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HDPM
09-08-2002, 02:05 AM
With the exception of my decent home stereo speakers, I am pretty much at the bottom of audio or other electronic entertainment stuff. So I went to a couple of stores looking for car audio today. The stock AM/FM/casette in my rig isn't so hot. So I looked at new decks w/ CD and speakers. I also looked at the new satellite radio stuff. One store deals with XM radio, another with Sirius. I think the whole idea of satellite radio is cool. Where I live and drive the radio selections are limited. I like the idea of getting jazz or hardcore rap or classical in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, anybody have this stuff in their car or know something about it? Is one service better than another etc...?

Ray Zee
09-08-2002, 10:21 AM
well from what ivwe found out. is that it doesnt work well away from cities even though they may say so, unless that has changed then maybe it would be great. both companies are having financial problems i have read. so they may go the way of iridium for awhile. but the idea is wonderful.

i cant stand the new car radios as the buttons are tiny and i have to hunt for the correct one. so i stick with oem stuff or older crap, which by the way is better.

my home stuff is old as well. big jbl speakers and magnaplner ones. carver sound stuff. i am just old fashioned. plus the old tube stuff is far superior to the new crap, but i use that only a little anymore.

HDPM
09-08-2002, 11:57 AM
Thanks. I'll see what I can find out about their financial stability. I don't want to buy extra stuff that becomes scrap quickly. But I have a question, you said--
"so i stick with oem stuff or older crap, which by the way is better"

I understand the fondness for old high-quality home audio stuff, but how is my MOPAR (Jeep) oem radio worth anything. It's OK and all, but I would think a new deck and better speakers would be way ahead.

Phat Mack
09-08-2002, 03:53 PM
I've never heard of satellite radio. What kind of antennas do they use? I haven't seen any cars with little dishes where the jack-in-the-box guy goes.

Please find out that these systems are lousy. I'm a radio junkie and my bankroll is low.

09-08-2002, 07:51 PM
its better because it doesnt break down as much, and the ease of use is much better. but all you have to do is give it more power and better speakers and you are home free. i dont know about chrysler products as i wouldnt be caught dead driving around in one except a cj5. if you have one of those waggoneers or the like you are beyond help and need to find your way in life. but if you can see those little buttons and are happy pushing them by all means go for it. but i know for a fact you are getting old and must have presbopia

HDPM
09-08-2002, 08:19 PM
"if you have one of those waggoneers or the like you are beyond help and need to find your way in life. "

Yeah, yeah I know. Long story how I ended up with a Cherokee. It has many drawbacks. But mine is about to be paid for, has been reliable, and will go anywhere. So I will probably upgrade the stereo and drive it a while.

HDPM
09-08-2002, 08:22 PM
I only know the antenna is $100. And it's not a dish. If I like it I'll be sure to tell you. I thought all you big bet players have money to burn. /forums/images/icons/tongue.gif

Jimbo
09-09-2002, 04:24 PM
Toyota Motor Co., seems to be recommending XM. Since they are one of the worlds largest manufacturers that gives a leg up on thier product. If you purchase a satellite radio through your Toyota dealer you may get 1 years free service, value at about $9.00 per month. This is all I know about one vs the other except the rumors about financial instability.

Oops I do know one additional thing. The poster who mentioned they only work well in/near cities is misinformed. It is a frigging satellite circling in a geosynchronous orbit not a line of sight antenna. If anything it will work better in the countryside away from metallic obstructions such as tall buildings.

Jimbo

Ray Zee
09-09-2002, 10:16 PM
like i said it may have changed and i may be off. but i do know for sure you wont get any reception under tunnels in buildings that are thick and the like. all kindws of other reception problems can get you as well. also in the mountains the sats. may not get seen by the ant. and thats the way it works as they have only two sats. up there and thats not enough. also again as you go far north you get out of the reception area. two sats. dont provide enough coverage for the whole cotinental u.s. perhaps they have worked out those bugs and if they do i think this technology will replace regular radio someday soon if they dont screw it up like sat. tv with all the commercials.

09-10-2002, 07:26 PM
Thought I'd share my experiences with XM radio.

Motivating story: Drove from LA to Vegas this past weekend. It was nice being able to listen to the same station the entire time driving through the Mojave.

Reception: Requires line-of-sight with the satellite, or it needs to be near one of the repeaters they've installed in urban areas. For example, I get no reception in my parking garage. Sometimes I'll get cut out for half a second when passing under a series of overpasses and the buffer runs out. But I've driven it all over California, and I've had no problems driving through the mountains.

Quality: it sounds good to me. They claim "near CD" quality, and it's true so far as I can tell. Even if it wasn't, road noise makes it indistinguishable to my ears.

Programming: Awesome. For the first few weeks I didn't know what to listen to, there is so much. One million times better than FM. I got fed up with hearing the same songs over and over, and 20 minutes every hour of commercials. Wide variety of options.

Sony has a "plug-and-play" unit (the one I have, btw) that enables you to listen in your car as well as at home. It's not a particularly elegant solution, but it works for me.

As for Sirius, they are fiscally, if not technologically, in worse shape than XM. XM has been running for about a year now, and Sirius is just getting off the ground. There is still an element of risk with both companies, since the subscriber base isn't growing as quickly as they'd like to see. This may turn around soon since you'll be starting to see them factory installed in new cars. Sirius was having problems with their chipsets earlier.

Programming-wise, I'd say that XM beats the socks off Sirius. I'll let you compare the channel lists for yourself though. Make sure you have the new XM list, since they've tweaked the line up a week or two ago

XM is cheaper, but has more commercials. I think Sirius is commercial free. However, not all XM stations have them, and most of the ones I listen to don't. Even the ones that have them have few of them, and aren't obtrusive. They're over before you realize you need to change the station.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I think it was some of the best money I've ever spent.

HDPM
09-11-2002, 01:48 AM
Thanks. You confirmed a lot of what I found out in the last couple days, but I am happy to hear someone say they get good reception in the real world. I know it won't work in tunnels or under bridges, etc... but I will be happy as long as I can get it in most mountains and such. It seemed to me that XM is in better shape financially because GM is going to have a big stake in XM. Sirius is picking up some other car companies, but I think I will prefer XM programming anyway. The $3 per month difference is irrelevant to me. Plus, the place I prefer to buy the stuff at carries XM.
BTW, I have an appointment for tomorrow for the installation. /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

Thanks all for the input.