Have a Sirius satillite radio unit that works real good in everything EXCEPT my 95' 2188 combine. It has a factory digital tuned radio and it works good by itself but plug in the Sirius and all you get is static with some faint music in the back ground. Tried moving the unit in the cab to a different location.....also moved the antenna but nothing makes a difference. Did note yesterday that if I have the key in the "accesory" position that the stactic goes away and it works like normal. Don't get alot of harvesting done with it in this position so am looking for any ideas what might be causeing the problem. I was thinking maybe all of the electronics in the "A-Post" might be the culprit but by moving both the antenna and unit away from that area, it has made no difference. Any ideas?
Satillite radio?
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That sounds... ominous. My new Sirius system was just delivered yesterday and I had planned on installing it on the 2388 today. I hope everything works. My first thought would be changing the station on which the Sirius broadcasts. If that doesn't work you'll probably have to use the FM Extender kit. My system came with one, but I don't know about yours. Finally, if that doesn't work the Sirius receiver should be able to be hard-wired into the stereo head unit. I'm not exactly sure how that works, but I can ask my brother. He's installed Sirius on a couple vehicles.
Quick question: where did you mount your antenna? I want to put my antenna on the front of the cab, but I'm worried the Mauer bin extension will interfere with the signal. Hope you can get it worked out. Sirius sure makes a day go by easier.
Kevin
Quick question: where did you mount your antenna? I want to put my antenna on the front of the cab, but I'm worried the Mauer bin extension will interfere with the signal. Hope you can get it worked out. Sirius sure makes a day go by easier.
Kevin
Kevin...I don't have a Mauer extension so have put mine on the flat surface of the regular bin screen extension in the right front corner. With a Mauer extension, I see no reason that you couldn't place it on the flat surface of the right hand mirror at the moveable joint next to the cab. Posted my problem on another forum and sounds like I need the "FM Extender" so will order one. Let me know how your works out...good or bad....Larry
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I use XM Roady 2 units, and they have a FM transmitter. I did discover that you can set the transmit power level on these units, and your sirius system may be able to do this too. I know with these XM units, if the unit is in the combine, you can pick up the signal loud and clear (no static) in a grain cart while you are unloading.
For the antenna, these are magnet mount. I stick them to the black bar that holds the mirror. It comes out of the cab as a round tube for a few inches, then some flat steel for a hinge. I stick the antenna to the flat steel on the hinge. It is far enough forward that the hopper extensions don't block the signal. I then use tape to secure the antenna wire to the roof and run it in the right side door/window.
-Lance
For the antenna, these are magnet mount. I stick them to the black bar that holds the mirror. It comes out of the cab as a round tube for a few inches, then some flat steel for a hinge. I stick the antenna to the flat steel on the hinge. It is far enough forward that the hopper extensions don't block the signal. I then use tape to secure the antenna wire to the roof and run it in the right side door/window.
-Lance
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Same here...i tried on the grain tank extensions and i guess atleast you knew when you were full....... Losss signal
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Also isn't satellite raido great???
Sirius is awesome... Love howard and bubba and all the great music..
Also isn't satellite raido great???
Sirius is awesome... Love howard and bubba and all the great music..
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I forgot about the mirror brackets; that does seem like a good place. It'll save me the hassle of trying to mount a piece of metal to the plastic cab roof. I didn't get the unit installed yesterday because I needed an extension cord for the power cable. I picked one up and I'll work on it this morning. I'll let y'all know how it works.
Quote:I know with these XM units, if the unit is in the combine, you can pick up the signal loud and clear (no static) in a grain cart while you are unloading.
Our MX270 has an older Sirius Sportster unit and it broadcasts a pretty good distance (I've gotten the pickup almost a quarter-mile away from the tractor once before it completely faded out). I've heard that the FCC made them turn the power on their transmitters down, though. I'd guess that's why Sirius now includes the FM Extender-thingy in their car kits.
Kevin
edit: I got it installed, but it's really static-y. I got good reception when I held the receiver next to the radio, but as soon as I took it away it started to fade out. I'll definitely need the FM Extender, but I'm going to wait for the wind to go down before hooking it up.
Quote:I know with these XM units, if the unit is in the combine, you can pick up the signal loud and clear (no static) in a grain cart while you are unloading.
Our MX270 has an older Sirius Sportster unit and it broadcasts a pretty good distance (I've gotten the pickup almost a quarter-mile away from the tractor once before it completely faded out). I've heard that the FCC made them turn the power on their transmitters down, though. I'd guess that's why Sirius now includes the FM Extender-thingy in their car kits.
Kevin
edit: I got it installed, but it's really static-y. I got good reception when I held the receiver next to the radio, but as soon as I took it away it started to fade out. I'll definitely need the FM Extender, but I'm going to wait for the wind to go down before hooking it up.
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Quote:what model radio is it?
It's a Sportster 4, the newest one (I like the blue screen). Changing the broadcast station doesn't really help; it's just a low power transmitter. As mentioned above, the original Sportster (about 4 years old) will transmit a pretty good distance. I assume these new ones will work okay in a car or pickup because it will be mounted on the dash close to the radio, but hanging from the moisture sensor controller next to the R-hand A pillar is kinda far away.
Kevin
It's a Sportster 4, the newest one (I like the blue screen). Changing the broadcast station doesn't really help; it's just a low power transmitter. As mentioned above, the original Sportster (about 4 years old) will transmit a pretty good distance. I assume these new ones will work okay in a car or pickup because it will be mounted on the dash close to the radio, but hanging from the moisture sensor controller next to the R-hand A pillar is kinda far away.
Kevin
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I finally got it to work. I'm still getting some faint static, but it's more than acceptable. The only way to get it completely clear is to wire the Sirius directly to the combine's radio, and that's more permanent than I want to do. I mounted the FM Extender on the left side of the windshield about 2 inches away from the A-pillar. Any closer and the reception seemed to get worse. There are three tabs that hold the headliner up, so I just routed the cord through those to get it over to the right side so it would reach the receiver. I have all the excess cables tied up in the right corner up near the headliner. It's not the most professional looking installation, but since it'll only be in there through harvest it's good enough. I'd post a pic, but the camera battery's dead and I can't find the charger.
Here's an update on my Sirius radio..........Got my FM extender yesterday and installed it this morning. If today is any indication of things to come, I'm very pleased! Static free and I could actually hear the music. Hope it wasn't a "fluke" day! LOL Works just as good in the combine now as the pick-ups. We'll see what tommorrow brings.
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I'm glad it worked out for you. I'm actually kinda disappointed with mine. We just started corn harvest today and my Sirius was working fine when I left the farm, but as soon as I got to the field all I was getting was static. I changed the broadcast station several times and finally found one that worked better, but when the sun went down it was picking up at lot of noise again. I dunno, maybe it'll work better tomorrow.
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Quote:I'm glad it worked out for you. I'm actually kinda disappointed with mine. We just started corn harvest today and my Sirius was working fine when I left the farm, but as soon as I got to the field all I was getting was static. I changed the broadcast station several times and finally found one that worked better, but when the sun went down it was picking up at lot of noise again. I dunno, maybe it'll work better tomorrow.
Turn off the Sirius and scan for an FM channel with nothing but static. Then tune the Sirius to broadcast on that channel. This way, you aren't competing with any radio stations for that frequency.
At night, you have more humidity in the air. Humidity seems to carry the radio signals a longer distance. You can usually pick up radio stations at night that you won't be able to get during the day. I'd guess you were on a frequency of some radio station whose signal got stronger as the night set in.
-Lance
Turn off the Sirius and scan for an FM channel with nothing but static. Then tune the Sirius to broadcast on that channel. This way, you aren't competing with any radio stations for that frequency.
At night, you have more humidity in the air. Humidity seems to carry the radio signals a longer distance. You can usually pick up radio stations at night that you won't be able to get during the day. I'd guess you were on a frequency of some radio station whose signal got stronger as the night set in.
-Lance
Heres an update....day 2 and 3....works perfect and I have moved to 2 different fields and no indication that the first day was a "fluke".
okpanhandle.....you ever get yours figured out? I would think in your area, that a "dead" FM station would be available. In my area of Cental Kansas, the lower end of the dial is the least used around here....87.9 is what I used. Keep us posted.
okpanhandle.....you ever get yours figured out? I would think in your area, that a "dead" FM station would be available. In my area of Cental Kansas, the lower end of the dial is the least used around here....87.9 is what I used. Keep us posted.
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I played with it yesterday and finally settled on 89.3. It worked pretty good with some faint static, but all the noise from the machine drowns most of it out. I had to bring the combine to the house this morning for a quick repair and it was still decent. I'm satisfied for now. On another note, the gimball mount for the receiver is loose, so whenever I push a button the screen moves around. To solve that I started using the supplied remote and I tell you that's the way to go. The volume control on the remote is really nice; much better than reaching up to the radio to turn the knob. Nothing worse than hitting a bump and accidentally cranking the volume all the way up.
The low end of the dial is least used around here, as well. It's surprising how many stations we can pick up on a calm day, though. On some mornings I can get three or four stations broadcasting High Plains Public Radio (blah), and they're all on low frequencies. On rare occasions I can pick up 102.3 from Woodward (best rock station in NW Oklahoma) and on rarer occasions 100.5 from Oklahoma City (best rock station in Central Oklahoma).
Kevin
The low end of the dial is least used around here, as well. It's surprising how many stations we can pick up on a calm day, though. On some mornings I can get three or four stations broadcasting High Plains Public Radio (blah), and they're all on low frequencies. On rare occasions I can pick up 102.3 from Woodward (best rock station in NW Oklahoma) and on rarer occasions 100.5 from Oklahoma City (best rock station in Central Oklahoma).
Kevin
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Quote:Does anyone have any pics of their install in a combine? Trying to figure out what would be best way to install for easy transfer between combine and tractor without buying multiple units or parts. Thanks.
I don't think I've taken any pictures of that. Anyway, I'll paint a picture with words. XM Roady 2 mounted on the adjustable angle base. The base gets taped (yes, duct tape) to the console on a 2388 just to the right of the reel speed dial. The wires come out of the left side of the unit, but hide nicely behind the unit and come down the right side of the console. I tape them to the console to get back past the gear shifter. Power needs a cig lighter extension cable to get over to the cig lighter on the left side of the seat. The antenna wire goes up the back of the cab, and any slack gets coiled up and hangs on the hat hanger up by the top, right next to that window that opens. Antenna wire continues out through that window, gets taped to the outside of the cab just behind the window, up onto the roof, and runs forward towards the right mirror. The antenna itself is quite small, so I stick it to the antenna bracket where it is flat steel. Seems to work fine, as a combine is usually under clear skys.
-Lance
I don't think I've taken any pictures of that. Anyway, I'll paint a picture with words. XM Roady 2 mounted on the adjustable angle base. The base gets taped (yes, duct tape) to the console on a 2388 just to the right of the reel speed dial. The wires come out of the left side of the unit, but hide nicely behind the unit and come down the right side of the console. I tape them to the console to get back past the gear shifter. Power needs a cig lighter extension cable to get over to the cig lighter on the left side of the seat. The antenna wire goes up the back of the cab, and any slack gets coiled up and hangs on the hat hanger up by the top, right next to that window that opens. Antenna wire continues out through that window, gets taped to the outside of the cab just behind the window, up onto the roof, and runs forward towards the right mirror. The antenna itself is quite small, so I stick it to the antenna bracket where it is flat steel. Seems to work fine, as a combine is usually under clear skys.
-Lance
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Does anybody know if you can hook a sportster 4 to a milwaukee radio in the shop for the winter? If so what would it take?
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Brands don't much matter. The question is, what options do you have on each end to connect them? Does the source have a FM transmitter, RCA outputs, or the headphone style jack? Does the input have RCA inputs, etc? Audio stuff is usually pretty standard.
i used my sirius radio all fall in our 2388, i mounted my antenna with double sided tape, but from now on I am going to mount a small piece of thin steel on cabs of tractors and the semis so that I can mount the antenna on a flat surface and make it easy to take off
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