XM radio.. your suggestions.

[felony]

Hey guys.

I am lookin at a new addition to my car, and kinda for personal use.

I was originally goin to get an Iriver 40gig music player. Only problem is I have like 10 gigs of music after all my CDs are converted. So I guess you can say some space will be wasted.

Then I realized how much I enjoy listening to Winamp Streamin Radio. It keeps me from downloading music, finding good music and gives me a huge array of music. Classical Dance Rock Hits Country Oldies etc etc etc. Stuff I would never usually download.

Anyone have any experience with XM? Good, Bad? The lower end recievers are fairly cheap, and a $10 a month subscription for one years ends up some where around the cost of an IRiver + unlimited music on the XM..

any suggestions?

dan

[felony]

oh yeah.

~350 XM on the go.. basically a mini mp3 player size XM reciever. Take it with you and use headphones.

~100-180 or so is just a standard car/home use on.

would it be worth it spend ~100-180 and not be able to use it on the go? not that I really ever would.. well maybe.. but just lookin for suggestions and opinions

thanks
dan

[magking1971]

XM kicks booty!
I got it and set it up so I can put in 3 different vehicles, my car, truck and boat.
I live in the country and reception is iffy at times and horrable at the lake or camping but now I can have tunes blasting anytime.
$10 a month for XM is still cheaper then a CD a month.
Get it you will like it!

[felony]

thats what I was lookin for.

also, There are a few different options when buying.

There is a vehicle based model that has hardware actually installed in your car for digital sound. The other models are based on FM modulation.

Obvious the digital route is better, but I havent experience the FM modulation.. is it any good for quality etc.. ? Only wondering cause it would be a much simplier install.

dan

[dogEmedic]

I got the roady 2 three weeks ago, gotta say it's the best money I spent so far.
I use the FM modulation because I was to lazy to hook it up. It sounds just as good as my friends in dash system.

I wish they had a couple more rock/hard rock/metal stations, but the two I use the most are squizz and bone yard.

I guess the only bad thing is I bought a bunch of new cds and never use them in the car since xm.

[Rob218]

We have the home set, 2 car sets, and one of the boomboxes. I don't think we like it, we LOVE it. XM is overall great and the music is fantastic. Definately a must have for everyone.

[logamus]

i suggest getting sirius instead. just my preference.

[felony]

well..

my reciever in my car is "XM ready" not sure whos programmin is better, but I am leaning towards getting XM cause my head unit says that it is XM ready.. not sure if there is a difference if I am using FM modulation or whatever.

Now I am a bit of an audiophile.. more of a bassphile actually.. lol. While I dont only listen for base, I invested a good amount of money into my system (as well as some nice mid ranges ) and just want to be sure the FM modulation will be fine.. guess there is only one way to find out though :]

thanks for all the input so far, it is greatly appreciated!

dan

[wad04]

woot for sirius :clap:

[SpecialBlend2786]

i suggest getting sirius instead. just my preference.
ditto

[felony]

ditto

any specific reason?

dan

[Rob218]

well..

my reciever in my car is "XM ready" not sure whos programmin is better, but I am leaning towards getting XM cause my head unit says that it is XM ready.. not sure if there is a difference if I am using FM modulation or whatever.

Now I am a bit of an audiophile.. more of a bassphile actually.. lol. While I dont only listen for base, I invested a good amount of money into my system (as well as some nice mid ranges ) and just want to be sure the FM modulation will be fine.. guess there is only one way to find out though :]

thanks for all the input so far, it is greatly appreciated!

dan

It depends on whether they set it up right when installing your new system. I remember when we got it in our truck, our receiver was XM ready, but like you said, the modulation wasn't there. We found that one out after going from XM, to regular FM radio and it sucked. Chances are it won't just be ready to go.

[fire1811]

http://www.xmradio.com/skyfi/index.jsp


anyone use or hear this?
also what about the boombox

[wad04]

what ever you get, don't waste your money on the "boom box", just buy the home reciever. that way instead of having a crap boom box you can conncect it to your stereo. :)

[Gambit1106]

http://www.xmradio.com/skyfi/index.jsp


anyone use or hear this?
also what about the boombox

I have it, use it and love it. I have the home kit, the car kit in my work truck, and the boombox in my office. I travel quite a bit and XM saves me from trying to fid stations constantly, but lately I have been using my Ipod more though.

[fire1811]

cool
thanks guys

[RobAGD]

Hey guys, I have been looking into useing XM on my computer as well as my Jeep and have looked very hard at the XM PCR ( a usb XM reciver ) but it had been removed from market and ebay has people sellingthem for something like $175-$200 bones.

So I started looking at other option and came across the XM Direct with a small cable hack and some software for the pc this thing acts just like a PCR. I posted up some questions and got this reply about what I was looking into.



Hi

Thought I'd send a quick message regarding your question. I Last January, I purchased a pcr and I have to tell you it's one of the best designed receivers I've seen by xm. It's quite a shame that they were discontinued in August. Also, it's too bad you weren't around just over a week ago - because a handful of them surfaced - and were purchased for a higher, but reasonable price considering what they go for on ebay now. When I heard they were on sale again in limited supply, I was going to get another, but I decided to go with the xmdirect solution. Now I run both.

Now I'm not too too tech savy so keep in mind that I'm not going to give a geeky comparison.

If you were looking for a receiver that was strictly for your computer - and moreso laptop, I would hands down recommend the PCR. Simply because of the portability. The pcr gets it's power from the usb connection so basically you've got a solution that you can take anywhere your laptop goes.

The direct solution moving forward, I feel is the way to go - because not only can you use it in your car, you can now, hook it up to your computer. Also, the quality is actually better - compared to the pcr. Tack on a digital mod and you're going to be amazed. Knowing you want to use this in your Jeep and on your computer - you really should go with the XM direct receiver.

That said, I highly recommend you take the time to browse this forum to read the more technical breakdown of the difference between the two. I also recommend you visit the Time Trax forum at: http://www.satelliteguys.us/forumdisplay.php?f=84

Also check out the website http://www.timetraxtech.com

When I decided to go with the direct solution instead of a second pcr, I chose to get the Time Trax Connect. I got my xm direct at best buy, and ordered their converter for $49.99. It was delivered in 3 days. When they first started up, shipping took a while, but now, they're catching up. I have been a fan of time trax since they first came on the xm scene in August. It's great software, and now, they're providing us with great hardware. Also, note that even if you don't feel you're going to use the timetrax software much - their solution works flawlessly with the XtreMePCR software.

You can also purchase the HybridMobile solution, and I think there are a few DirectPCR's left - which you can find at:
http://www.powerondude.com - While these solutions work with timetrax, it's not included with their product.

This type of mod that focuses on using the XM direct receiver - is still pretty fresh. I think as this market grows, we're going to see a lot more alternatives. That said, I think out of all the solutions available right now - Timetrax is leading the market and it seems like it has the potential to maintain that lead. They're patenting their creations, constantly improving what they offer right now and will be coming out with new products in the future. I even think they're going to tap into the Sirius market. If they do this, they'll probably be around for a long time and you're product will mostlikely be supported for a lot longer than it will be should you purchase from a developer - or company that doesn't last. Right now, since their solution also includes their software - which you can upgrade *for free* it's also the most cost effective solution. I got the software when it first came out and was only 19.95. Since then, I've upgraded to every version available at no extra charge. The software is more expensive now, but it's so worth it. The developer is still very accessible via the forum and he incorporates a lot of our requests into his improvements. That's rare.

Hope this info helps! The more you learn about what's available and such, I hope you in turn pass on what you learn to others. I was helped out a lot by people at this forum and I'm just trying to pass it on.

Evi


For more info take a lookie at www.xmfan.com

-Robert