Sirius Satellite Radio may not be all it's cracked up to be when it comes to serving the Far North, Inuvik customer Ray Suchodolski says.

When he bought his satellite radio in Edmonton last year, the salesman assured him it would work everywhere in Canada, Suchodolski told CBC News.

However, as soon as he started driving up the Dempster Highway toward the Arctic Circle, the signal started cutting out. By the time he reached Inuvik, he was only getting reception about 30 per cent of the time.

"What would happen is I wouldn't have anything, then I'd turn the corner and, 'Oh, there's the nice song,' and you'd go for half a block and it would disappear," Suchodolski told CBC News.

"It was more frustrating than anything. I just had to put it away."

Inuvik resident Richard Gordon says he only receives a signal about 10 per cent of the time.

When Gordon complained, the company told him to buy a bigger antenna, but that turned out to be a waste of money, he says.

"So I bought this thing for $150, mounted it on, still no difference." 

Dozens of other Mackenzie Delta residents have brought their radios to Paul Komaromi, who is with an Inuvik communications company that services the region's oil and gas industry.

"Initially they [Sirius] were saying get a larger antenna, but that's not a solution," he says. "Their satellite is simply — their spot beam — is simply too far south. It just doesn't cover this far north."

Sirius spokesperson Jeff Roman denies there is any problem with the company's reception in the Far North.

Sirius Canada offers listeners more than 100 channels and is owned by Siruis Satellite Radio U.S. along with the CBC and Standard Radio.