Anyone know much about satellite radio? One would need to buy the component, which I believe Sony and Pioneer makes for now. Love to get more stations for my radio, and listen to CNBC, sports, euro etc.

 

Don't bother with it, reception sucks while your moving. Also you need a big goofy antenna for it.

 

reception sucks......WTF?!?!


i have it......it's the $HIT never had a problem w/recetpion....i think he's been hittin the pipe the roof mount antenna is a little goofy, but it isn't HUGE.....but there are a bunch of different styles...


you can buy a new cd player w/the XM capablilty, but i say why do that, just go get the
Pioneer GEX-FM903XM: it will hook up to anything, even stock HUs, it installs like a cd changer!

 

The reception is amazing. My friend threw the antenna inside his trunk (yes inside the car) and still gets CD quality sound with no problems...I ordered mine and it should be here in a week or so.

Erik

 

ya, i love mine,it is awesome! i still haven't worked my way through all 100 stations...
if you like rap, ch.66 is sweet!

 

Don't you have to pay monthly to hear it? How much does the subscription go for?

 

How would you know? Have you bought one? Think before you speak.

 

$9.95 a month

check out their webpage: www.xmradio.com

 

You need the:

Masterunit - Normally $150-250
Antenna - Normally $100-$125
Sign Up Fee - $15 over phone or $10 over 'net
Monthly Fee - $10

Erik

 

is real sweet sounds incredible and definitely worth it, i just don't like the idea of that monthly fee.

 

Actually a buddy of mine had it installed. And as I said, reception sucked around the NYC metro area. Tall buildings and what not, he wound up taking it out. Sorry guys, but that was my experience with XM. If you have had better results, then thats great. Perhaps it all depends on where you live.

So maximadave, I did think before I spoke. Actually I did more than think, I had first hand experiance. Now perhaps the technology has imporved over the past few months? Maybe he had a bad head unit? All I know is it sucked and he took it out.

 

Yeah the same here. If they did not have a fee it would move faster. Probably even if hardware prices went up to compensate for it.

SuDZ

 

Any idea how this would compare to the yet-to-be-released sirrius radio?

Also, what do they use to determine if you're paid up or expired? We in Canada can legally get away with hacking it for free use, just need to know what technology is used. (Yes, it has been in courts. Look at DirecTV. Canadians watch it free!)

MaXXX

 

Yeah, some people have free satellite TV. I don't know how it all works.

 

Nothing sounds sweeter than a stolen Satilite signal!

 

XM has not "officially" launched yet on the east coast. The satellites are up in outer space, yes. Not all the repeaters are up yet, that is why you are not getting the full potential of XM. All of the repeaters are up and going here in so cal. I've sold many of the Alpine decks with the XM tuner box. No complaints what so ever. If you look up XM's web site it may give a date to where the east coast might be done. It is also possible that his XM tuner box and antenna was not installed properly. I have a Best Buy right down the street from my store and sometimes people come in regarding the reception and it's usually how it was instaslled

www.xmradio.com

Maximadave

P.S. I was just jokin' when I said "Think before you speak"

 

hmmm...i know something about this subject...i remember sirius replied to us saying that it would be up by the end of December 2001...but that was bak in september...and then they tell us they're going to be up during the summer...i don't think so...oh well...XM is number 1 so far and it rocks...heh...when i'm at work...i just turn XM on and i hear everything i like...heh...besides paying $10 a month isn't bad...u can have them bill u every 6 months or yearly or like every month...i forgot...oh well...but seriously...it rocks...i will be getting it once the new pioneer 8400MP3 players come out...which is in April

 

I'm going to wait until they make the reciever and antenna smaller. Also, I'm going to wait till the prices drop.

 

the reciever isn't large at all, it is about the same size as an alpine cva-1005 brain, maybe a little smaller, i mounted mine underneath the rear deck in the trunk, you don't even know its there!

and the monthly fee, c'mon, seriously, like you don't have an extra $10 bucks a month???? how often do you buy a cd? when you buy that cd on average how many songs do you actually listen to, and how long does that cd last before it is scratched to hell, lost/stolen, or just played out??? w/the xm, its always the new stuff, and if you want, even the old...

I haven't listened to a CD since i installed mine in December!


XM ROCKS!!!!:d

 

and the monthly fee, c'mon, seriously, like you don't have an extra $10 bucks a month???? how often do you buy a cd? when you buy that cd on average how many songs do you actually listen to, and how long does that cd last before it is scratched to hell, lost/stolen, or just played out??? w/the xm, its always the new stuff, and if you want, even the old...

I haven't listened to a CD since i installed mine in December!


XM ROCKS!!!!:d [/B][/QUOTE]


Noooooo... WinMx/College Network AND a CD Burner ROCK! ***** XM, there's only a chance something I like will come on, and it will cost me about $300 to set up, and $10 a month? How bout I pay $.50 a CD or so and have every CD I own have all songs that I like? lol I guess XM is cool if u don't have a burner/T3 tho

 

I've been looking up new HU, cause I wanted to upgrade to XM. Whats the difference between XM and Sirius ready receieves?

 

The last CD I bought was the Smashing Pumpkins Double Album...I have had a CD-RW since they came out, the first one cost me $1,100. I have made 100's of CD's since then, but I still listen to the radio all the time, and XM is just the next logical step. BTW people, Tivo has been around for 3 years and still charges a monthly fee, so I doubt the XM monthly fee will go away.

Erik

 

My issue is that my head unit is not XM ready, so I'd have to buy a new head or all of the equipment that will make my current head compatible to work with XM. And if I add anything else to my car it will be the Pioneer DVD/GPS unit. Cost is not tthe factor as far as the service goes but more companies need to make the XM system to drop the prices down.

 

There are XM receivers like the Pioneer GEX-FM903XM that you can use with your stock head unit. It uses RF-modulation like some CD changers, to be tuned in over an unused FM frequency.

 

Wouldn't that deffeat the purpose of digital quality sound?

 

Ask the people that make CD changers work that way. How much worse is a clean FM signal?

 

I bet for that 1,100 it was slow as anything too huh?

SuDZ

 

I was about to suggest that it probably had something to do with the NYC metro area. EM tranmission around here is tough, must saturated with waves. I have a StarTAC cell phone, and for some reason, its reception sucks around NYC, but when I go out of town, its so good that people I talk to can't even tell I'm on a cell phone!

DW

 

I'm waiting for Sirius Satellite radio as well.

I figure if it's good enough for Mercedes Benz, then its good enough for me

DW

 

FM Frequency response: 20Hz-15Khz +-3db
CD Frequency Respone: 10Hz-20Khz +- 1db

FM signal to noise ratio ~70db
CD signal to noise ratio ~95 db

With an FM modulator, you may as well play a cassette (the best, Metal with Dolby S)

DW

 

screw that.. you can burn & get blanks for like .05 or .10 now.. that and i have a sirius ready (WHO CARES) mp3 player.

channels? i have folders.

 

1x...took over 80 mins to burn a CD...but well worth it..

Erik

 

I would never pay $1100 for a burner, even when they first came out.. I don't think it would ever pay for itself... my $250 burner has paid for itself prolly 3 times over though..

 

Is there a diff between Sirius and XM ready recievers?

 

This was over 8 years ago when I bought it....it paid for itself right away...

Erik

 

At this point from what I've seen Sirius will have fewer music channels, and will be 3 bucks more expensive

 

Interestingly enough there is an almost unnoticeable difference between the FM-modulated XM unit and the direct-connect XM units

 

Well thats good to know then. I guess I'll upgrade to XM ready reciever then. Pioneer DEH-6400 looks like a good choice. Of course no one has them in stock yet.

 

yea...i think we get them in around April