Satellite Radio - Recommendations?

[KristinU]

Hi All, I'm looking for input. We are thinking about satellite radio (after chewing up our cell phone batteries using Pandora on our recent trip). There are plenty of threads here about antenna placement, but not a lot of mention about the units themselves.

I think the cleanest solution would be a replacement in-dash stereo that is XM/Sirius ready. Does anyone have one that they love that they've installed in a Ford chassis dash? (ours is a 2007 E450)

However, while the thought of more cords to manage in the cockpit doesn't excite me, the flexibility of the removable units might be nice for when we're not traveling - we could still get some mileage out of the subscription.

Has anyone been through this decision process lately? What did you end up with and are you happy?

TIA for any input!

[Carrluvr]

So we have had a CLass for two years now. I bought a portable Sirius Starmate 8 and a auto kit. The kit was $29 and came with a lighter plug adapter. I purchased a direct 12 power cable from ebay for $9 and installed both the power wire and teh antenna wire behind the dash and it is a very clean install. Best thing is the starmate can be moved from vehicle to vehicle and I only need one subscription. It s great travel tech to have. I no longer hunt for radio stations every 130 miles.

[tommykelly]

my 2014 Tioga Ranger came with a Pioneer AVH-X3500BHS
The dealer made noises about installing the antenna on the Hood.
No way..the installer knew better and put it on the roof

I was not crazy about Pioneer...in previous decades I tried a Pioneer
and it was junk... it has the camera and radio Ipod all within
the unit..so far so good

[KristinU]

Hi Everyone,

Just checking back in with our solution in case anyone does a search on this topic.

So we remembered why we were thinking satellite rather than Pandora: when we have the phone plugged in to the 12v charger we get noise in the input and can't hear the music. So therefore we can't charge the phone at the same time as listening.

We thought about a really long charge cord to tap into another 12v outlet away from the dash, but that seemed like a pain and a tripping hazard (not to mention a loss in charge over a really long run of cord)

We also decided that we really don't want/need satellite radio any time outside of the RV and that the in-dash units are really expensive.

SO...we put in a bluetooth stereo. Now we can set the phone to a Pandora station and plug it in to charge in an outlet back in the coach and bluetooth it to the stereo. This is the stereo we bought:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051GN8JI/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Not high zoot by any means, but it is working well so far!

So thanks again for all of the thoughts and feedback on this thread. It really helped in noodling on a good solution.

[Jim_Shoe]

I bought an XM receiver that fits into a wired holster when they first came out and before they merged with Sirius. At the time, you could buy a lifetime subscription and I did. I have holsters in the RV, Toad and Daily driver as well as a boom box that also plays CDs. I haven't listened to over the air radio since then. The only place that I couldn't get a signal was about halfway thru Canada on my way to Alaska, due to the curvature of the earth. It sure is nice to not have to hunt down another station a couple of times a day when traveling.

[luvztheoutdoor1]

Be careful on what you get. The radio in my camper says Sirius XM ready. I have an account for the car and called their toll free number to ask about adding it to the motorhome. To my surprise, they said that just because it says Sirius XM ready does not mean that I would not need to buy an auxiliary unit. Forget it! Although I do love it for the car when I am traveling across state lines. Sports is always available.

[DaCrema]

before you get set on using the FM signal to tun into the XM make sure there is room. I live near Washington DC and the FM radio band is packed. So that option did not work well for me. I would imagine if you live near a large city you could have the same issue.

[Teacher_s_Pet]

We also switch a tuner unit between our toad that we pull behind our Phaeton that has a factory installed "satellite ready" radio with a hard wired Jensen Sirius converter (cost $190 in 2006) and our B+. I don't believe I would pay extra for a satellite ready receiver, I rather go with the Sirius tuners, the main reason in our case the Jensen Sirius converter has to stay with the Jensen CD/Cassette/weather/sat ready/AM/FM radio, if and when we sell the RV otherwise it is useless.

[JimM68]

I use an XMsnap radio. It plugs into the lighter socket. Uses a portable magnet mount antenna. It can transmit on FM (easily adjustable to find a clear channel) or for a better signal it has a mini phone jack to cable the sound in.
clicky

I move it between several vehicles, even in my garage (rigged a lighter socket to an old PC power supply, and plug amplified PC speakers into it.)

Darned thing costs like $55!

[KristinU]

Great feedback everyone! Thanks so much!

[Healeyman]

DaCrema wrote:
When I purchased the second radio I wish I had purchased a second power supply.

John,

I have seen car and wall power supplies on craigslist. Search for Sirius. I once bought a used unit for $10 just for the supply.

Which supply do you need, the heavier cord or the cord that looks just like the antenna cable? If the larger cable, I've got a couple extras sitting on the shelf. I'll give you one.

PM me if you want to discuss.

Tim

[DaCrema]

I have had my XM for a while, first with a Roady and then with another that also is no longer being made. Both of my radios are out of production and though you might find a Delphi dealer selling one on the net I think you might be able to do better getting a more modern unit.

I agree with getting a portable unit to move from car to car. I have antennas in both our cars and the RV. The install is not as clean looking as the in dash receiver but I enjoy the XM in all the cars on long trips. When I purchased the second radio I wish I had purchased a second power supply.

The need for a second radio was not from being moved from car to car. I was playing with wiring.
John

[WA7NDD]

Just installed a Kenwood car radio in my Class C. The radio does everything a person could want one to do. I purchased the radio from Crutchfield.com. They supply free mounting accessories with free shipping. They will match your wiring to the radio with the proper adapter cable and mounting brackets. Just about plug and play. I installed my sat antenna in the over head vent under the plastic dome. It sits on the dome vent screen with a washer under the magnetic antenna mount holding it in place on the screen. I've had sat radio for years, I like channel 5, 82, and 114 the most.

My installation was in a 1998 Ford E-350 dash. Crutchfield's adapter cable fit existing radio plug in dash and radio fist time. You will have to buy the Sat adapter receiver. It plugs into the back of the radio. Remote with the radio operates everything.

[OldRadios]

My wifes 2011 Ford Ranger came with Sirius XM Radio. She tried it and loves it. Found out that if you tell them you are canceling they give you a better deal to stay.

I probably would not get one as I listen to MP3s most of the time. I have over 4,000 albums and a few hundred old time radio shows in my MP3 library and about 1,500 songs on my play list (around 80 hours of music) so I don't usually get a repeat on most of my trips. If I do get a repeat it's a song I like anyway.

[Healeyman]

KristinU wrote:
Has anyone been through this decision process lately? What did you end up with and are you happy?

Kristen,

I have had Sirius Sat Radio for over 10 years. It is probably the best Christmas present that I have ever given myself.

Starting out, I used a unit that we could transfer between our 3 cars, the RV, and the house. That way, wherever we were, we had the sat radio service.

Then we got Sirius on our Dish Sat TV so we didn't need it in the house.

A couple of years ago, I bought a Miata (daily driver and towed) that had an in dash unit, so I transferred my subscription to it. It was GREAT in my daily driver, but I missed it in the RV and in the wife's car.

That Miata got totaled and the replacement I bought did not have Sat Radio.

A couple of months ago, I bought a Sirius Stratus 7 (Radio Shack had them on sale for $30). The picture (scroll down) is about the actual size of the TOTAL unit. It transmits to the FM car radio. Nothing else to buy.

I transfer this unit between our now 2 cars and the RV by using 2 3M removable Command strips to stick it to the dash of whatever vehicle we are in.

This works VERY well for us.

I think that you will find that the cost of an IN-dash unit will be prohibitive. The units that are advertized as Sat Ready are really not. You must by another unit that really carries the brains of the system. I have priced them in the $250 range.

As far as antenna placement, in the RV, the antenna lives under the bed in the cab over. In the car, it goes up in the sun roof, and in the Miata, it sticks to the trunk. Yes... There wires to deal with, but I can put up with a LOT of that for the $400-$500 cost of an in dash unit.

PM me if you want more details and/or pictures.

Tim