When you activate or deactivate a tuner, it needs to be powered and have los to the sats to turn on or turn off a tuner.
Sirius/XM will send turn off commands for a couple of weeks or months after the tuner is turned off, just in case the tuner doesn't see the first time command. Then Sirius/XM will stop sending the turn off signal.
When you had the tuner deactivated, either it did not have power or los. And the tuner may stay on permanently because Sirius/XM quit sending the turn off signal while the tuner was stored away.
The Pioneer XM tuner in my car is permanently on because it did not have power when I had it turned off. Two years later in 09, when I got the car powered up and going again, the XM tuner was on, and its still is on today.
When my dad got a new 2011 GMC truck, it came with a three month free trial. I disconnected the tuner before the trial period ended. I left it disconnected for a few months. It is now connected and is on.