XM Satelite Radio ?..Anyone.

JohnK24 · November 12th, 2004, 08:24 PM

My wife wants to buy me the XM Satelite Radio and Boombox for Christmas. Anyone have one ? Comments...I'm thrilled with the option of 2 Nascar channels and plenty of country music options.

Thanks,

John

guitar_ed · November 12th, 2004, 10:00 PM

But only in my wifes car. And we love it. It either works or it doesn't, no fading in and out. And the doesn't bit is limited to things like tunnels. We did a road trip this summer, and I did not have to go searching for stations I might like. I just clicked on them. Very easy.

Personally, I like the Soul Street station. But that is my problem.

Guitar Ed

jlrich · November 12th, 2004, 10:03 PM

I've had XM for close to a year. There's not a whole lot of programming that's not there. It really is worth the money especially if you're like me. I get bored quickly with the programming of area stations..same ol, same ol.
The negatives, in my opinion, are that a lot of the music channels have too much reverb or compression which sounds bad. The other thing is that they have a tendency to play the same songs too frequently. Being that the music channels are commercial free, and as much music that has been made the last 50 or 60 years, there's no reason that their playlists should be that narrow. And you will have moments of signal loss but not much.
Overall, it's worth the investment.
Also, be sure to get the home kit too.

Horrorshow · November 13th, 2004, 12:07 AM

I don't spend much time in my car, but on my TV I have digital cable, along with the 40 or so music choice channels that go along with it. That's more than enough for me. The choices are awesome, and the blues, jazz, and rock stations, of which there are many, categorically, play an excellent variety of great music. Much of it I've never even heard before but learn to like very quickly. I suppose if I was driving more I'd want something just like this, excellent music and no commercials or disc jockies butting in is the key. It is much like this, isn't it. I've heard of Serius too. What's the difference between XM and Serius?

TDPRI · November 13th, 2004, 12:32 AM

Have it. Love it. Will NEVER be without it again. It's absolutely required now in any car I own.

Paul Green

lenny · November 13th, 2004, 01:22 AM

what about sirious(spelling?) i want to listen to howard stern! :)
anyone tried that? id imagine similar..

Joel Terry · November 13th, 2004, 03:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by webmaster

Have it. Love it. Will NEVER be without it again. It's absolutely required now in any car I own.

Paul Green

What Paul says goes for me and my wife. XM Satellite Radio is one of those things that, once you get it, you'll fall in love with it, and you'll wonder how you ever got along without it.

Joel

JohnK24 · November 13th, 2004, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by webmaster

Have it. Love it. Will NEVER be without it again. It's absolutely required now in any car I own.

Paul Green

Paul or Joel,

Do you need an exterior car mount antenna or does the unit have that built in ? I'm looking at the Delphi SkyFi 2 unit (to send the FM signal to my car's radio). The boom box for office use is a must !

Thanks gang,

John

Silverface · November 13th, 2004, 11:26 AM

I've had XM for about 5 months and will never go without it again. I've compared programming with some friends that have Sirius, and they agree they should have gone to XM (if folks go to Sirius because of Stern....sheesh. To me that's a reason to listen to *anything* else).

For me the Experimental music (prog rock, Zappa, Phish, and other weirdness), Bluesville, Unsigned-Rock, Bluegrass Junction and the uncensored comedy channel are my favorites. I know a bunch of you are into country and there are old, modern and alt stations.

Other cool stuff - "Frank's Place" - all rat pack stuff; 40's, 50's 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's-only rock stations; a ton of sports and news; world music, spanish-language...

It's amazingly fun. One note, though - buy a remote. The Roady and Roady 2 are a pain to tune while driving. Presets are easy to work with, but scanning around is hard to do (especially with hundreds of stations).

Oh - there ARE commercials, but very, very few.

I have the external roof antenna on my Tundra - I was able to run the wire just under the weatherstripping easily. You do end up with a bunch of wires on the dash, but if you wind/strap them it doesn't look overly dumb. And the hard-wired system is best, followed by the cassette adapter (if you can use it). The FM modulator sucks and don't bother - if you don't have a cassette have it hard-wired.

It's the only way to go if you drive much - and I'm getting a home kit as well.

KC · November 13th, 2004, 01:10 PM

100% agreement about satellite radio for road trips -- best $10 a month you'll ever spend.

I went with sirius rather than xm for the public radio channels, which aren't available on xm. I don't know which has better music channels, though xm would have to be awfully good to beat sirius out. I just love the variety -- an the eleventh hour of a road trip, I've been known just to flip to the reggae channel & turn it up. the blues channels on both more or less suck, according to my taste -- too much modern junk & Englishmen.

if I was shopping again now, I'd be in a quandary, as starting next season xm will broadcast every baseball game (but still no NPR channels).

Joel66 · November 13th, 2004, 02:25 PM

I'll probably go with XM when I do decide to go with satellite. Sirius has the Grand Ole Opry and the NFL but, the Pioneer deck in my truck is XM ready.

My brother's new Accord came equipped with XM and he absolutely loves it.

Joel

Tim Armstrong · November 13th, 2004, 11:51 PM

I don't have satellite radio yet, but the clincher for me is that Webb Wilder has a daily radio show on XM radio. Plus, Bob Edwards from NPR's "Morning Edition" show (they foolishly retired him) now has an XM radio program.

Cheers, Tim

Joel Terry · November 14th, 2004, 02:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnK24

Paul or Joel,

Do you need an exterior car mount antenna or does the unit have that built in ? I'm looking at the Delphi SkyFi 2 unit (to send the FM signal to my car's radio). The boom box for office use is a must !

Thanks gang,

John

John, you do need an exterior car mount antenna for XM in your vehicle:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silverface

I have the external roof antenna on my Tundra - I was able to run the wire just under the weatherstripping easily. You do end up with a bunch of wires on the dash, but if you wind/strap them it doesn't look overly dumb. And the hard-wired system is best, followed by the cassette adapter (if you can use it). The FM modulator sucks and don't bother - if you don't have a cassette have it hard-wired.

Virtually all XM Satellite Radio authorized installation places do all of this for you, of course, and they do a great job--no fuss, no muss; all wires bundled, strapped, and hidden.

Joel

Lance · November 14th, 2004, 08:54 AM

Anyone see that press release for the portable XM receiver? That's where I'd go!

bluesjones · November 14th, 2004, 05:25 PM

I've had my service for a month and LOVE IT!! The unit I got (XM Roady 2) has a FM modulator in it that can transmit through any digital tuner (car, home, office) without having to be attached.

I think satellite radio is the new "cable tv." Same concept applied to radio and I like it!!

fullerplast · November 14th, 2004, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by webmaster

Have it. Love it. Will NEVER be without it again. It's absolutely required now in any car I own.

Paul Green

Ditto. I haven't turned on FM for over a year, and I don't listen to my CD's nearly as much. There is so much new material and rare/or alternate versions of older stuff I have it on in the car all the time and I also ended up getting a second receiver for home. Best $10 bucks a month you will ever spend.

The new "My Fi" receiver is completely portable, about the size of an ipod and lets you record up to five hours of music or shows. It can also be set up to record shows by a timer, like a VCR, to record programs when you are away. You could also just record favorite songs and build up a library.

Lot's more info here: http://www.xmradio.com/

fullerplast · November 14th, 2004, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KC

I went with sirius rather than xm for the public radio channels, which aren't available on xm.

Not true. Channel 133: http://www.xmradio.com/programming/c...age.jsp?ch=133

KC · November 14th, 2004, 08:30 PM

I should have said the NPR channels -- the PRI public radio channel is available on both, as is the BBC world service. But as of now Sirius has an exclusive agreement with NPR. Worth something to me, may or may not to you.

Jason Cornelius · November 14th, 2004, 10:01 PM

I got Sirius last year and I love it. I picked Sirius over XM because it had WSM and the Grand Ole Opry which was a big plus for me. I got my uncle XM for Christmas, and it has a lot more commercials than Sirius. Also, for me...Howard coming to Sirius was just an added bonus.

I just saw XM was coming out with an XM radio that was similar to Tivo- you could pause and rewind it, I thought that was pretty cool too.

Good luck!
Jason

fullerplast · November 15th, 2004, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason Cornelius

I got my uncle XM for Christmas, and it has a lot more commercials than Sirius.

Actually, all of the XM music channels are 100% commercial free. Only the news and talk channels have a few commercials and half of those are announcing special events (live concerts or interviews) on other XM channels. The advertising income is one of the reasons XM is 30% cheaper to subscribe to than Sirius. It's a non-issue if you primarily listen to music but may be a concern if you only listen to news or talk shows.

Wahwax · November 16th, 2004, 10:45 AM

I have the Boombox at the office. I can take the unit out and put it in my truck. I also bought a boombox for my daughter. Love it.

Horrorshow · November 16th, 2004, 11:06 AM

It sounds pretty good, but I don't need it. When I'm in the car, which isn't very often, I listen to CDs. In the house I have digital Cable TV and all the music channels that go along with it.

Wahwax · November 16th, 2004, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fullerplast

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason Cornelius

I got my uncle XM for Christmas, and it has a lot more commercials than Sirius.

Actually, all of the XM music channels are 100% commercial free. Only the news and talk channels have a few commercials and half of those are announcing special events (live concerts or interviews) on other XM channels. The advertising income is one of the reasons XM is 30% cheaper to subscribe to than Sirius. It's a non-issue if you primarily listen to music but may be a concern if you only listen to news or talk shows.

+1

markothefish · November 16th, 2004, 06:13 PM

I love XM RADIO !!!!! I have a 45min commute at 2:30am M-F and it's a lifesaver.... The blues station has excellent programming , I've even started listening to their one of their "Country" stations (X Country) ... A big plus for me is being able to see the name of the preformer and song on the display and being able to storethe names of songs and bands I like to look up later.. I have the "boom box" as well to listen to at home but where I live tuneing in stations with antenna in the house can be a bit tricky... If you have kids though beware some of the stations have quite a bit of swearing..... I think I'll listen to it right now as a matter of fact :D www.xmradio.com

November 12th, 2004, 08:24 PM	#1 (permalink)
JohnK24 Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Saxonburg,PA Posts: 1,399	XM Satelite Radio ?..Anyone. My wife wants to buy me the XM Satelite Radio and Boombox for Christmas. Anyone have one ? Comments...I'm thrilled with the option of 2 Nascar channels and plenty of country music options. Thanks, John __________________ Got Twang ?!

November 12th, 2004, 10:00 PM	#2 (permalink)
guitar_ed Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Bankrupt State of California Age: 47 Posts: 711 16 Photos	We have XM.... But only in my wifes car. And we love it. It either works or it doesn't, no fading in and out. And the doesn't bit is limited to things like tunnels. We did a road trip this summer, and I did not have to go searching for stations I might like. I just clicked on them. Very easy. Personally, I like the Soul Street station. But that is my problem. Guitar Ed __________________ Piss off a politician, register to vote. When you complain about the government, remember that you ARE the government. Voting is the ultimate act of civil dis-obediance. AIM - guitar_edg Skype - guitar_edg (had to change on 5/16/06)

November 12th, 2004, 10:03 PM	#3 (permalink)
jlrich Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Marion, NC Age: 42 Posts: 1,151 6 Photos	You'll enjoy it! I've had XM for close to a year. There's not a whole lot of programming that's not there. It really is worth the money especially if you're like me. I get bored quickly with the programming of area stations..same ol, same ol. The negatives, in my opinion, are that a lot of the music channels have too much reverb or compression which sounds bad. The other thing is that they have a tendency to play the same songs too frequently. Being that the music channels are commercial free, and as much music that has been made the last 50 or 60 years, there's no reason that their playlists should be that narrow. And you will have moments of signal loss but not much. Overall, it's worth the investment. Also, be sure to get the home kit too.

November 13th, 2004, 12:32 AM	#5 (permalink)
TDPRI Administrator Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: TDPRILAND Posts: 5,549 36 Photos	XM Have it. Love it. Will NEVER be without it again. It's absolutely required now in any car I own. Paul Green

November 13th, 2004, 11:26 AM	#9 (permalink)
Silverface Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Hermosa Beach CA Age: 56 Posts: 1,923	I've had XM for about 5 months and will never go without it again. I've compared programming with some friends that have Sirius, and they agree they should have gone to XM (if folks go to Sirius because of Stern....sheesh. To me that's a reason to listen to anything else). For me the Experimental music (prog rock, Zappa, Phish, and other weirdness), Bluesville, Unsigned-Rock, Bluegrass Junction and the uncensored comedy channel are my favorites. I know a bunch of you are into country and there are old, modern and alt stations. Other cool stuff - "Frank's Place" - all rat pack stuff; 40's, 50's 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's-only rock stations; a ton of sports and news; world music, spanish-language... It's amazingly fun. One note, though - buy a remote. The Roady and Roady 2 are a pain to tune while driving. Presets are easy to work with, but scanning around is hard to do (especially with hundreds of stations). Oh - there ARE commercials, but very, very few. I have the external roof antenna on my Tundra - I was able to run the wire just under the weatherstripping easily. You do end up with a bunch of wires on the dash, but if you wind/strap them it doesn't look overly dumb. And the hard-wired system is best, followed by the cassette adapter (if you can use it). The FM modulator sucks and don't bother - if you don't have a cassette have it hard-wired. It's the only way to go if you drive much - and I'm getting a home kit as well. __________________ “No Chops – Great Tone” ©

November 13th, 2004, 12:07 AM	#4 (permalink)
Horrorshow Tele-Meister Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 227	I don't spend much time in my car, but on my TV I have digital cable, along with the 40 or so music choice channels that go along with it. That's more than enough for me. The choices are awesome, and the blues, jazz, and rock stations, of which there are many, categorically, play an excellent variety of great music. Much of it I've never even heard before but learn to like very quickly. I suppose if I was driving more I'd want something just like this, excellent music and no commercials or disc jockies butting in is the key. It is much like this, isn't it. I've heard of Serius too. What's the difference between XM and Serius?

November 13th, 2004, 01:22 AM	#6 (permalink)
lenny Banned Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New Haven, CT. USA Posts: 3,219	what about sirious(spelling?) i want to listen to howard stern! :) anyone tried that? id imagine similar..

November 13th, 2004, 01:10 PM	#10 (permalink)
KC Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Missoula, Montana Posts: 1,232 15 Photos	siriusly 100% agreement about satellite radio for road trips -- best $10 a month you'll ever spend. I went with sirius rather than xm for the public radio channels, which aren't available on xm. I don't know which has better music channels, though xm would have to be awfully good to beat sirius out. I just love the variety -- an the eleventh hour of a road trip, I've been known just to flip to the reggae channel & turn it up. the blues channels on both more or less suck, according to my taste -- too much modern junk & Englishmen. if I was shopping again now, I'd be in a quandary, as starting next season xm will broadcast every baseball game (but still no NPR channels).

November 13th, 2004, 02:25 PM	#11 (permalink)
Joel66 Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Cypress Inn, Tennessee Age: 41 Posts: 655	I don't have satellite radio......yet I'll probably go with XM when I do decide to go with satellite. Sirius has the Grand Ole Opry and the NFL but, the Pioneer deck in my truck is XM ready. My brother's new Accord came equipped with XM and he absolutely loves it. Joel __________________ It takes a whole lot of liquor to like her but when I'm liquored up I like her just fine

November 13th, 2004, 11:51 PM	#12 (permalink)
Tim Armstrong Moderator Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Berlin, Maryland, USA Age: 49 Posts: 9,519	I don't have satellite radio yet, but the clincher for me is that Webb Wilder has a daily radio show on XM radio. Plus, Bob Edwards from NPR's "Morning Edition" show (they foolishly retired him) now has an XM radio program. Cheers, Tim

November 14th, 2004, 08:54 AM	#14 (permalink)
Lance Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 2,177	Portable? Anyone see that press release for the portable XM receiver? That's where I'd go! __________________ Lance "not very good...but I make up for it by playing loud"

November 14th, 2004, 05:25 PM	#15 (permalink)
bluesjones TDPRI Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Nashville Posts: 72	I have a XM Roady 2... I've had my service for a month and LOVE IT!! The unit I got (XM Roady 2) has a FM modulator in it that can transmit through any digital tuner (car, home, office) without having to be attached. I think satellite radio is the new "cable tv." Same concept applied to radio and I like it!! __________________ "Lady luck and a four-leaf clover can't heal this hurt I feel all over...."

November 14th, 2004, 08:30 PM	#18 (permalink)
KC Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Missoula, Montana Posts: 1,232 15 Photos	more precisely I should have said the NPR channels -- the PRI public radio channel is available on both, as is the BBC world service. But as of now Sirius has an exclusive agreement with NPR. Worth something to me, may or may not to you.

November 14th, 2004, 10:01 PM	#19 (permalink)
Jason Cornelius Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Haslet, Texas Age: 32 Posts: 105	Hey John I got Sirius last year and I love it. I picked Sirius over XM because it had WSM and the Grand Ole Opry which was a big plus for me. I got my uncle XM for Christmas, and it has a lot more commercials than Sirius. Also, for me...Howard coming to Sirius was just an added bonus. I just saw XM was coming out with an XM radio that was similar to Tivo- you could pause and rewind it, I thought that was pretty cool too. Good luck! Jason

November 16th, 2004, 10:45 AM	#21 (permalink)
Wahwax Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2003 Location: Missouri Posts: 430	I have the Boombox at the office. I can take the unit out and put it in my truck. I also bought a boombox for my daughter. Love it. __________________ www.guitarforum.net My guitars

November 16th, 2004, 11:06 AM	#22 (permalink)
Horrorshow Tele-Meister Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 227	It sounds pretty good, but I don't need it. When I'm in the car, which isn't very often, I listen to CDs. In the house I have digital Cable TV and all the music channels that go along with it.

November 16th, 2004, 06:13 PM	#24 (permalink)
markothefish Friend of Leo's Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Greenville, Rhode Island Age: 42 Posts: 2,007 7 Photos	I love XM RADIO !!!!! I have a 45min commute at 2:30am M-F and it's a lifesaver.... The blues station has excellent programming , I've even started listening to their one of their "Country" stations (X Country) ... A big plus for me is being able to see the name of the preformer and song on the display and being able to storethe names of songs and bands I like to look up later.. I have the "boom box" as well to listen to at home but where I live tuneing in stations with antenna in the house can be a bit tricky... If you have kids though beware some of the stations have quite a bit of swearing..... I think I'll listen to it right now as a matter of fact :D www.xmradio.com