I am in the market for a plug and play set-up for XM satellite. I have an AUX input installed so can use that or wireless.
Which brand unit would fellow NAMer recommend or avoid? I have Sirius satellite in my house, so would like to go with XM for my car. I want a portable option since I will listen to it mostly in El Kabong, but for long trips we usually take my husband's Nissan Titan and would like to be able to move it there when needed.
Also, are there certain accessories or options that are useful, or pointless?

Thanks all,
Annette

 

If you already have Sirius in the home, it makes better financial sense to makes your car receiver Sirius as well, since it costs less to just add another receiver to an existing account versus establishing an entirely new service with another provider. Unless you want the different programming offered by two competing providers, or are somehow dissatisfied with Sirius, it makes more sense to stick with the one you have.

I have Sirius, and currently have an original Audiovox receiver that gets used in the truck and the house, and a JVC unit in the Mini. Both work similarly, and have worked well over the years.

 

I have Sirius in the house because it comes free with the Dish package I have. It's ok, but I have really enjoyed the XM when in my friend's car.
Annette

 

Good point about hanging on to Sirius if you've already got it for the house. My wife has XM and really enjoys it - our son has Sirius (primarily because he's a Howard Stern fan). All depends on what you're looking for. We have a basic XM Audiovox Xpress receiver that we swap between cars - no problems at all.

 

I've got the XM Direct/Blitzsafe combo in my Mini and it works great but it's not that portable. I bought my wife an Audiovox XR9 XM receiver for her Cherokee. It utilizes a vehicle kit that includes a base in which you place the receiver. You can put a base in each vehicle and then move the receiver easily between them. You can also get a base for your home stereo. The display is pretty good and easily readable. The receiver has a built in FM transmitter but the car kit allows you to connect directly to the aux input.

A good source for whats available in XM is www.myradiostore.com. You can get the XR9 with a car kit for $39.99 and a second car kit for another $39.99.
I believe that Audiovox has replaced the XR9 with the Xpress system. I haven't used this one but it looks like the controls have been simplified from the XR9. Might be worth looking at.

If you already have Sirius, don't they offer a service discount for the second receiver activated on your account? I have three receivers activated with XM and the second and third run about half the cost of the first.

Edit - I need to type faster, I see you've answered the question about why not Sirius while I was typing.

 

I have a mobile unit for XM in my car that I got a great deal on (thanks Kenchan ). I have a very small antenna on my roof, and then I ran a wire through the interior to the unit which is mounted under the center console. I have the audio output connected into an aux input, and then I hardwired the unit in the car (6V). Voila! Opie and Anthony 24/7 .


Here is a similar unit to the one I have (I can't find the exact one I have online):

http://shop.xmradio.com/detail.aspx?pid=89&cat=8

 

Ah, I got ya. I forgot about Sirius being on Dish Network. I have Dish myself, and when Sirius came to Dish I thought it was extra cost. It took me months and months to discover it was there the whole time.

 

We offer the XMDirect kits as well:

XM Direct Satellite Radio Package for BMW & Mini
http://www.europeanautosource.com/pr...roducts_id=267

This is a direct Plug and Play installation for your MINI.

 

She said portable, not xmdirect

Boc, go to http://www.xmradio.com and pick one out. You can see the portable ones here http://xmradio.com/shop/index.xmc

 

Whoops - missed that part.

 

Also for ideas and reviews on XM portables try www.xmfan.com

I used the Roady for a long time then upgraded to the MyFi for more portability.. son is still using the Roady (though its a second one as the first was stolen out of my convertible roadster... I was too lazy that night to put it away.. my bad) years later... MyFi is now in the house because of the xm direct option on the MINI which I am LOVING!!

 

Thanks everyone for the great links. I think I've decided on the Delphi Skyfi2, which I can get from Crutchfield for 59.99, this includes the car kit!
Now here's another question. I went to the xm site and signed up for the 3 day trial on my Mac. I listened for about an hour last night while on NAM. Overall I really enjoyed the 3-4 stations I listened to, but I was wondering if those commercials were normal?? On the comedy channel they had 2 in the course of about 30 minutes, one for some PC thing and another for some financial course. I thought satellite was supposed to be commercial free?
Annette

 

PM sent Tom

 

I think the commercial free thing is only true for the music stations. I listen to one of the talk shows on XM, and there are still tons of commercials. :impatient

 

First, your not getting all the stations over the PC ... pretty sure of that.

Yeah, I have heard commercials but on odd stations ... maybe comedy. But they are not intrusive. Music stations have none

XMAS music is now on 103. Full Xmas music on 102 - 113 after turkey day!

BTW, XM tech service poor. I dont want to get into where they hire their help but you will be lucky if you find one who speaks english

 

Thanks, it's good to hear that I'm not getting the full lineup online, I was thinking the pickings were a bit slim!

Tech service is rarely good anymore, but thanks for the heads up. I guess that's what NAM is for . Maybe you guys should start a service!!

So has anyone used one of the boomboxes that goes with these things? I was thinking it might be a nice little addition to the garage but wasn't sure how good the satellite reception would be.
Annette

 

Well, if you can't see the sky, there is no reception

They sell outdoor antennas (small) but I decided never to get XM inside because I'd have to run an outside antenna, find the right place, run the wires, etc. sounds like a pain. Something like myfi seems to have a better antenna.

Maybe somebody running xm inside will know?

 

"Commercial Free" depends on how you define it. What you hear from the internet is just what you hear from the satellite save for a very few stations that are not streamed over the net. There are a few Clear Channel music stations on XM that have an occasional commercial. The non music channels have quite a few commercials. The rest of the stations are paid "Commercial Free" but at least a few have quite a bit of chit chat as well as frequent cross channel plugs which to me, sound a lot like commercials. If you're not impressed or pleased with what you're hearing over the net, you might want to think twice before investing in the service.

That said, in my opinion, it is well worth the expense and I for one will never be without it.

Phil

 

When I got my wife XM for her Jeep, I bought a bundle that includes a car mount, a home stereo mount and a boombox. I don't use the boombox much but I use the stero mount in my garage connected to a small stero unit. The reception is fine with the antenna placed near the ceiling of the garage but I had to try a few locations before I found one that works. In addition to satellite transmission, XM also uses ground repeaters in some areas to increase their coverage. This means you can often get a signal from a non-south facing window. You will have to experiment with antenna location to see if you can get reception in your garage.

Phil