( One of the major initial concerns many people have with Satellite radio is the "fuzzy" reception. One thing the consumer should note is that satellite signal is never fuzzy, and is always either crystal clear,or absent. This means that the problem lies in the transmission from the satellite receiver to the vehicle (or home) FM tuner.
The first step, if you truly wish to get the best possible sound quality, is to find the best possible FM static station available. No one really enjoys listening to static, but it is well worth the annoyance for the crystal clear sound awaiting you. Your SIRIUS receiver should be turned off for this. Using direct tuning (station by station rather than "seek" or "scan"), start at 88.1 and identify stations that are static. It is helpful to write them down. Once you have identified all the static stations between 88.1 and 106.9 (the range the SIRIUS FM transmitter will broadcast to), go one at a time and turn up the volume as loud as you can stand, listening for ANY background voice or audio, no matter how faint, and cross those off. You should also avoid stations that have a wine or squeal to them, and this will affect the overall quality of your reception. Do this until you have found the best possible FM static station available.
Now for the easy part, setting the FM transmitter in the SIRIUS receiver. First you must press the "Menu" button located on the receiver in most models, or on the remote of the SIRIUS One (SIR-SV1). In the populated menu, arrow down to "FM Transmitter" and press the select button (the "dog" button on most models, or by pressing the dial in on the Sportsters). This will open a new menu, and you will see either "FM Presets" or "FM Frequencies". Highlight this option and press the select button. This will show you the FM frequency your SIRIUS receiver is broadcasting to. Press select again, and then use the up/down or right/left arrow keys to change to the FM static station you selected earlier. Once it is on the appropriate station, press select. In less than 5 seconds, you will be broadcasting to your FM static station, and enjoying crystal clear SIRIUS Satellite Radio entertainment.
That's all there is to it, it can be reset again and again whenever you would like. If you are setting up MULTIPLE PRESETS, then you simply need to again enter the menu, select FM Transmitter, then select FM Presets, and use the up/down arrow keys to scroll to the preset number you wish to set. Once there, press select (it will probably say "empty", because no station has been set there by default). Use the up/down or left/right arrow keys to tune to the station you are setting the FM transmitter to, and press select. To use the preset, simply press the preset number on the receiver or the remote.
Troubleshooting:
NO AUDIO
Enter menu, select FM Transmitter, and then scroll to the option "On/Off" and ensure that "On" is highlighted.
Enter menu, select "Settings" (or "Audio Levels" in Sportsters), then select "Audio Levels", and ensure that the audio level is turned all the way up.
Double check that the FM Preset you are using is set to the same station you are broadcasting to.
Hit the "Mute" button (on remote) at least twice to ensure mute is not on.
Double check vehicle audio level.
Ensure that the receiver is NOT saying "No Signal", "Acquiring Signal", or "No Antenna Detected". This is an indication the antenna is misplaced, connected incorrectly to the receiver/vehicle/home kit, or that the antenna does not have a clear view of the sky.
Ensure that the FM Extender Antenna (FEA) is connected through "FM Out" and not "Line Out".
Try moving the receiver as close as possible to the vehicle antenna to see if there is any reception at all.
If nothing works, it may be a problem with the FM Transmitter. SIRIUS retailers (like WalMart, Best Buy, Radio Shack) have a 30 in-store direct replacement guarantee, and SIRIUS carries a one year replacement warranty.
OTHER OPTIONS
Cassette adapter- plugs in through "Line Out" on SIRIUS receiver, and plays through your tape deck.
Line Out to stereo's Aux In connections.
FM Direct Adapter- connects to the vehicle antenna, and splits the signal with the SIRIUS receiver.
The first step, if you truly wish to get the best possible sound quality, is to find the best possible FM static station available. No one really enjoys listening to static, but it is well worth the annoyance for the crystal clear sound awaiting you. Your SIRIUS receiver should be turned off for this. Using direct tuning (station by station rather than "seek" or "scan"), start at 88.1 and identify stations that are static. It is helpful to write them down. Once you have identified all the static stations between 88.1 and 106.9 (the range the SIRIUS FM transmitter will broadcast to), go one at a time and turn up the volume as loud as you can stand, listening for ANY background voice or audio, no matter how faint, and cross those off. You should also avoid stations that have a wine or squeal to them, and this will affect the overall quality of your reception. Do this until you have found the best possible FM static station available.
Now for the easy part, setting the FM transmitter in the SIRIUS receiver. First you must press the "Menu" button located on the receiver in most models, or on the remote of the SIRIUS One (SIR-SV1). In the populated menu, arrow down to "FM Transmitter" and press the select button (the "dog" button on most models, or by pressing the dial in on the Sportsters). This will open a new menu, and you will see either "FM Presets" or "FM Frequencies". Highlight this option and press the select button. This will show you the FM frequency your SIRIUS receiver is broadcasting to. Press select again, and then use the up/down or right/left arrow keys to change to the FM static station you selected earlier. Once it is on the appropriate station, press select. In less than 5 seconds, you will be broadcasting to your FM static station, and enjoying crystal clear SIRIUS Satellite Radio entertainment.
That's all there is to it, it can be reset again and again whenever you would like. If you are setting up MULTIPLE PRESETS, then you simply need to again enter the menu, select FM Transmitter, then select FM Presets, and use the up/down arrow keys to scroll to the preset number you wish to set. Once there, press select (it will probably say "empty", because no station has been set there by default). Use the up/down or left/right arrow keys to tune to the station you are setting the FM transmitter to, and press select. To use the preset, simply press the preset number on the receiver or the remote.
Troubleshooting:
NO AUDIO
Enter menu, select FM Transmitter, and then scroll to the option "On/Off" and ensure that "On" is highlighted.
Enter menu, select "Settings" (or "Audio Levels" in Sportsters), then select "Audio Levels", and ensure that the audio level is turned all the way up.
Double check that the FM Preset you are using is set to the same station you are broadcasting to.
Hit the "Mute" button (on remote) at least twice to ensure mute is not on.
Double check vehicle audio level.
Ensure that the receiver is NOT saying "No Signal", "Acquiring Signal", or "No Antenna Detected". This is an indication the antenna is misplaced, connected incorrectly to the receiver/vehicle/home kit, or that the antenna does not have a clear view of the sky.
Ensure that the FM Extender Antenna (FEA) is connected through "FM Out" and not "Line Out".
Try moving the receiver as close as possible to the vehicle antenna to see if there is any reception at all.
If nothing works, it may be a problem with the FM Transmitter. SIRIUS retailers (like WalMart, Best Buy, Radio Shack) have a 30 in-store direct replacement guarantee, and SIRIUS carries a one year replacement warranty.
OTHER OPTIONS
Cassette adapter- plugs in through "Line Out" on SIRIUS receiver, and plays through your tape deck.
Line Out to stereo's Aux In connections.
FM Direct Adapter- connects to the vehicle antenna, and splits the signal with the SIRIUS receiver.
Guide created: 04/02/07 (updated 03/19/09)
Thank you for voting. If your vote meets our 
