Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Audio satellite radio

I am looking to get into satellite radio. I want to listen to it in my car, but also in my house. I'm guessing I would need to get an AC adapter, car adapter, and FM modulator. I want one to be portable so I could bring it w/ me to classes and stuff. Anyone have any good reccomendations on specific models? I'm looking to spend no more than $200. Also, how much is activation?

Edit: Is there any way to check out a coverage map, kinda like cell phones?

Sattelite radio....it isnt like cell phone using towers. You get music everywhere. $200 is plenty to find a great model. pretty much every model thats offered for them is portable and a few are interchangable(like, you can pop em into boombox speakers and wham! you have a boombox) The big this is finding out which carrier you want. I personnaly never got sat. radio cuz i dont ant to pay 10 bux a month. I'm kosher with my cd's.

I have had XM radio for almost 3 years. I have the Skyfi2 in my '98 SVT and a original Skyfi in my '96 GL. The cost has gone up to 12.99 a month, but if you pay for a year or more ahead of time they will cut you a deal in price. The Skyfi2 has a built in FM modulator. If you set it right it sounds almost as good as a direct connect. Both sat. services have great music. The main dif. between the two is sports coverage. Sirus has the NBA and NFL. XM has MLB and Nascar (until 2007), then nascar goes to Sirus. I have listened to both services,more XM the Sirus. I found the Sirus sounded a little compressed, but thats just me. I am a truck driver and don't know how I got along with out XM before I had it. You are never at a loss for for selection. Since you mentioned listening in your home the Skyfi2 has both a home and car kit. PM me, I think I can turn you on to a great deal. I think you will enjoy it.

Coverage map for sat radio is anywhere in the continentel US, except under bridges, tunnels, and heavy trees.

crutchfield has soem good information on satellite radio.

Your first decision is which service you want, XM or Sirius. Go to each of thei web sites. Listen to the samples, compare channel lineups.

I have a Audiovox SIRPNP3 with car dock, and I had Sirius built itn othe OEM HU on my last vehicle for 5 months. I'm pretty happy with the music, but many songsget repeated often on the popular/current music stations.

I think the Skyfi2 was the one I liked best... good comination of price and features. I guessing around $160 with a vechile kit and FM mod, and they I could just buy a generic power adapter for it to use in my dorm room? And I think I like XM over Sirus, just by comparing the two.

Edit: The main things I want it for are the car, in my dorm room, and to carry w/ me to class, work, library, etc. I really like the MyFi XM2Go, but for $300, it seems a bit much... a good mp3 player and a portable radio would accomplish the same for $100, w/o the subscription cost. Maybe if it was $200. So is the Skyfi2 portable, meaning I can run it in my dorm room on a regular socket, in the car w/ a lighter socket, and also on batteries if I need to?

Right now the best one seems to be the Delphi Roady2 XM... does anyone know if this is portable w/o plugging into something?

So has anyone hardwired their powerwire in?

I took a female cig lighter plug and wired it to the fuse box. Then plugged in the male end from the Skyfi2. Works like a charm.

this is the way you must do it because my delfi (and probably others) run on 6 volts. the converter (from 12 to 6 volts) is located in the male cig. lighter plug, so you must keep it. so to hard wire it, you must wire in a female cig. lighter outlet, and hide it behind the dash. ive done it, just zip tied everything to one of the metal dash supports.

Where did everyone put their antenna? It looked dumb on the roof and trunk, so I put it on the back window shelf. It skips in and out w/ signal on hilly roads on a cloudy day though.

I ran mine under the rubber strip around the windshield. Then centered. With the new mini antenna it is not as ugly as the old type, which was half the size of a softball.