Hi Gang! I just ordered my chocolate clubman with Satellite radio and a HD radio upgrade. I have a question regarding the HD radio upgrade. My dealer says it will enhance satellite radio in addition to having great sounding HD stations. I live about 150 miles North of San Francisco which is out of the Bay areas reception, so I’m not sure how many HD channels we can receive if any. I haven’t read anywhere that says it will boost my satellite reception.

Is it really worth the $500 price tag? Or is this a case of a salesman selling more add on’s?

Thanks for the help.

 

It will do nothing for your satelite radio. The enhancement he is trying to pull over o you is that it sounds better than standard FM and some people belive it sounds better than Satelite radio.

They work on very different frequencies so that can not interact with each other.

As for HD radio stations in your area you can check out http://www.hdradio.com/find_an_hd_di...io_station.php
There you will find a listing of radio stations by state.

 

HD signal actually has much less range than analog FM. If you can't receive a station's analog FM signal, you won't receive its HD signal either.

 

I have HD radio in my truck and you are correct! The HD signal drops off quite a bit sooner than the FM analog signal.
Oh for you people who are thinking about getting HD , in my opinion its not worth $500 option cost. When I go to order my MCS Im just going to go with the SAT radio. One annoying thing I dont like about HD radio is the sound level is a little bit lower than analog. You have to adjust the volume everytime you switch channels. If you have HDTV its the same. HD shows has a lower volume level compared to the SD channels.

 

This is the opposite of what happens in my Mini. I have to turn down the HD stations.

 

If you live in an area where the FM stations you like also broadcast HD signal, then getting the option may have value. However, MINI charging $500 for it is way out of line (I suppose like many other options). You can buy complete desktop stereo systems that include HD receiver for much less. So the actual cost to add the HD Radio feature is quite low.

 

Thanks for the input all, you have helped me decide that in my neck of the woods HD radio is going to be money down the drain.

Got to get it cancelled now.

 

Well - I always tell my customers that you're futureproofing - if Sirius goes out of business - HD will still be out there.

 

But it does no good if you can not receive it.