Satellite Radio

[Therios Pendragon]

Had satellite for a year. Won't pay for it. Got a new cell phone from AT&T and it has a massive number of music feeds and even FM radio. Plus I use pandora.com.

only issue is that I need to get amplified headphones. I listen to audio books on the cell phone as it is an player as well... with my 32Gb card, I have about 3.7 billion songs...

my phone even does tv shows and hulu if I want to. Amazing how many things the cell phone does these days... just gotta figure out how to make a call now.

[caver]

I just bought a dock and play receiver. No contract and you can select how long of a period you want to pay for. I got the mostly music package. Be warned, that fees will be tacked on at the final checkout for royalties and taxes. That 9.99$ package gets closer to 15$. I went and got the FM direct unit because I was getting a bit of static through the wire extension transmitter. In the house I used RCA jacks with no outside noise that I can hear. I'm listening to it right now. the antennae will loose signal at the basement window but I can point it up through the upper floors and roof and get a signal....
I've not heard any advertising on Boneyard or Hair Nation but the DJ sometimes has brief chatter between songs.
This thing will be great on vacation traveling across the remote areas of western states.
I hear some repetition on the two channels I listen to but it's not as bad as Pandora. I used to really like Pandora but I had to change some songs from like to dislike as the service would play them every time I had it on the 'puter.
I LOVE pizza but do not want to eat it everyday.

[Mike120]

I had four different XM units when it first started. Very little chatter and mostly music. Now most of the stations chatter as much as regular radio. I've still got one unit activated in one of my trucks so I can check traffic but I've found that I can do that faster on my iPhone (and play the music I want to hear). When I get around to it I'll probably cancel it....They're just a pain to deal with...especially when you are cancelling.

[luscsmith]

I travel every week and after six years I bought a lifetime subscription for $400. That will help keep me happy when I stop working.

Scott

[bigtiller]

Originally Posted by luscsmith

I travel every week and after six years I bought a lifetime subscription for $400. That will help keep me happy when I stop working.

Scott

I am glad to hear you say that. I was beginning to wonder if I was the only one that has a life time subscription, or did I get suckered into just another year.

[smfcpacfp]

XM radio costs me $77 per year and it is worth it to me. It is especially nice on a long trip. You can consistently listen to the same station as you travel across the country. My car has built in antenna in the outside mirrors.

The reception sometimes fades if I go in valleys of trees or in town with tall buildings, but seldom is it annoying.

[tallyho8]

Originally Posted by smfcpacfp

XM radio costs me $77 per year and it is worth it to me. It is especially nice on a long trip. You can consistently listen to the same station as you travel across the country. My car has built in antenna in the outside mirrors.

The reception sometimes fades if I go in valleys of trees or in town with tall buildings, but seldom is it annoying.

How do you get it so cheap? All the packages I have found are twice that price.

[smfcpacfp]

Originally Posted by tallyho8

How do you get it so cheap? All the packages I have found are twice that price.

That was the renewal cost which I received when XM Radio rebilled me this year, so I didn't do any searching.

[buckeyefarmer]

Never ever will I ever have XM again. In my opinion, they are crooks. I had a free 3 month trial with my new vehicle. after it expired, they made me several offers, finally I took one, that was 5 months for the price of one month. After the 5 months, I called and cancelled the service, except XM wouldn't cancel the service, and they kept billing my credit card. This went on for months. XM would simply not cancel the service and kept charging my card. I finally had to dispute the charges on my credit card before XM did anything. I got part of my money back, but not all of it.

As far as the service itself, I only found a couple stations I liked, and every time I drove under a bunch of trees it cuts out. Today XM and Sirius are one and the same. I prefer to load up my MP3 player and use it.

[westcliffe01]

XM WX Satellite Weather General info



Garmin 478C at The GPS Store, Inc.

Link to the Garmin GPS Map 478 for $700 with turn by turn navigation and overlaid XM weather. And it will handle XM radio stations too.

XM radio is best for the long road trips when there are either no stations or that change every 15 minutes. When close to home, an Ipod / MP3 player works well.