okidoc

What is the best deal for satellite radio. I like the portability of the XM unit, and have had a chance to play the stations. But I am afraid to buy without at least looking at the comp. What do you guys like/dislike regarding these systems. And of course where to buy to get the best home/car deal. I want the Fm modulator version, whatever brand.

shazaam

I have serrius .. in retrospect I would have gone with Xm ... but at the time serrius offered commercial free programming and xm didn't. both have webssites where you can listen ot thier programming lineup

midiwall

I've had XM for about a year and love it. I haven't listened to FM since installing it, and am thinking about buying a 3rd receiver for work.

There are a number of threads around here talking about the services back and forth, but they were mostly created when XM and Sirius had one major difference - commercials on the music channels.

XM went commercial free a couple of months ago, so now the difference is really one of money. XM is $9.95/month for the first receiver and $6.95/month for each additional up to four. Sirius is $12.95/month for the first receiver and $6.99/month for each additional up to four.

Programming is generally the same in terms of genre and variety, and there are plusses on both sides. For example, if you're an Eminem fan, then you might like knowing that Sirius is giving him his own station in the next few weeks.

Websites:
http://www.xmradio.com
http://www.sirius.com/

Hardware wise... The receivers are all pretty pricefixed no matter who's you buy. There are stand-alone receivers as well as headunits that have the controller built-in. Any kind of price breaks will come from the retailer (online or otherwise) throwing stuff in or giving breaks on installation costs.

Crutchfield is a decent one-stop place to shop (though not always buy if you're just looking for price) for receivers that support either one:
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-QloU8cW...=01&c=18&vst=Y

XMRadioStore is a good place to wander for just XM stand-alone products:
http://www.myradiostore.us/


Hope that helps you get started!

Chapman88SR5

serrious keeps having problems with their satalite system or something and they almost lost it

so id go with xm

midiwall

I just noticed you're from this general area.

Know up front that in this area you'll have some dropout issues (with either service) if you run through the mountains or even through clumps of trees. If you go on runs up into the FS roads and all, then expect to not have ANY coverage.

Running around The Big Town isn't an issue since there are terrestrial (earth bound) repeaters all over. It's just when you get out into the woods and all that you';ll loose the sat's.

PoBoy

whichever howard stern moves to if he gets kicked off the public airwaves...

shazaam

howard stern is is so played out now .. its the same lame jokes over and over "will you take off your clothes for $5K?" ....

okidoc

Thanks for the help. I have listened to XM before and enjoyed it. The reason I am looking into it is because I have a 3500 mi trek from Seattle to FL w/ my dad. I figured it could help keep the peace somewhat. I was looking at the Delphi Roady 2 it seems to be a nice compact unit, is transportable and has a built-in fm modulator. Any comments.

PoBoy

That it CAN be at times, but not really. There is a reason why millions of listeners tune in every morning. It cant be to hear what they heard yesterday. It's not...most people who say its played out listen for 5 minutes of a 4 hour show. He cant possible talk about the same thing every day for 4 horus...FWIW, he doesnt.

I really like the news sessions and the celebrity interviews. Most people think its all about the the naked stuff - there is a lot more to the show than just that. It can actually be quite educational. If more people atleast listened to the stern show on a regular basis - we might not have so many people in the US who have no clue what is going on in the US. Granted CNN or NPR is a better source, but atleast the Stern show can be a bit more appealing and not so boring yet still provide some info on what is going on.

midiwall

PERFECT!


It's a great bargain... The only thing I'd point out is that if you ever think that'd you'd want the Delphi BoomBox, then that will only work with the SkyFi receiver.

Note that MyRadioStore.com has a deal going on the Roady's which includes a free home kit (must purchase before 9/12/2004):
http://www.myradiostore.us/xm-radio-receivers/


One last piece of advice - ONLY use Delphi's own FM modulators. There are plenty of documented issues of folks trying other (high quality!) FM mods and they end up with a hiss problem.


Enjoy!

Wes Whitmore

I have serious, and it is great. I haven't listened to XM though. I got a MP3 playing cd player with tuner and antenna for $230 last week. They were throwing in a free receiver. It seemed like a great thing for my 60 mile commute. I haven't been on FM much lately. I don't like commercials, and I really like Hair Nation and the Bluegrass channel.

SLC Punk

Urban legand brought to you by XM people
Go here and do a search:
http://www.siriusbackstage.com/forum/


I have Sirius, I am happy with it. I have not had a problem with dropouts in the woods, but I do lose reception for 1-2 seconds if I go under a big overpass. Other than that its great. I bought a 2nd unit for my Celica 3 months after I bought the unit for the 4Runner.

The unit I bought for the Celica is a Plug-in-play, made by Kenwood. I like this unit because it is not huge like the Audiovox and I trust Kenwood. I am currently installing an antenna and base in my boat so I can have the satelite when I am fishing/skiing.

Either way, you can't go wrong. I have heard pros and cons of each. One thing holds true with both of them, its better than FM radio!!

Pic of my 4Runner:

This one is fixed. The acutal receiver is under the seat. I wanted this one so I can get a Kenwood deck down the road and have the display show there.

Pic of my Celica:

I close the PnP unit because the "system 10" stereo in the Celica's is rare, and I wanted to keep it intact. It has a built in wireless FM modulator, but I was getting interference from local stations. I bought a wired FM modulator and it sounds as good as CD's.

Steveh29

I bought XM after using my brother's for a weekend. I originally purchased the Delphi Sky Fi, but later switched to the Delphi Roady. Both have worked very well for me and I couldn't be happier with the programming. XM's music programming is commercial free and the talk stations have a few commercials an hour.

The Sky Fi is better if you're going to use one unit in several locations. It's easy to set up at home or switch between several cars. After having the Sky Fi for a while I realized it was staying in the truck all the time and didn't need the portability. So I got a Roady because it's smaller, has 10 more presets, dashboard light color matching display, and a memory to power back on when I turn on the ignition.

I very rarely have dropouts in signal. One time I noticed the antenna for my Sky Fi was sitting on the ground below the window sill at home - not even pointing in the right direction. Still had a good signal. I have the FM Modulator and like it better than the cassette deck adaptor. I feel the signal sounds better and you don't have to plug the radio into a power source - the FM modulator powers the radio.

Here's a place for good satellite radio and cell phone mounts by the way:

http://www.pro-fit-intl.com/mount.htm

Steveh29

[QUOTE=SLC Punk]
Either way, you can't go wrong. I have heard pros and cons of each. One thing holds true with both of them, its better than FM radio!! [QUOTE]

SLC Punk is right. Like anything there's the good and bad. However, I've not listened to FM since I bought the radio. I don't even listen to CD's too much anymore.

okidoc

Thanks all lots of great help and advice as usual. I just bought a Roady 2 w/ home package for $115 delivered through Ebay.

Mossback74

Wheres that picture that shows the satilites??

TDiddy

I think Leo posted that at one time, showing the orbit path of both satellites and why sirius had issues.

midiwall

This doesn't cover the orbit issues, but... there's some quick interesting banter here:
http://www.xmfan.com/viewtopic.php?t=8228

And an interesting trouble-chart here:
http://www.sat-index.com/failures/index.html
(look at the "Sirius" and "XM" entries)


I'm still looking for info on the orbit issues.

Mossback74

Found it

SLC Punk

That's a cool pic.
I guess that explanes why Sirius has a wider range of places it can reach. It has a big orbit! I heard that the sirius satellites are up much higher than XM that's why Sirius doesn't need all the ground repeaters that XM has. I guess that can be good or bad..