XM & Sirius Satellite Radio

jgmilberg

I live in the metro Detroit area and have plenty of radio stations to listen to, but ever since I installed my XM radio I don't even bother with FM any more!! The lack of commercials is a big point for me, I hate scanning around during commercials I would rather listen to music or something other than sales ads. The fact that I can go coast to coast w/o changing stations every 45 minutes is a bonus. I took a 4 hour trip last week and didn't realize it until I got there but I didn't touch the radio the whole time!! 10 bucks a month is nothing when you get the variety of programming that XM provides.

oldsman01

Funny you mention hearing songs on XM you haven't heard in years as I've noticed this as well. My girlfriend enjoys listening to "the heart" XM23 and I'll say, it's alot better than the same old sappy stuff you here on commercial radio programs of this nature. Also, Saturday night I passed a pretty late model Cadillac Deville with XM. I could tell because he had the same magnet mount antenna I have mounted on his trunk lid just where mine is.

oldsman01

Before XM my typical routine was to scan the presets on my radio during commercials or stupid songs, then I would go to the cd player(as I ALWAYS kept a cd in the player for sanity reasons). Now that I have had XM in my car for over a month, I've listened to a cd in the car twice. Both the lack of(or limited number) of commercials and the better overall programming have made me an XM listener for life. Also, not getting the annoying static in certain spots is also a plus. Nothing worse than sitting in traffic listening to your favorite song on FM and then it gets static and you have to "creep" forward almost until your touching the bumper of the car in front of you to get a clear signal. With XM my only reception problems have been while on very heavily wooded streets or driving under bridges in more outlying areas. I was recently in a 6 story parking structure and had no problem with reception.

jgmilberg

It's better than the invention of central A/C or the gas grill in my opinion!!! I LOVE it, commercials are few and far between, if at all. Even when there is a commercial you don't realize it until it's over they are that short. Never again will the FM dial drive me crazy.

mlm4

Satellite radio is one of those things that if you don't have it, you don't know what you're missing, but once you've got it, you can't imagine going without. It is interesting how much passion it invokes among people who have had it for as little as one day. Not very many new technologies have evoked such reaction. PDA devices? Not so quickly. MP3 players? Nah. Not even satellite TV (which is really just cable from the sky). Very interesting.

Even after two months with XM, I'm still "discovering" new channels. Car and Driver magazine has a mini-review of each of the 100 channels on their web site, which turned me on to some of the channels I hadn't listened to yet.

oldsman01

I've had XM since November and was using it at home until I just recently installed it in my car. For the first month or so I had it, I was always discovering new channels.

kbtoys

Just thought I would pass this on. A good website on XM www.clubxm.com

anonymous02

"Give 'em the razor, sell 'em the blades."

Except in this case, they are selling the razor, and for a pretty penny to boot!

kbtoys

Has anybody used this antenna?http://www.sdarsantennas.com/prod_547.php

oldsman01

No new XM users or news around here? Still enjoying mine alot.

jgmilberg

I am still here, loving the programming as well!

jaymarc

I got my XM radio in December, and I travel in my car for a living, and it sure is nice to finally have a device that enhances the radio that exists in your car. Just got back from West Virginia, and it is virtually impossible to find a clear radio station on either AM or FM when there, but my XM worked flawlessly and it was fun to listen to music without static or hiss. If you want to improve your quality of your car stereo, just put an XM radio in. I have the Sony Plug "n" Play and it is terrific, since I have the flexibility of moving it from car to car or into my house, and even when I travel by air and have to rent a car it goes right along with me.

mlm4

EW has another article on satellite radio this week. The jist of the article is how the bonds of commercial radio programming have been broken, but will people pay for it? One of the arguments against the success of satellite radio is that the average person -- married, children, mortgage, car payments, cable TV, internet access -- will be reluctant to spend another $120 per year for radio. Personally, I don't agree. Many of these same people spend $3 to $5 for coffee at Starbucks; is $9.99 a month really going to break the bank for these people? Granted, XM is going to have to do some hard selling until they achieve so-called market penetration to convince people that it is a great service. For now, I think the first 100,000 subscribers are like me: gadget freaks and audiophiles. But isn't that true of any new technology?

stever

Freaks?

I think the politically correct term is "early adopters", LOL.

Steve
Host
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anonymous02

Do you think they will even get 10,000 to use this?

About the only thing I can see a use for is for truckers and people in VERY rural areas.

oldsman01

I guess I'm sort if an audiophile and probably sort of a gadget freak, but the main reason I bought XM was because of the programming! Commercial radio has gone to the dogs in recent years and XM(and Sirius) are long overdue. The lack of static is nice, but the sound quality of XM is about like a strong FM station. But the programming and variety is 10 times better than anything on FM or AM.

oldsman01

Anyone know who I should email or write at XM to suggest an area in need of a repeater. I've been using the XM unit at home alot and where I live, I don't have a good southern sky exposure and occasionally lose signal. I've put the unti in test mode and an usually getting signal from just one of the satellites and never anything from a repeater.

mlm4

I actually believe that the audio quality from XM is much better than FM -- the frequency response is broader. I can definitely hear the difference on my factory speakers, it's as good as the CD player.

I tried that trick of putting my Sony into test mode (pressing and holding the Menu and Preset 5 buttons simultaneously), and the unit does turn on but it seems to be in normal mode. How did you get the signal strength meter to display?

oldsman01

Press the menu and 5 button together until the unit turns on. You then have to scoll the menu until "BER" displayes then select that. What you will see are three columns with two rows of numbers. The first column is satellite 1, the second satellite 2 and the third repeater. You should see some numbers and letters that may be changing. If either of the first two say 1540 that means no signal from that sat and if the third says 1A90 that means no signal from a repeater. The lower the number on the satellite signal the better. I'm not sure what the numbers on the second row mean. There is also a diagnostic mode you can choose, but I have no idea how to read it.

montanafan

Millions of people will spend $19.95 on a CD to get one or two great songs from their favorite artist. Why not $9.95 a month for 100 channels.

ftm1

I just got XM RADIO added to my factory radio this weekend. I am very happy with the sound quality. I got the Pioneer Universal Tuner System added to the factory radio in my 2000 ACURA 3.2TL.
The little receiver remote is so small its a wonder the thing can have all the functions it does. The main reason I got it is the local radio stations play the same songs over & over. They play like the top 5 songs. Also I am getting older & the top 4 local stations that I listen to play the younger type music mostly. I live in a large radio market area no problems getting regular stations.Its just the type of music that they play. I like old school RB music like Temptations, Marvin Gaye, music from 60s 70s 80s.
I like some of the new stuff also but not that NEW RAP with all that vulgar talk. I also like stuff from the Doo Wop Days of the 50s & 60s Jerry Butler,Impressions, Drifters ect. I am also getting into Jazz a bit more. I am not going to go out & buy all this music so XM was a great thing. They also have some good Club Mixes, The Gospel station is wonderful.When I first found out about XM I said to myself who is going to pay for radio.I then got more info about it & when I saw the channel line up that did it for me. If I buy a CD its going to cost at least $10.00. I am not going to go out & buy all this old stuff that I don't have. The Jazz music I can sample before I buy a CD. I like that the little receiver has the artist & title of the song in the display.

oldsman01

Welcome to the wonderful world of XM!! I'm totally in agreement with you on the local radio station offerings. I'm 26 and can find very little on the FM dial without having to constantly scan the presets either because one good song is followed by five worthless overplayed songs or there are just too many damn commercials. One thing I've noticed with XM is that even the stations that have commercials(other than the few that are actual FM stations) their commercial time is very low. Take 80s on 8, they will have a commercial every now and then from one of their sponsors, but usually just one or two at a time then back to the music. MUSIC IS WHAT RADIO IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT!!

cdnindc

1. Do the units also let you tune regular AM and FM stations?I ask because if you get a factory installed XM radio, does that leave you without the regular radio?

2. Since XM is non-area specific, there are no traffic or weather reports are there? These would something I would really miss with XM, seriously!

erickpl

I am considering xm for my 2002 BMW. The radio reception is terrible in the factory unit, and to make matters worse, I live in the mountains northeast of LA.

My questions would be: Has anybody installed XM in a E46 BMW? I don't want to tear out the factory stereo because I love the stock look. But I'm torn between an XM ready head unit like Alpine or Pioneer and the FM Modulator units provided by Alpine or Pioneer. In this respect I like the Alpine FM unit as it has jacks to add a CD changer to it in addition to the XM (so I wouldn't have to buy the BMW addon one!).

Has anybody experienced a case where they did the FM Modulation, then realized they would be better off switching to an XM ready head unit?

I could get REALLY carried away with this: new head unit, new amp, new speakers. But it would have to look as stock as possible. If I would be happy with the FM Modulator, I would prefer that route. If I ever do upgrade to XM ready header, I would only be out the $80 or so for the controller - the antenna piece would stay either way.

Thoughts, opinions?

-Paul

kbtoys

You will not lose your am or fm stations. I believe for the factory installed radios it is just like changing from am to fm but instead you will be able to change to xm too. Also xm radio does have a weather channel and it is the same thing as the weather channel on cable. They go through the region and say what the weather will be.

xmer

http://www.xmradio.com/get_xm/fm_modulators.html

That's what I have in my Infiniti QX4.

Have Circuit City install it for you(the installation is free right now). The installation is very neat, no drilling, no hanging wires.

I would also suggest you to keep your ordinal sound system setup. The sound quality from the FM modulator is good enough even for my very picky ears.

Good luck.

ftm1

They have a wide selection of XM radio head units.
The Price range is also wide depending what you want. I think they even have some units in the $1,000 range.I kept the factory radio in my 2000 ACURA TL. With the factory system in this car its best to keep it stock unless you wan't new speakers & stuff. ACURA has that BOSE subwoofer & EQ tuned factory sytem. If you take out the head unit you would want new speakers & subwoofer. This is why I went FM MODULATION & I have a the factory 6-CD Changer in the trunk & it has the single CD in the stock head unit for a total of 7 CDs .When you go to www.xmradio.com & click all the radios & receivers they have a huge selection. I think more new cars will have it already in the head units but its up to the owner to activate. I did have a little problem since the XM install Saturday. Tuesday the unit was working fine I then went back to the car later to let the A/C cool the car it down because of the heat as I was taking a trip. I turned on the XM & had no sound the little unit displayed a message in the screen that said ANTENNA. I switched back to the regular radio & it FM worked fine. I changed back to XM & the message said the same thing with no signal strength. I did not have tome to get it checked because I was going on a overnite trip. I then checked the owners manual for XM. The manual said possible cause of the problem short or antenna connection. I checked the connection to the unit & it looked fine. I had it checked at the audio shop today. They changed the XM ANTENNA & the unit plays fine. The installer said bad antenna & it might have been an early production model. The reason the ANT did not have an XM logo symbol on it. The box had a picture with the logo but it was not on the antenna.The new antenna had the XM logo on it. It took them about 10mins to fix the problem. But I like how the little unit had this message as to the possible problem on the display screen.

erickpl

Can I ask why you preferred the Pioneer over the Alpine units?

My wife and I were liking the looks of the display unit. Granted, that isn't the greatest reason for wanting it, but the color contrasts are easier for me to see. Does the Pioneer offer more features (font size, lines to read, reception sensitivity, etc) that the Alpine does not?

-Paul

xmer

you can keep your OEM sound system with this Alpine unit then seems Alpine is better than Pioneer.

I use Pioneer because it lets me to use my current OEM Bose system and the the controller is small and it is easy to put it at a place and not be an aftermarket eye-sore.

oldsman01

I have an FM modulated system in my Intrigue and I was amazed at how well it sounds. My first experience with FM modulators was with a Sony CD changer about 5 years ago and it never had the clarity that I desired. I really didn't want to do FM modulation this time around with XM and was all but ready to splice into the Onstar audio lines to ultilize the factory system, as Onstar plays through an auxillary input on the radio, and have a direct connection into the stock receiver(which I wanted to retain) but went ahead and tried an FM modulated system and was very surprised at the sound quality.

tidester

Just an observation - I've noticed that quite a few people refer to "FM Modulation." This is redundant because FM stands for "Frequency Modulation" so you're modulating twice! :-)

tidester
Host
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stever

Scrambled signals for XM Satellite

Steve
Host
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oldsman01

Anyway, back here on earth I'm still enjoying my XM radio very much:)

oldsman01

I noticed that the 70s on 7 channel has gone commercial free. They used to have some commercials but now advertise that they are "brought to you without any interruptions by Autozone." Maybe more channels will do this.

jgmilberg

I know for a fact that they already have that many! I work at the assembly plant that builds the Cadillac Deville and Seville and we have installed over 10,000 factory XM radio systems into these cars. Check the website for availability on other GM models in '03, almost the entire line of GM cars and trucks will be available with XM radio from the factory, no aftermarket setups required. I just can't see people buying the $250 option then not activating the service.

kbtoys

I am just wondering with the GM vehicles that have the xm installed where is the antenna and what does it look like? Is it like the onstar antenna?

ashutoshsm

I recently upgraded the Pioneer head-unit andCD changer I already had, and added on an XM radio. Best Buy and Circuit City were running a free installation promo, and the $30 antenna rebate is still on! So for those sitting on the fence - now is the time! I know I'm glad I took the plunge!

stats - on http://www.clubxm.com, one of the discussions listed the number of subscribers - and it is exceeding XM's expectations! Although they are still far from being profitable! I can't remmeber which thread it was, but I'm sure t'll be easy enough to find!

montanafan

If only it was a $250 option.

stever

"XM predicts its satellite audience will quadruple to 350,000 by the end of the year."

Where did all the music go?

Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

oldsman01

When is the 03 CTS going to offer XM? It is not currently listed as an option on that model. Also, are most XM equipped Caddies being ordered or are dealers stocking them. Was at a Cadillac dealer not long ago(looking at a CTS) and did not see an XM antenna on any of their Devilles or Sevilles.

oldsman01

Today I ran out for what I thought would be a short errand and I left my XM receiver at home as I had been listening to it at home as well. Got caught in a traffic jam and all of the FM radio stations decided to run their obligatory 15 minutes of commercials at the same time. I didn't have any cds in the car with me, so needless to say it was terible. Scanned the presets on FM1; NOTHING. FM2; again NOTHING! And once I found some music somewhere it was one of those three year old songs that radio continues to play daily. The lesson to be learned here is don't go ANYWHERE without XM.

oldsman01

I love XM is they play the ENTIRE song, not a radio edit. Was listening to the classic rock channel and heard the Eagles "Lyin Eyes" and they didn't cut out the "on the other side of town a boy is waiting" verse the way FM does. They also played the full version of Dire Straights "Money for Nothing."

jgmilberg

The factory option cost on a Caddy is $259. What is not said is that you have to have the Bose radio to be able to get the XM radio. Now it's not going to be like that on the other GM cars and trucks, you can get XM with a regular radio, not Bose. If you go to the XM radio website http://www.xmradio.com/catalog/product_category.jsp?type=Antenna the Caddy and the Buick Le Sabre look almost like the Terk SR2 roof mount model, now I am hoping that all the new models coming out will look like this one, the pictures I have of the SUV and truck models look like the Pioneer roof mount model. The CTS should have XM out from the factory by mid to late September. Dealers did not take well to the bigger antenna that GM was putting on the Seville and Deville so they re designed the antenna for '03. It used to look like the pioneer roof mount unit.

jgmilberg

For a few weeks I have noticed that on all of the decades channels and on Ethel (ch 34) that I am not receiving the song title and artist info intermittently. This happens starting Friday night and goes through the weekend. I still get the info on other stations like comedy channel (ch 150). Has anyone else had this problem and what unit do you have. I have the Pioneer fm mod unit. Even w/o this feature XM is worth it, and the sound quality is still there and the programming is the best!

Oldsman-I feel your pain!! I recently had to use my wife's truck and it drove me crazy not to have XM. I scanned the band at least 100 times in 5 miles!! Now if she would only listen to me and install XM in her truck she would never go back to FM again.

candlbuff

I purchased a 2002 Chevy TB last October. My question is that I have a Bose system with a in-dash 6 CD player, no cassette. On-Star is also on my SUV. Due to the excellent sound quality, I don't want to replace the Bose system.

I'm still unclear on whether I can add XM radio to my SUV through a modulator. Exactly what kind of system would I need in order to join the rest of you, and escape FM radio as I know today.

ashutoshsm

In a nutshell - YES!

An FM modulation based system will transmit the XM signal tuned by your XM tuner, and controlled by a standalone little control panel will be transmitted at an FM frequency, and then you can hear XM through your FM radio by tuning to that channel/frequency. This is how the Pioneer add-on works.

Sony and other options also exist, and the techs at most stores that sell XM (Circuit City, Best Buy etc) can advise you about which is the right way to go about this, and do the installation (which is currently free!)

erickpl

Yes, you should be able to add XM to your system.

I added the Alpine unit to my BMW. I had to get:
1. XM Tuner (required for ANY xm reception)
2. RF unit (connects to factory stereos)
3. Antenna (I opted for Pioneer).

Once the RF is installed, you should have your radio tuned to a particular frequency, as configured in the RF unit (mine is set for 88.7). Once you have activated your xm receiver, turn on the RF unit and tune your radio. After the activation period, it should work fine.

I don't think the Bose system would present any problems since you are essentially tuning into the radio. The stereo doesn't know where it is coming from. That is the RF unit's job.

-Paul

ftm1

XM sure can be added to a factory Bose system using the FM Modulator. I had it added to my 2000 ACURA 3.2 TL. It has the factory so called Bose tuned system. I say that because the the head unit ofcourse is not Bose. The sumbwofer is & the system is tuned by Bose. I also did not want to change the factory system in the car. I have the factory 6CD mounted in the trunk & the single CD in the head unit.I also have the factory DVD Navigation system that uses the speakers for voice. If you get the Pioneer Universal FM Modulator Tuner system it will work okay. Like someone posted it uses an unused FM frequency in your area. What you do is set you FM to that frequency & turn on your XM system. This will get you all the 100+ XM Channels. The Pioneer control unit is so small its no problem to mount.Mine is held by velcro to the factory radio & looks like its a part of the factory system its that small. The other part of the tuner system is like a small amp. It can be installed under a seat or in the trunk of a car. The sound is very nice with this unit.

erickpl

I've gotten spoiled by XM after only 1 week! Now I have to have it in my other car.

I have a 2000 JGC and want to get XM. I could use the RF adapter and use the factory unit, but I'd kind of like to have an XM ready unit. Has anybody replaced their factory unit (I have the Infinity system) and kept a factory look? I could use a regular DIN style stereo, but I really want the dash looking as stock as possible. I have a separate amp and the speakers sound great.

Any thoughts?

-Paul

erickpl

I have some pics of my xm installation (RF) in my BMW 3 series.

http://community.webshots.com/user/skimblz_

-Paul