I have a 2019 SLC300. Siriusxm's satellite radio channel lineup shows channels up to 290, but if I try to tune to anything above channel 138, it says "invalid channel". Is this a fault in my radio, or is this a known restriction of Mercedes satellite radio?

Thanks.

Restriction of the FCC on broadcast wave bandwidth. Past channel 200 or so, it's only internet listening. Download the Sirius app on your phone and use Bluetooth if you want to listen to all the channels.

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Restriction of the FCC on broadcast wave bandwidth. Past channel 200 or so, it's only internet listening. Download the Sirius app on your phone and use Bluetooth if you want to listen to all the channels.

I rented a car last year (I think it was a Nissan) that could receive the high numbered satellite channels.

I'd appreciate hearing if other owners of 2019 or 2020 Mercedes can receive the high channels.

 

VW does, I own one that won’t support the channel list that SXM says I can have.
I can only tell you what they told me...each mfg is different...not fully integrated based on Original satellite tech being used...I’m sure they wouldn’t steer anyone wrong, right?

 

If it was a frequency and/or bandwidth issue as you posted, unless the FCC made more frequencies available, the cause of some earlier vehicles not receiving the higher stations is not likely a SiriusXM issue but rather a manufacturer issue with the hardware/software in the vehicle. I would love to know how much of it is software and how much is hardware. Can the manufacturers patch/update existing hardware to tune in these higher channels? or is it a limitation of the hardware? I once read that satellite radio broadcasts every channel all at once but must do so in the same band, 12.5MHz. I admit, I do not know enough about satellite radio to answer my own question but at first glance, it seems that all channels must fit within this same bandwidth. This is why they allocate more for music than talk radio and why talk radio isn't as clear. If this is true, then every radio receiver must be hardware capable of receiving the full 12.5MHz spectrum. This to me, if all else is true, that each OEM is leaving out channels on purpose.