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SI M65 01 16
Audio, Navigation, Monitors, Alarms, SRS

February 2016
Technical Service

SUBJECT

XM Satellite Radio Reception
MODEL

F55 (Cooper Hardtop 4 Door, Cooper S Hardtop 4 Door) produced from July 2014
F56 (Cooper Hardtop 2 Door, Cooper S Hardtop 2 Door) produced from November 2013
Vehicles equipped with Base Radio
F54 (Cooper Clubman, Cooper S Clubman) produced from October 2015
F55 (Cooper Hardtop 4 Door, Cooper S Hardtop 4 Door) produced from March 2016
F56 (Cooper Hardtop 2 Door, Cooper S Hardtop 2 Door) produced from March 2016
F57 (Cooper Convertible, Cooper S Convertible) produced from November 2015
Vehicles equipped with Wired Package 7L5 (Package includes SA609 Navigation system)
SITUATION

XM-equipped Satellite Radio may dropout in different geographic areas versus Sirius-equipped
radio. As of April 2016 Sirius-equipped radios will show a very similar behavior.
CAUSE

These vehicles have an XM Satellite Radio chip installed. For now these radios receive their
Satellite Radio signal from different satellites than vehicles using Sirius chip equipped head units.
As of April 2016 Sirius equipped head units will move to the XM Satellites constellation and will
have similar reception.
INFORMATION

Currently Satellite Radio is provided by SiriusXM for MINI customers. Satellite radio is broadcast
from two different sets of Satellites using different earth orbits. XM uses geosynchronous (GEO)
satellites located roughly above the equator. This means that the satellite signal to some parts of the
United States can come in at an angle as low as 32 degrees to the horizon. This is different than
Sirius Satellites in a Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO) which currently come in to the vehicle at a
higher angle to the horizon. As of April 2016 Sirius equipped head units will move to the XM
Satellites constellation and will show the same location-based cutouts.
SiriusXM is currently updating the repeater network to cover areas of low reception, but the general
disadvantage of geostationary satellites can’t be compensated completely. Buildings, hills, trees,
highway sound blocking walls or any other obstacles might block the satellite signal coming from
the south at a 32 degree elevation angle and might cause audio dropouts in absence of terrestrial
repeaters. Reception quality decreases the further north you travel, as the angle of the incoming

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3/3/2016

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signal gets flatter. Adverse weather conditions will affect reception. Sirius XM will increase the
amount of Sirius and XM repeaters gradually to improve situation in metropolitan areas.
When investigating Satellite Radio cutouts or a temporary loss of reception:
z

Please compare to a similarly equipped vehicle.

z

Do not compare an XM equipped vehicle to a Sirius equipped vehicle.

z

Replace no parts

Customers should direct all reception complaints to MINI Customer Relations department at 1-866275-6464
Customers must provide:
z

the exact location (street address or Latitude/Longitude) of dropout

z

weather conditions

z

time of day the drop occurred.

Customer Relations will collect the locations of the XM reception cutouts and supply them to
Sirius/XM Satellite Radio via MINI engineering.
The only possible change in the customers reception would come IF Sirius/XM installs ground
based repeaters in the problem area.
Customers also have the option of listening to SiriusXM via an app on their phones. The SiriusXM
Internet Radio app is available for download from iTunes and Google play.
WARRANTY INFORMATION

Not applicable
[ Copyright ©2016 BMW of North America, Inc. ]

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3/3/2016