If you are having Sirius/XM signal issues...

I have a '12 RT which regularly had satallite radio signal issues. In my driveway I would regularly get only one bar of signal, and on trips in the mountains it would cut out regularly and I would get the dreaded "Linking" message. The bike comes with a very small antenna that is tucked under the nose of the bike, which can't be good for reception. So I looked into an aftermarket alternative and found an antenna designed for motorcycles. It was a snap to install, and now I have 3 bars in my driveway and have had a solid three bars of signal on local rides within 100 miles of where I live. I'm leaving on a 5500 mile trip out west on Friday, and hope that I will get the same kind of reception, or at least better reception, in the mountains. I know that there are always going to be areas where the signal cuts out. But hopefully this alleviates most of the issue.

Here are links to the parts that you need.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BCL8HJW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Sirius-Satel...merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1472396988&sr=1-68

And a few pictures of the install. The cover to the radio comes off with just 4 screws and slips out from behind the gas tank without any issues. The pink Fakra connector replaces the pink connector into the radio (far left)I left the original antenna on the bike. And I mounted the antenna on the top of the dashboard with the provided two sided tape.

dbaliko said:

I have a '12 RT which regularly had satallite radio signal issues. In my driveway I would regularly get only one bar of signal, and on trips in the mountains it would cut out regularly and I would get the dreaded "Linking" message. The bike comes with a very small antenna that is tucked under the nose of the bike, which can't be good for reception. So I looked into an aftermarket alternative and found an antenna designed for motorcycles. It was a snap to install, and now I have 3 bars in my driveway and have had a solid three bars of signal on local rides within 100 miles of where I live. I'm leaving on a 5500 mile trip out west on Friday, and hope that I will get the same kind of reception, or at least better reception, in the mountains. I know that there are always going to be areas where the signal cuts out. But hopefully this alleviates most of the issue.

Here are links to the parts that you need.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BCL8HJW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Sirius-Satel...merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1472396988&sr=1-68

And a few pictures of the install. The cover to the radio comes off with just 4 screws and slips out from behind the gas tank without any issues. The pink Fakra connector replaces the pink connector into the radio (far left)I left the original antenna on the bike. And I mounted the antenna on the top of the dashboard with the provided two sided tape.

View attachment 58078View attachment 58080

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How did you figure out which cable was the antenna input on the radio. On my 14 RT, it is easier to get to the radio.

Thanks,

Bill

I went a slightly different route

I know this is an old thread but there does not seem to be much info on the subject so I am adding what I found out. Maybe it will help someone.

Mine is a 2012 R1200RT with the factory radio and Sirius XM option. The reception is lousy, it seems to drop out when anything is overhead or on my sides. Canyons, trees, you name it. It's hard to listen to anything when reception drops out unexpectedly. This may have something to do with my radar/GPS shelf which is metal and is above and to the rear of the factory antenna. It could be blocking some signal so maybe I have made my own problem. In any case I decided to try a new antenna since it seems there has been some progress since 2012 on that technology.

I bought the SiriusXM NGVA3 Magnetic Antenna Mount for $16.49 on Amazon. It had good ratings and a magnetic base which I thought would be useful. It also had a 23 foot cable which I didn't need, but if that works in a car it probably wouldn't be a problem. I didn't pay much attention to the right angle BNC connector because I was planning to splice the wires and use the pink Fakra connector from the old antenna. That plan changed as I needed something called "quad eutectic" solder which I didn't have, and after closely examining the connector I changed my mind. The new connector could fit the old one with a little work.

The original Fakra connector locks the antenna fittings together but does not provide any weather/water protection. The new style BNC connector that came with my antenna will fit the metal plug inside the Fakra housing, but only if the Fakra housing is cut down or removed altogether. I decided on the latter and removed the metal plug from the Fakra housing. Just find the slightly different colored plastic on the Fakra and pry it out, then lift a little barb/latch and the housing will slide off the metal plug inside it. The new BNC fitting on my new antenna fits very tightly on the metal plug that was inside the Fakra, and once connected is unlikely to pull free. It really takes some effort to pull them apart. I also put some shrink tubing around the new connection to give it a little weather protection.

The new antenna is supposedly waterproof so I mounted it on my radar/GPS shelf which is steel and it sticks to very tightly. I have only done a short ride but it seems to work well and I didn't lose my signal even when I went under a gas station roof over the pumps. I am encouraged.

If you do decide to use the pink Fakra connector you can buy them on eBay from China for a few bucks. You should be able to use it if you buy an antenna with a STRAIGHT BNC connector, not right angle one like I did. If you think you can reuse the old connectors think again. Disassembly generally causes them to break as the locking piece is very brittle and will probably break when you lever them out. I suspect that is by design.

Here are some pictures to illustrate what I did. https://goo.gl/photos/ewg5c2AxMEbHjf2w6

Works Great!

Got to do an extended test in the mountains this weekend and the new antenna works great! Even in the narrowest of canyons all I got was some very momentary signal clipping while going up the west side of Guanella Pass toward Georgetown. With the old antenna I would have had dead air for most of that trip. Also went over Mt. Evans road from Idaho Springs down to Evergreen. It did cut out a few times on the hairpin turns toward Evergreen, but all and all it's a fabulous improvement over what I had before. Really works well and is worthwhile to do.

Any updates on this??

I'm having the same issues listed above on my 2016 RTW but hoping someone may have found an easier solution.

Thanks,
Ski