Follow the mounting tips described earlier for your vehicle type.)
• Solution 3: Move the vehicle away from any obstructed area. For example, if you are parked in an underground garage, you should receive a signal after leaving the garage.
• PROBLEM: There is static or loss of clarity in the XM Radio's audio
• Possible cause #1: If you have connected the audio of your XM Radio to your vehicle's FM radio using the FM transmitter, the FM channel you have selected is most likely being used by an FM radio station. This interferes with the audio of the XM Radio.

SiriusXM Raises Rates $1 Per Month 3 Consecutive Years In A Row

Rate Increase $1 Per Month for 2015 & 2016

Here is the new notification I received below . . . 

Effective April 27, 2016, the price of SiriusXM Select and Select Family Friendly packages increased by $1 per month. Effective this same date standalone SiriusXM Internet Radio increased by $1 per month. 

I think this rate increase would be justified if SiriusXM made some concerted efforts to improve coverage and reduce the amount of SirusXM signal interference in areas areas.  We get hundreds of people per day reading and comment on this blog who are having reception issues.

Comments appreciated below. 

Will Verizon Try & Buy SiriusXM?

Will Verizon Try & Buy SiriusXM?

I have this sneaking suspicion that Verizon might try and buy SiirusXM. Why? So they can charge you for more data on their cell networks.  SiriusXM seems to be struggling to maintain their satellite network quality and more customers are streaming radio content on their phones through wifi and cellular networks.

SiriusXM customers have been experience a lot of dropped signal issues and I suspect that without any competitors that SiriusXM is not going to invest much in the network to maintain service levels. Satellite networks must be very expensive to maintain and wireless carriers are probably looking at becoming at the premium radio subscription business as way to keep customers.

 AT&T purchased direct TV and now has a satellite company.  Verizon continues to look buying content companies and satellite subscription radio seems like a good fit.

See SiriusXM's Coverage Map.  

SiriusXM Customers Getting Refunds for Poor Reception?

SiriusXM Customers Getting Credit for Poor Reception

We received a comment on our blog post about SiriusXM siganl issues from SiriusXM losing signal and we are getting a lot of traffic to this page.  According to a customer report from Canada the company did some upgrading of the satellites which did not go so well.  This customer received 3 months of credit after he threatened to cancel.  See Discussion

@SXM_Help Twitter Chatter 
Tweets about @SXM_Help

See SiriusXM's Coverage Map

SiriusXM Radio Signal Interference Coming from T-Mobile Cell Phone Towers?

There have been instances where T-Mobile cell phone towers have been reported to cause signal interference with SiriusXM satellite radio reception. This interference occurs due to the proximity of the cell phone towers and the frequencies used by both services.

Sirius XM Losing Signal?

Report SiriusXM Satellite Radio Reception Problems

See SiriusXM's Coverage Map

Why Apple or Google Should Buy Pandora

Consumers Don't Want to Own Music Anymore

How much longer can iTunes maintain its leadership position as the middleman for content owners to consumers?  I think the device manufacturing giant needs to think very quickly about buying a service like Pandora.  What is holding them back from spending their $50 billion dollars in cash?  Do they think they can recreate a similar experience themselves?  Is Apple afraid of cannibalizing their business of music and programming downloads?  My sense it is likely because AT&T, Verizon, Sprint & T-Mobile don't have their networks in order to handle the additional data streaming on 4G, LTE, Wimax.  However, this could be a strategic move if the new iPods and Shuffles become Wifi enabled.  

Google on the other hand doesn't have a music play and Pandora will start being used more frequently in the car.  Google could quickly bring a lot of location based advertising inventory onto the market with Pandora's 50M+ users.  Apple and Google have both shown their interest in predictive analytics which is Pandora specialty in music. Pandora uses this predictive playlist to recommend other songs you might like to keep you connected. The predictive playlists are an incredible user experience and are starting to carry ads that are relevant to the music.  The Pandora experience on my Samsung TV and new G2 phone.  It won't be surprising to see that Google TV also has a streaming music option very soon.  The question is whether they build it or partner with someone like Pandora? 

Customer Service or Customer Circus?

Are You Receiving Customer Service or Customer Circus?

I often think wireless companies have created a new category of customer service and I am going to call it "customer circus". Do you ever get the feeling you are in a circus when your wireless carrier is trying to fix your problem? Dial one if you want to talk to the clown, dial 2 if you want to talk to the juggler when all they want is your money and you to buy a new phone.  Somehow all the freaks make it work and provide an entertaining show.  I am still fascinated why carriers haven't been more aggressive about asking where their customers don't receive good cell phone coverage.  It takes almost 30 minutes to submit a coverage problem to your carrier.

The definition of "Circus": a frenetic disorganized (and often comic) disturbance

Sirius & XM Satellite Radio Coverage Map?

Report SiriusXM Radio Reception Problems

See SiriusXM's Coverage Map