Satellite radios

[blkZ28Conv]

I am considering putting a satellite radio in my garage queen. Two reasons:
Stock radio and cd is not working properly and I can get all the NFL games when I am out riding on Sunday.

What are your thoughts about this type of radio. Any drawbacks?
Weather or buildings are not a concern here where I live and I never drive in bad weather.
TIA

P.S. The new unit will be conciled in order to maintain stock appearance of interior. The original unit will remain in place.

[blankpro]

I purchased an Alpine that has satellite, cd, and am/fm all in one. It is for XM - which is the popular one around here. Sounds and works great. Have your installer do it - there is a new tiny antenna to install, usually near the back of your car (mine's on my back hood of both my 89 MB 260E and 83 MB 380SL.

The impression I got from my dealer is that these all-in-one units are replacing those add-on units from the last few years. Additionally, they are not feeding (as some of the older untis did) via fm modulation, so the sound is immeasurably better.

[blkZ28Conv]

Thanks blankpro,
I spoke with an installer this morning. Since the vehicle I am considering is a convertible it will have a inside hidden glass attached antenna.

[Mr. Clean]

blkZ28Conv,

I know blankpro mentioned XM in particular. You had mentioned receiving football games. I believe that Sirius is the company that has the NFL contract.

I can't add much more than that as I haven't convinced myself to pay for satellite/cable TV much less pay for radio I will read with some interest about what service and hardware you end up with and your evaluation of both.

[blkZ28Conv]

Thanks Mr. Clean for the Sirius info.
I too never thought I would consider paying for a radio broadcast but $10 a month for some non-commercialized music might be worth it..
I'll review this move after a week of contempting. I avoid impulse buying, so if next week this satellite radio idea still seems like a good move. I will jump.

[JDookie]

Well, this is just my opinion but I HATE satellite radio. I pre-paid for 12 months of service and am very sorry I did.

My 04' Expedition came prewired for it and all I had to do was pay a little extra to have the tuner box and antenna installed. My vehicle supports the Sirius system.

My #1 main reason for not liking it is because it constantly breaks. I've been to the Sirius dealer/installer three times now for different reasons and out of the 7 months I've owned it, it has only worked about 3 or 4. Yes, its currently broken.

That being said, even when it does work I still don't like it. The sound quality sucks and doesn't even come close to regular FM radio or cd. About the best way I can describe it to you is a poor quality music download (low bitrate), that has that digital "sound" to it, if you know what I mean.

In a nutshell, it sucks. I say buy a new cd player and burn your own cd's.

[Autoeng]

I listen to the radio a lot as I have long work commutes. I tried XM first with the SkyFi. I would not recommend the SkyFi any more as the display is terrible in sunlight and the unit has very few options, such as song save. Reception was fine all of the time. Had XM for a year and grew increasingly impatient with it. They play a lot of "B" sides. Some like this as you get to hear different stuff but I typically skip the "B" sides on cd's I buy so I didn't want to be stuck paying the subscription and having to listen to them.

Looked into Sirius and could listen online for 3 days as a trial. Like their lineup a lot better. Didn't find that they repeated as much as XM fans said. Got the Audiovox PNP2 and have loved it. Set my 20 song saves but very seldom do the songs repeat. I'm in the car 3 hours a day and it maybe hits once a day, maybe once every other day. Visabilty of screen and reception is good in all conditions. I can put it in another car in five minutes and use the built FM modulator but in my car with a Kenwood head unit I am plugged in direct to the cd changer port. Sirius just release a lot of new receivers so they have a lot to choose from. I also get Sirius free on the internet and if you have a premium Dish package you can get it there as well.

Forums to visit are...

www.xmfan.com
www.xm411.com
www.siriusbackstage.com/forum

[gnahc79]

I like my XM, I've had it for over 2 yrs. It cuts out under bridges (~2 sec), under heavy tree cover, and occasionally when I'm in San Francisco. My antenna is mounted on the roof and everything too. Not a big deal for me really. Sound quality using the FM modulator is inbetween CD and FM. With an aux in I think it should be much better. The FM modulator is finicky and the FM signal, if strong enough, does override the XM signal.

I had the Skyfi but now I have the Roady (pics of my install):
http://www.s94276036.onlinehome.us/roady.html

[Dave N]

Ah, the legendary Satellit radio -- I've always wanted a Satellit radio (a 700 to be specific), but for some reason I never bought one. If you do end up getting one, be sure to do the anti-chuffing mod and get the Kiwa filters.

Oh, wait a minute, you said "satellite radio" radio, not "satellit radio". Sorry, my mistake! (ah, but I do amuse myself!)

[JimGo]

I have a Pioneer head end in my Miata, with an XM tuner connected to it via Pioneer's "IP Bus". This allows the XM transmissions to be decoded and sent directly to the head end, rather than via FM modulation. I LOVE it in the Miata; it allows me to drive between DC and Philly (where my parents and in-laws live) without really dropping the signal, except in the tunnels near Baltimore.

I also have XM in my other car. For that, because the head end did not support XM directly, I purchased a Roady. I am generally pleased with the Roady, but I am not as happy with it as the XM in the Miata. This is because the Roady uses FM to transmit the signal to my car's stock head end. The Roady uses either of channels 88 and 107, and allows you to more finely tune the stations in .2 increments (i.e. 88.1, 88.3, 88.5, etc., and 107.1, 107.3, etc.). In my home market, we have stations on 107.7 and 107.3, and they tend to bleed over onto 107.5 and 107.1, and I have similar problems in the 88's. So, I have to keep changing channels depending on where I am and whether a signal bleeds over or not. Basically, it means changing the "channel" about three times between DC and Philadelphia.

Sorry, I'm not a big football fan, so I don't to know whether XM carries NFL games or not - you can check out www.xmradio.com to find out for sure. But with something like 120 channels included in the base subscription price, and additional premium channels available, you'll probably be able to find something to keep you entertained!

- Jim

[MartyGrant]

Love the XM in the wife's Honda. Can't be beat "out west" on long drives for GREAT music, FOX, CNN whatever. None of those #$%&@ commercials, public service announcements and BS from the DJ's. Sample it free on the internet if you are thinking about it.

[Mosca]

Sirius for NFL.

I have XM in both my car and my garage. I love it, it's definitely worth the $$ for me.

As far as which one, I honestly think that if you like one then you'd like the other as well.


Tom