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XM & Sirius Satellite Radio

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  • ashutoshsmashutoshsm Member Posts: 1,007
    Is that the Pioneer antenna? It is huge and ugly. I'm curious why did you pick it over the Terk?

    The Terk, while still 'visible', blends into my trunk much better, despite the contrast on a white car! Much smaller, and connected with IP-Bus to a Pioneer head unit, amazing sound quality! And only $49.99 after the $30 rebate
  • rangerron7rangerron7 Member Posts: 317
    I really like your installation. How did you manage the concealed door/cover over the XM unit. Really neat idea.
    Ron
  • ashutoshsmashutoshsm Member Posts: 1,007
    I agree! That is an awesome idea!

    Someone on clubxm.com has an install inside their armrest, also looks custom, but not nearly as neat as Paul's!
  • erickplerickpl Member Posts: 2,735
    Yep, it is the Pioneer.I chose the Pioneer because I refused to put an adhesive on my paint. I truly wish Terk had a magnetic mount available because a smaller antenna would have been much nicer, but I hate the adhesives on paint. It's one of my pet peeves. Same reason I won't put bumper stickers on my car. :)

    I also wanted to be able to hide my antenna if I was in an area where I didn't want it exposed when I was parked. It may be bigger, but the plusses of a magnetic outweighed the plusses of the smaller antenna - for me. Personal choice I guess.

    The door/cover is part of the BMW center console. That is actually the old ashtray is where I mounted it. Like my antenna, I wanted to be able to conceal the unit when I wasn't in the car.

    -Paul
  • erickplerickpl Member Posts: 2,735
    Man that is a hard name to type! :)

    Thanks for the compliments. I had considered the center armrest too, but I wanted it in more of a position that either the driver OR the passenger can see it fairly easily. One of my requirements for installation is that it could NOT introduce rattles into my car. If I mounted it in the armrest but left it loose so you could move it to read easier (driver vs passenger), I was concerned that it would rattle. But I do store the remote there. :) It is small enough to fit but big enough to fit snugly.

    -Paul
  • rangerron7rangerron7 Member Posts: 317
    All in all, a very neat installation job!
    Ron
  • oldsman01oldsman01 Member Posts: 1,203
    Hope everyone is still enjoying their XM. I see that Sirius has begun their national launch. I'll be curious to compare their programming to XM's.
  • erickplerickpl Member Posts: 2,735
    I've seen the channel listings for Sirius at Best Buy. The channel offerings are very similar to XM, but so far, the tuners I've seen for Sirius have been less that attractive.

    -Paul
  • ashutoshsmashutoshsm Member Posts: 1,007
    Listings for both services exist on their respective websites
    sirius.com
    xmradio.com

    You can listen to stored timeloops of XM, and live Sirius (some channels).

    I listen to Sirius at work, and XM in my car.

    I've found XM to be the more fun-to-listen to, with Sirius being more mainstream - think of it as your everyday radio station withe xactly the same playlist, but with no ads. I enjoy listening to the XM channels more - and I attribute this to the "Whoa! been a while since I heard that song" or the "Wow, that's a great set of songs to play in succession" attributes :-)
    Your mileage may vary!
  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    Is this technology going to last?

    Or is it going to go the way of minidisk and DAT?

    I remember when cable TV's big thing was no ads. Look what happened there. (Can you say infomercial? I knew you could!)
  • oldsman01oldsman01 Member Posts: 1,203
    As long as they keep the commercials to a minimum and keep the variety in music, satellite radio will certainly make it. As for cable TV, I don't remember it ever being billed as commercial free. It was simply offering more selections. XM is doing this to FM radio. FM radio is going to the dogs big time in most major markets and XM(as well as Sirius) opens up a whole new alternative. DAT was a bit before it's time and minidisc while having it's advantages, cannot be easily justified when CDRs are so cheap now. Unless FM radio stations broaden their horizons and cut back on their commercials big time, XM and Sirius are here to stay.

    ashutoshsm, I know what you mean about hearing songs on XM that I had almost forgotten about. Their playlists are by far MUCH superior to anything on FM and even the channels that do have commercials, don't overwhelm you with them, Unlike FM where you hear a song or two then God only knows how many commercials, XM might play a string of songs then plug one commercial then go right back to the music. And the commercials are not the lame screaming "nobody beats our deal" car ads you hear on FM radio.
  • kbtoyskbtoys Member Posts: 62
    Just got an email for XM saying that they will be adding the playboy channel. Now here is my question what is the channel going to have. A bunch of moans and groans or what?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I just listen for the articles.

    Steve
    Host
    SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
  • erickplerickpl Member Posts: 2,735
    Maybe that channel is meant for the blind drivers... you know the ones who drive on the bumps in the road to mark the lane. :)

    Seriously, I heard they are adding 2 channels... one for radio drama (radio plays and such XM163) and one for more hip hop (XM83). They are also rearranging some like Ethel - moving to XM47).

    Pretty cool stuff so far.

    -Paul
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    You knew someone was going to say it -- may as well get the host in trouble for a change :-)

    Steve
    Host
    SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
  • ashutoshsmashutoshsm Member Posts: 1,007
    Its a nice concept, and hopefully, will be a successful extension to their business model for them.

    Although
    a. I'm surprised at the choice of the Playboy channel as the first premium channel
    b. I'm disappointed they are cutting some of the more focused/eclectic channels (Asian - Indian, and Chinese, 104/105) to make way for the new programming. They're going too mainstream, and I doubt much will separate them from Sirius, which IMHO is just a satellite version of my local radio stations with less/no ads, but the same boring music choices.
  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    I get the braille edition!
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    They're going too mainstream...

    But that's where the big money has always been ... and will always be.

    tidester
    Host
    SUVs; Aftermarket & Accessories
  • oldsman01oldsman01 Member Posts: 1,203
    Even on the standard "bubble gum" pop channels, XM is far more diverse in their musical offerings than anything on FM. At least if they play Britney Spears or Backstreet Boys, they play a variety of their songs, not just the same one over and over like FM does. I do hate to see them cutting channels although I seriously doubt Indian and Chinese had alot of listeners.
  • mlm4mlm4 Member Posts: 401
    First of all, I'm glad to see that XM is willing to listen to it's listeners (no pun intended) and be open to growth and change. I participated in that listener survey they refer to and it seemed like they already had these ideas in mind but just wanted validation from their customers before moving forward with those plans.

    Secondly, the premium channel concept is probably a good business model, since it works so well for cable and other pay-for services. My only question is one that has already been posed -- what kind of audio content can Playboy have that is worth the extra fee?

    Lastly, I disagree that XM is becoming too mainstream. There's still plenty of diversity in their lineup and within the programming for each channel. Besides, some mainstream is a good thing. I still like to listen to the popular stuff sometimes, but I don't "do" FM anymore. XM can't be all things to all people, but it certainly needs to appeal to the broadest audience. My two cents.
  • xmerxmer Member Posts: 14
    i think people are having a wrong idea about its content.

    how many of you who haven't read a copy of playboy magazine in your life ? i was a reader long time ago.

    playboy isn't only about naked women. it has lots of articles catered to male and yuppies. it has celebrity interviews, gadget reviews, fancy car reviews, style trends, wine tasting, romantic stories, adult jokes, relationship advises, etc. i think it can be a premium quality channel, especially since it has to take naked women out of the content.

    i think it will be one of the most popular channels once public starts to realize that it is not about dirty talks and 1-900 alike service.
  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    Ya, right!
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454


    Can satellite radio survive?



    Steve

    Host

    SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
  • montanafanmontanafan Member Posts: 945
    Hope the doom & Gloom forecast dosen't play out. I think it may be a little to early. With GM making a big push on XM with the 2003 models, the next 6-12 months should say what happens. From reading this forum, the aftermarket upgrade market is confusing and expensive. Once the factory market comes in, things could change. GM is offering: Free activation, Free First month, Reduced Rates for long term signups, ability to include the subscription with your financing, and at least on Pontiacs thru October, the Radio is Free. Everyone who has the service appears to really enjoy it. I guess it is up to GM and their dealers to make it fly.
  • mlm4mlm4 Member Posts: 401
    It is too early in the game to know if there is a sustainable market for satellite radio. Until now, almost all receivers were available through the aftermarket, which is a small segment for car audio these days. I hope that with the wide availability of satellite radio as a factory-installed option (and I hope that it is available and not a limited production option) that it will begin to take off. On the other hand, OnStar is available in most GM products (and others) and the news is that after the free year is up most owners do not renew the service. Even if someone has a satellite radio receiver, will they activate it?

    I guess my worry is that most people are perfectly content with commercial radio and see no value in satellite radio. Most people I know personally only listen to one or two radio stations, or CDs, and are not bothered enough by the lack of variety, number of commercials or quality of the signal to want to invest $10 a month in something that doesn't really add much value to their lives. Perhaps satellite radio is a niche service that may not survive in this economic climate.
  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    Thank goodness I did not even consider this.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I saw another story last night where Sirius said that reports of their impending demise (based on their SEC reports) were wildly exaggerated. Lost the link, darn it.
    (ah, it's on their home page: sirius.com)


    Meanwhile BMW has reaffirmed its commitment to offer Sirius.



    Steve

    Host

    SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

  • ashutoshsmashutoshsm Member Posts: 1,007
    I haven't bothered to change CDs in my car more frequently than once a month since I had XM installed. Great choice, great variety, great selection of music on most of the channels.

    Assuming XM and Sirius will fail is like hoping cable dies so we can all revert to the national, free-to-air TV channels and lcaol stations all over again. Not in my lifetime, I hope!

    At last count, the following associations existd (I may have missed some)
    XM: Pontiac, GM, others
    Sirius: BMW, Ford/Lincoln/Mazda (pity! - I prefer XM and Mazdas), Daimler/Chrysler, others
  • ftm1ftm1 Member Posts: 21
    The last time I listen to my XM it was playing just fine. Most people are not really educated to this outstanding invention. I am no tech as to how it work but I can sure say I love the music that I hear on it. This is not like ONSTAR in cars that is help aid. XM gives you more choices of music to listen to then you need. I was also skeptical & not that intrested in PAY radio at all. I saw an article a few years ago in one of my car Mags MOTOR TREND or CAR & DRIVER about PAY Radio. I said to myself who in this world is going to PAY for radio.I can tell you I have not purchased any CDs since I got my XM a few months ago. The summer time I buy at least 8 but at my age this music is mostly old stuff. The old stuff from 60s or 70s or a mix of songs. When more auto companies offer this as an option in cars it will really take off. I did not even listen to regular radio anymore but XM is out of this world I enjoy it alot. My older sister is a hard sell when it comes to new gadgets in cars.I have factory NAV in my car & she says you don't need that. But when it comes to XM radio she just loves it when she rides in my car. The cost factor is not that much if you where getting a car that has factory AM/FM/XM radio. The cost is small when it comes to monthly fee. The $9.99 a month is less than a cost of a CD. You can get all types of music sports, news, comedy ect. XM is even adding a few more channels next week. I live in Washington D.C. where XM brodcast from & I can say I am seeing more & more funny antennas on cars here.This is the types of antennas used to get the XM signal. I have seen them on many cars, SUVs & even Taxicabs.
  • timadamstimadams Member Posts: 294
    If the Cirius and XM didn't factor in revenue losses until enough cars with factory radios were bought, then that was a critical error. Very few people will go to the expense and bother of adding in a satellite receiver to their car stereo - all you early adopters who rave about XM don't add up to the numbers needed. The hardware needs to be available in many cars.

    It wouldn't surprise me if what the guy wrote in the article happens. XM and Cirius will go belly-up and someone new will buy the assets for 10 percent.
  • oldsman01oldsman01 Member Posts: 1,203
    I've been an XM subscriber since November and I firmly believe the service is here to stay. Anybody tuned into a regular FM station lately? When you FINALLY get past all the commercials, your ears are treated the latest tunes by Britney Spears, N'Sync, miminem(sp?), etc. Or if you tune in an "oldies" station you here the same old string of songs day after day. If anything is dead in the next few years it's commercial radio. Truthfully, I have not seen alot of advertising from XM(or Sirius) and thus the average person may not be aware that such a service is even available. Offering XM on Cadillacs was a nice feature, but GM really should focus on cars which are traditionally purchased by younger buyers. I hear they are going to offer Onstar on Cavaliers and Sunfires, my suggestion is offer XM on those models instead. I know more models will offer XM for 2003, but my guess is many are still their more expensive sedans and SUVs.
  • xmerxmer Member Posts: 14
    if any of you guys want free XM stickers, visit xmfan.com and they will send you one for free.

    host, i am not trying to sell anything, so don't kick me out.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    It's not a competing auto forum so guess your post is ok (we aren't ClubXM, LOL). If you have to register to get something, it isn't strictly "free" in my book, but as long as they don't spam you....

    We used to kick around the idea of decals for TH a couple of years ago - may be time to float it again.

    Steve
    Host
    SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
  • oldsman01oldsman01 Member Posts: 1,203
    I got some XM stickers with my welcome kit from XM when I first signed up. As much as I love the service and am willing to promote it to potential subscribers, I'm not a big fan of stickers on my car. I just let the XM antenna do the talking:) More than once I've had people ask me what that little plack thing sitting on my trunk lid is. Within the past two weeks I've seen three different cars with the same XM antenna I have.

    Regarding my last post about XM advertising, when I opened the recent issue of C&D there was a GM ad promoting XM. This is the first such ad that I've seen in a while(I remember seeing some Cadillac ads pormoting it a while back) and a good start, but not everyone is in the market to buy a new car. Thats why I think XM should advertise their service as well.
  • oldsman01oldsman01 Member Posts: 1,203
    I'm not a big fan of having to register to participate in discussions, but I did at clubxm several months ago and have yet to receive any spam so I think it is okay to say they are safe. BTW, I hesitated at first when I came across the Edmunds forum.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    There's just a funny thread at the other xm forum that I suspect Xmer knows about; it's about guys getting kicked off clubxm -- I guess for promoting a competing forum. Imagine that :-)

    Steve
    Host
    SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
  • timadamstimadams Member Posts: 294
    I just got done reading an article in Sound & Vision magazine (the July/Aug. 2002 issue) that had a fairly in-depth review of satellite radio and compared XM and Sirius. In addition to describing each service and explaining the hardware and programming, the magazine borrowed two cars to drive, one with XM and one with Sirius.


    They found that Sirius had slightly fewer dropouts and less advertising, but has fewer channels and noticeably inferior sound quality. To an audiophile magazine like S&V, the lower sound quality was a big concern, although they admitted that most people are not as critical when it comes to sound quality.


    Here's a link to the article online:


    http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/hot_topics/articledisplay.asp?ArticleID=136

  • erickplerickpl Member Posts: 2,735
    Has anybody listened in on the new channels yet?

    I have Ethel programmed and it was so cool to have my unit change to channel 47 automatically from 34 and not having to do it myself.

    -Paul
  • ashutoshsmashutoshsm Member Posts: 1,007
    I thought they were to launch 7pm tonight. Are they enabled already? On my way in, I couldn't listen to one of my presets (104, Radio Taj, South Asian) any more :( so i listened to 20 on 20 instead. I only have a 10 minute commute, and rarely flip through channels then.
  • erickplerickpl Member Posts: 2,735
    to make room for some of the other new channels. :(

    But yes they are active now.

    -Paul
  • oldsman01oldsman01 Member Posts: 1,203
    The new channels went active at 12:00 AM EDT this morning. I was listening last night about 11:30 and the announcer said that "in just a few minutes" some new channels would be added. I haven't had time to check them out yet. As for XM deadspots, I've been very impressed at the lack of them. I will be taking a 9 hour road trip next month and will be looking very forward to having XM along with me this time.
  • mlm4mlm4 Member Posts: 401
    In June I drove from Orlando to Baltimore and back. I listened to XM all the way up and most of the way back (I remembered how to use my CD player). Fourteen hours driving time, and the only time I lost XM was under a huge set of power lines on I-95 approaching Arlington, Virginia. It was consistent, I lost the signal in the same place going back, for all of about 20 seconds. I'd say that's pretty good...better than pretty good, actually! I occasionally get brief dropouts passing under some overpasses (on the order of a second or two), but all in all I'm impressed. I've even found parking structures where I can still get XM.
  • oldsman01oldsman01 Member Posts: 1,203
    I've had the same experience. Bridges and heavily shaded roads in more outlying areas will sometimes cause a brief lapse in signal, but in the city it is not a problem. I've been in several parking structures and had signal. I put the unit in field test mode and sure enough, the signal was coming from a repeater. I watched the signal as I drove out of the garage and there was absolutely no change in sound or anything when it went back to getting signal from the satellites.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Honda to Offer XM


    or roll your own (hours of voice emails, anyone?)


    5000 Songs on the Road and at Home



    Steve

    Host

    SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

  • oldsman01oldsman01 Member Posts: 1,203
    I haven't really listened to any of the new XM channels as none of the formats are really my type, but I've noticed one thing I like. They seem to be dropping the stations that are FM channel uplinks. XM 24 used to a re-broadcast of a station out of New York City, 22 used to be a Houston station and XM11 was a Nashville station. Now 24 is an easy listening channel(my dad would love it), 22 is an XM Mix channel with a pretty good variety(I've heard everything from recent hits to 60s songs on there) and 11 is an XM country channel. While the FM stations they previously uplinked where some of the better of the genre, the whole point of XM was to get away from the continous commercials and cut and dry programming that is FM radio.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Thanks for the information but perhaps next time you could remove the links before posting an advertisement - which probably isn't a good idea to begin with!

    tidester
    Host
    SUVs; Aftermarket & Accessories
  • jgmilbergjgmilberg Member Posts: 872
    I received an email from XM Radio about the discontinued models of the Sony Plug 'N Play will be selling for $199, then you get a $50 rebate to existing XM customers so end cost is $149. Sony is coming out with a new plug n play model. Here is what I got.

    Hot news! We've just learned that select retailers like Circuit City, Best Buy and others are offering "Version 1" of the Sony XM "Plug and Play" Radio for only $199.99! This version of the Sony XM Plug and Play has been discontinued and is being replaced by a new Sony "Plug and Play" model, so this great price is good only while supplies last!

    Take advantage of the Add-A-Radio Rebate, available to existing customers that activate an additional radio and get $50 cash back! That brings your price down to $149!

    For the car, get model #DRN-XM01C. You'll get an antenna and a cassette adapter for your deck. For the Home, get model #DRN-XM01H, which also includes an antenna, and lets you receive XM Satellite Radio over almost any home stereo. With the optional accessory kit, you can transport from car to home quickly and easily.

    The Add A Radio rebate is only good through the end of September, and the $199.99 price is only good while supplies last, so act quickly! Visit your local electronics store today.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Heh, commercial free posting, just like the commerical free (mostly?) radio. I like it :-)


    Meanwhile Sirius has announced a deal to get offered in 2003 Nissan Pathfinders and Infiniti I35s (and some other Nissan models).


    On that note, it's probably appropriate to add Sirius to the topic title as well.



    Steve

    Host

    SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

  • ashutoshsmashutoshsm Member Posts: 1,007
    Even though some may say Satellite radio is already doomed (I disagree!), it is Sirius that is more likely to bite the dust first, of the two of them.

    So XM is the (relatively) safe bet for now!
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