Satellite Radio

[kingnothing395]

My 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn gave me a message I've never seen before. I was travelling IH-10 in West Texas and the satellite radio quit working. It said No Internet Available or something like that. Satellite radio uses the internet connection thru my iPhone? It doesn't have a satellite antenna?

I get spotty cell service in the hills between Kerrville and Boerne from Verizon and AT&T. And further west of Kerrville where there is nothing for miles service is thin. In my Tundra, the satellite radio always worked, as did the Nav. Does the Ram use an internet connection for navigation and satellite radio?

 

[TRK_GANG74]

No it does not. Satellite radio uses the sat antenna in the shark fin antenna housing and the Nav uses the GPS antenna in the same housing for navigation. No internet connection required or phone required. The only way your satellite radio would not be available would be if your using the SXM app on your phone and playing it through the uconnect system and your cell signal disappeared due to lack of coverage in that area. The installed SXM system in the uconnect system would not be affected. Here where I lived I use the SXM radio in my truck and when I go thru tunnels I lose the signal but if I'm using the SXM app on my phone and playing it through the system even in the tunnel I can still listen even though I'm 50ft under water in the tunnel (they have cell repeaters in the tunnels).

 

[kingnothing395]

I was using the SXM media app, not Carplay. From the vertical menu on the left side of the screen, there are several options, including AM, FM, and SiriusXM. I was using that.

Is there a setting in there somewhere that tells SiriusXM to use the satellite antenna NOT the internet connection from the iPhone?

 

[TRK_GANG74]

Nope. The SXM media app in the truck automatically uses the satellite antenna. The only other way you lose service is you have a problem with the Uconnect system, solar flares/storms from the sun interfering with reception, or a problem with the broadcast coming from SXM themselves. I've had the service disruption happen a few times lasting from minutes to an hour sometimes.