XM & Sirius Satellite Radio

boomchek

I'm still leeching my free Sirius off the rental company that originally pre paid for it for a year (my Patriot is ex rental). I think it's good till December or so. I'll see what the deal will be then, but I only listen to one or two channels (techno or hip hop) at most so I don't think it will be worth it for me.

Edit: never mind, all chryslers come with a free 1 year subscription. Either way it's going to run out in december.

qbrozen

our free year in our Pacifica was how we got addicted to it.
Bastards!

I just wrote an email to Sirius. My subscriptions are up in 2 weeks and I asked them to give me their best/lowest offer on renewal, as I'm not interested in paying $20/mo for my 2 radios.

michaellno

q - I know our subscription to XM expires in November .. I should send them an email in the next week or two to see what kind of offer they will make.

Wife only listens to one channel .. when I drive her car, I've got 4-5 channels I'll switch between. On long trips, we've experimented with some of the other channels just for the variety.

qbrozen

I hear ya.
I can't imagine many folks listen to more than a dozen or so channels.
Heck, my radio has 30 presets. I have 22 of them programmed, and 5 or 6 of those I never listen to, but felt I should use more of my presets.

michaellno

The VUE has 36 presets -- I programmed them all (!)

24 of them are XM channels, with 6 AM and 6 FM. We really only use the first page of presets - one for the wife's favorite station, the other 5 for the ones I tend to listen to.

guss

my Malibu came with 36 station presets. While it is nice to have that many options, scrolling thru the presets to get to what you want takes forever. I narrowed it down to 24, that still is probably too many.

I would think with the merger I would be getting a ton of e-mails from XM to re-up when my free trail is up next month. So far, zero.

stever

"In a Q&A session Karmazin revealed that installing receivers in new vehicles that can tune in both services could take as long as 15 years due to chip requirements and the lead-time needs of automakers.

We're betting that the car audio aftermarket will shorten that by at least 14 years, if not less. And you can now buy aftermarket radios that tune in both services, although you still have to buy separate receivers."

Satellite Radio CEO Says It Could Take 15 Years for XM and Sirius to Merge

boomchek

We're betting that the car audio aftermarket will shorten that by at least 14 years, if not less

You're absolutely right.

Usually the aftermarket pushes OEM brands to develop products faster as they'd be losing out on the sales that go to aftermarket companies.

Look how the auto manufacturers offer factory upgrades such as high end brand name stereos, tuner packages, wheels and tires that not long ago were only available aftermarket.

stever

22 new stations while 15 other stations go poof.

Sirius, XM announce new channel lineups (Straightline)

boomchek

I was wondering where my Channel 43 Old Skool Hip Hop went. :mad:

Thanks for the update Steve.

michaellno

My XM subscription ends in a week or so and I called them looking for a deal.

While the ZWINBACK code didn't work again this year, the rep was able to extend my subscription for 6 months for $38.85 ($6.41/mo).

We'll see what is possible next May ...

I was just reviewing the new channel lineup .. wife doesn't like the extra DJ talk on her favorite station (XM 26). We've got a 5-6 hour road trip planned for next weekend, so we shall see if we like the changes or not.

nippononly

That AND the Strobe went bye-bye, much to my disappointment. Sirius just became 10% less valuable to me. Looks like the merger will mean nothing more than a facade of a la carte pricing with higher-priced packages behind the scenes, and a dilution of the content.

At least this time the update didn't erase all my presets.

Is this the beginning of the end?

fintail

I had that 'old skool' channel in my presets too. Was Strobe the disco channel?

I only listen to 4 or 5 channels at all, so if those go, I will too.

guss

Michael, I like your wifes taste, Flight 26 was one of my favorites also. I guess the answer to that old question " What ever happened to Mark Goodman?" is now answer for me.

I did find the all Elvis channel amusing. I guess if you are the King , you should get your own channel.

I have about 3 weeks left on my free subscription, I heard that ZWINBACK code only work if they call you. So I will let them come to me.

boomchek

Yeah I have 12 presets for Sirius but realistically listen to about 3 Channels, 1 of them now gone.

Maybe they should offer alacarte pricing as I don't care for country or elvis or religion talk radio.

But if that's the case it should be something cheap like dollar per channel, or a bundled package.

nippononly

Yup, Strobe was the disco channel. I had that and Old Skool programmed. I listen to maybe 15 stations regularly including news stations. Two have gone away, so I am now 13% less motivated to continue my Sirius subscription. The new ones they put in were all unappealing to me.

fintail

My receiver gives me 30 presets, but there aren't close to 30 channels I listen to, so I put in oddballs for the lower banks. I think I might have had that "Strobe" one too. I just printed out a new channel list, I will have to check everything soon.

I usually listen to the 1st Wave channel, along with 80s, 90s alternative, and the electronic channels. Now and then I will listen to BBC.

A music-only package would be good, I don't care for the talk or comedy or sports or religious stuff.

cdnpinhead

so good.

The stuff I listen to most on XM hasn't been touched, though the decades channels (4-9) are said to have moved to the more-talking Sirius approach. We'll see -- generally I push the button to 7 (for the '70s), then use the tuning knob to go down to 5, then up to 9 if I don't like what's on. Can't see the difference so far, but the changeover is young.

tallman1

I'm pretty upset about the demise of Flight 26 on XM as well. I listened to that the most. It seems that the ones I liked best are changed.

One thing that really drives me nuts is how things are categorized now. On XM, the decades channels are now listed with pop so that when I use the "Category" knob in my 06 Accord, I can't get to the pop stations in the 20's because it goes to channel 4. Those used to be a separate category (called "Decades" IIRC). Now several categories are split into different sections rather than a span of numbers in a row so the category knob is pretty useless. It was much easier when the sports channels were in a row and the news channels were in a row.

I'm going to have to remember things that aren't in my presets now (I only have 12)... and this brain can't remember all that.

I also think it sucks that XM didn't get NFL and NASCAR without paying extra. I'm assuming that Sirius folks didn't get Baseball, Indy Car, college sports, etc.

nippononly

Wow fintail, your tastes and mine are very similar! To your music channels I would add the blues channel, and to the BBC I would add the 2 NPR channels. That's it. I also have a few extras programmed on the lower banks that I listen to very occasionally, like The Pulse and the Rock Vinyl channel, but I normally switch back and forth between the top 10 presets without exploring the lower banks.

rlumachi

Hi all: I tried searching on this topic but got confused (doesn't take much). Sorry for asking what is likely a question that has come up many times.

I am already a Sirius subscriber from another car (it's a portable receiver, not built into the car's stereo) and I wanted to activate Sirius to my used (but new to me) '08 Legacy Limited. So I call Sirius and they instruct me on how to get the ESN, but when I press the button marked SAT on the radio, nothing happens. No ESN, no message, nothing. What does this mean?

From skimming these boards it seems there's a module that needs to be installed at the dealer that may have been omitted when the original owner optioned out the car? Is this possible? And if so, am I in for a RUDE AWAKENING when I call my Subaru dealer and ask for that module to be installed ($$$$$$$$$$)??

Thanks!

stever

Could be - I assume you saw the posts in the Subaru Outback Satellite Radio Questions discussion?

You may want to cross-post this over in the Subaru Crew somewhere.

boomchek

It is very possible that your Subaru's head unit (stereo) came from the factory with extra buttons that may not have any function because it wasn't ordered from the factory with Satellite radio.

It is very common for manufacturers this day to build head units that they can install across the board in base and top models. It is cheaper however to make them all the same looking with same buttons.

Many of Mazda stereos have SAT buttons but don't actually have SAT radio in them, and many of Chrysler's head units have Bluettoth buttons, but only have the actual function only higher models.

I doubt that your dealer will install a module in there for free unless they said it has satellite radio when you bought the vehicle.

Good luck.

fintail

I almost always switch between 1st Wave - 80s - 90s alternative - and a couple electronic. Maybe once a week or two I will tune into BBC. The only NPR I listen to is Car Talk, but that's when I am stuck at work on a Saturday morning.

I haven't noticed any reception changes...in my area with lots of big trees and lots of tree lined roads where the trees make a canopy and block everything, I lose signal now and then. No issues around tall buildings though.

scottinky

i got rid of xm four years ago after only having it for 3 weeks because their music
channels sucked so bad. now, i am back to having to listen to their craptastic
80s on 8. Sirius Big 80s was so much better, as was Left of Center on 26. i hope
people complain and they switch back. i really hope we dont have to listen to Kasey Casum, Nina was so much better. If Sirius doesnt resign Bubba, i am probably gone.

rlumachi

Thanks for the replies. I've been checking around and it is exactly what you say - the car was not ordered with the module installed so the button is a dummy. The module can be had from a subaru dealer for about $350 and it must be installed behind the dash - plugs right into the back of the radio. That's a bit steep for my blood. Probably figure out a way to take my current receiver with me into this car as I did in my last Subaru.

maximafan

As an XM subscriber for four years, I was really upset when I found out that they removed Chrome(Disco station) and the Move(House music station.) Those were the two stations I listened to the most followed by BPM(maintstream dance music station),
the Groove(Old school R & , XM Chill(By the way, this one might actually have improved since the changes, as so far I like what I'm hearing); Watercolors(contemporary jazz) and the 80's station.

But I really miss the Move and Chrome(RIP)

maximafan

I'm getting ready to give XM a call also, as I have four radios with
XM. It's a little frustrating that they don't send you an itemized bill showing all the taxes that they charge you because we all know that the 12.99 a month is really more than that after you figure in taxes.
For instance, XM was deducting around $15 a month for a while. I don't know which radios this was for. Then all of a sudden they're deducting $30 dollars a month. Bear in mind, the original radio was activated in 2004, the second radio in 2006 and two additional radios(gifts for family members) at the end of 2007. I bet it's gonna be real fun trying to discuss this with whoever I end up talking to on the phone!

nippononly

BPM and 80s on 8 - two channels I suddenly have on Sirius, even as they have removed some of the ones I really liked to listen to. So the deal is Sirius subscribers lose all the content they had and have to put up with crappy content from XM?

It seems like large corporate mergers never work out in the customers' favor, and this one is to be no exception.

oskwi

I thought that Chrome was gone for good. I'm so overwhelmed at work right now that I haven't really had a chance to scroll through the stations to see what's still there. I've only had XM for about a year and a half...I like it so much better than our local radio here in Buffalo. It is maddening to listen to some of our stations..."moronic banter" as I call it...and one station in particular is already playing Christmas music 24/7. Last year, they started one week before Thanksgiving....this year two weeks before...give it time and they'll start the holiday music the Tuesday after Labor Day!!

carnaught

...sucks. They've removed my most listened stations and not replaced them. I hope someone from XM/Sirius is monitoring this board.

Do we really need a channel with (verbal) Twilight Zone, etc.?

bryan

Got in my car Friday, 11/14 for the three hour drive to the eastern shore; discovered channel 83 (Chrome) and channel 82 (BPM?) were no longer "tuneable". These two channels were the main reason I have subscribed since 2004. I renewed for three years in May '08. I'm almost 55, and am truly a child of the 70s and 80s (disco and dance music). I went channel by channel to try and find my two beloved stations, hoping they were reprogrammed to different channel numbers. No such luck.

So, I called XM to find out what's up, and when I finally got to speak with a rep, learned that these two channels were "retired". After much back and forth, I could not get a straight answer as to why they would cancel, I mean "retire", these two stations. I got tired of the reps "company-speak" and cancelled my XM subscription. I just don't listen to the other stations--I've tried but always found myself coming back to channels 82 or 83.

Getting it cancelled took some time, as the rep tried and tried to get me to agree to not cancel, or how about a one-year trial half-price membership and we'll refund the other two years you. That's when she said our conversation was being recorded and she needed me to commit to this offer. At that point, I had had enough of this junk.

I cancelled that account, and since I was being recorded, made sure I was specific as to my wishes and learned that I should be getting my refund in two to four weeks. I remained civil through the entire half-hour it took for me to get my business done, and requested that she pass on my unhappiness and the recorded portion of my call to the higher-ups. Back to CDs for me.

boomchek

Back to CDs for me.

The next best thing is an iPod.

upstatedoc

Hairnation made the cut!

stever

Satellite Radio Merger Brings Changes for XM Listeners

nippononly

However, it's not just names that have changed, so has programming. I'll be interested to see what Karl Brauer, our resident 80s satellite radio channel expert, has to say about Sirius Big 80s becoming 80s on 8 -- he enjoyed the former, hated the latter.

I'm with Karl - 80s on 8 sucks. So does 70s on 7, both were better as the Sirius version. With all the changes I am, more than ever, on the cusp of cancelling Sirius altogether.

One thing holding me back is that the signal seems to have gotten stronger - I have a lot less cutouts under trees and freeway bridges now. Anyone else notice that, or is it just my wishful imagination?

fintail

I've noticed that too...around here there are a few tunnels, and I can go into the tunnel a ways before I lose signal, and I get it back well before I am out of the tunnel. I used to lose it quickly.

I noticed on a longish drive the other day the presets I have for defunct channels still display the name, but broadcast nothing. As if to rub it in.

stever

2009 Survival Guide for Sirius XM Radio

Not your survival as your favorite channels change - the company's survival.

"With three nine-figure debt repayment hurdles to clear, a cascading new car market, and the drying up of discretionary income, shares of the satellite radio giant promise to be a bucking bronco over the next year." (Yahoo)

carnaught

"With three nine-figure debt repayment hurdles to clear, a cascading new car market, and the drying up of discretionary income, shares of the satellite radio giant promise to be a bucking bronco over the next year." (Yahoo)

I'm sure Howard Stern's $500 Million(?) hasn't helped its financial situation.

upstatedoc

I thought it was 250 million?

carnaught

Actually Stern earned $500 million plus an $82.9 million stock bonus.

link title

boomchek

$83 mill bonus???? I'm seriously in the wrong business. :sick:

carnaught

$83 mill bonus???? I'm seriously in the wrong business.

It's unbelievable and unfathomable to me that someone can make $83 million in addition to $500 million for talking dirty on the radio.

briancam

Does anyone else miss XM channels like Fred or Lucy? I think the new combonation is lame- I'll give Alt Nation a maybe but I miss the old XM. XM channels seemed to have deeper music libraries - Sirius was more personality driven --- witness the sad Freddie Snakeskin.

fintail

I've noticed the 'First Wave' playlist seems to have changed, and not for the better. Squeeze must not charge much for royalties.

rlumachi

Yeah, I miss LUCY bigtime! I had sirius in the car and XM on the dish and Lucy was my favorite station. Lithium is OK and First Wave has become tiresome and repetitious.

imrnet

Hi, I just bought a new ''08 Jaguar XKR. I love the car, except it didn''t come with the Alpine Premium Package, only the AM/FM/CD Changer. I have not listened to the radio in about 6 years because I''ve always had XM in my previous cars. I asked the dealer if they could swap out the existing Jaguar unit and replace with the Alpine Premium unit, but they said that they couldn''t. Don''t understand why not. Anyway, can someone give me some advice on how I may be able to replace the Jaguar unit or add on a Sirius or XM unit? Thanks.

stever

Sort of a fun play on words.

Sirius XM MiRGE is First Interoperable Receiver for Both Services



Note the first comment about why bother, since the channel consolidation means few differences in the lineups anymore.

fintail

Somehow, I have a suspicion the days are numbered for satellite radio as we know it. I can't imagine it surviving this downturn.

stever

Heh, thanks for the nice lead-in to the next site plug:

Internet Radio Gets Real (Straightline)



And then there's this:

"Satellite radio competes for my ears with my Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPod and its dedicated car jack, my custom-burned CDs, and a host of new mobile applications, including Ford (NYSE: F) and Microsoft's (NYSE: MSFT) Sync. And with other automakers experimenting with putting routers in their cars that could stream free Internet radio, Sirius' competition for luxury dollars is increasing."

Worst Stock for 2009: Sirius XM Radio (Motley Fool)