Supposedly the 9 months was a deal between the dealer and Sirius, the Dealer has been having issues getting Sirous to reflect it in their system. The dropouts are usually under light tree cover, areas where XM never had a problem, but yeah it could b this crazy antenna setup they use. Funny if i buy an add on Sirius it will have the puck type I see with XM. I'm sure this windshield mount setup is not the most ideal, and what were they thinking when they did it. It does nto bother me, but everyone that gets int he passenger seat asks what the heck it is.