XM Radio Question

[CitySnake]

Thinking about adding a new head unit with Sat. radio and in the process of considering alternatives, it became apparent that the required antennae location is a problem.

For anyone that's added XM or Sirius to their roadster (RT/10), where the heck did you locate the antennae to account for the use of a hardtop in winter?

 

[red98RT10]

The hardtop is fiberglass which doesn't affect the satellite radio transmission. I have mine on my dash right next to the little blinky light for the alarm system.

 

[plumcrazy]

scott, check my gallery and this sunday you can see where and how i did mine. on an RT id do it similiar to the GTS. mount the antenna on the back glass. you'll never see it. did ya ever notice mine on the back hatch? its very small

XM is the way to go too. not sirius. those units are huge compared to the xm units.


the one i have in my jeep is this one. its a little bit smaller and nicer than the one in the GTS. its easy to use too.
http://shop.xmradio.com/detail.aspx?pid=89&cat=8

 

[GTSnake]

I would seriously check out the HD radios before you invest in a satellite radio unit.

The HD radio's that are just starting to come on the market offers CD or better quality sound and it's FREE! Each frequency of the radio band can broadcast multiple stations at the same time. For instance 100.3 can have a country, rock and classical station all on the same frequency. It will probably be labeled 100.3A,B & C.

Eventually HD radio will even offer multichannel surround. So you can receive digital 5.1 channels FREE over the air.

I don't know about you but those 4 letters are a very convincing selling point.

 

[Daddy Long Stroke]

Sirius subscriber here. Top notch channels and entertainment, and Howard Stern Uncensored of course. I agree that the XM equipment is a little fancier (right now), but the channel lineup on Sirius is just incredible. XM is on a serious downhill slide, and that cant be good for future entertainment. Sirius has had more subscribers for the last 3 or 4 quarters and it's because of what they offer. -And it's only going to get better.

Just giving an opposing view on the XM bandwagon, not trying to cause stattic...

 

[twinturbo3150]

I also have Sirius, Howard uncensored is the best.

 

[BDZ1984]

Sirius here as well... While I signed up just for Howard Stern the rest of the channels would be well worth it with him too... The S50 is a nice unit small and classy looking

 

[PatentLaw]

GTS here. Sorry. XM - back window. Works great. Small antenna. Works even inside the garage. I doubt that the hard top will affect its reception.

 

[plumcrazy]

hey sirius users...1992 called they want what was funny back then back...lol

J/K

city either one is good im sure. if ya want help installing it, let me know.

 

[ryan94rt10]

i have sirius here...and i know for a fact its better...i switched when howard came over and the channel selection is so much better...i'd look at both before making a decision though! jmo

 

[Randy]

I installed my GPS antenna in the sport pad - just used a router to hollow out a little hole for it - none of the tops I have (OEM soft and hard tops) affect reception at all. GPS signals are weaker than satellite radio signals, as far as I know...

 

[ssssssnake]

Sirius here as well. Watch out XM your slowly slipping.

 

[2MANYTOYS]

I wouldn't buy Sirius because of Howard Stern. He's probably the most overpaid individual in the entertainment industry. He's vile, ******, and not worth paying money to hear IMO.

 

[CitySnake]

Thanks for the replies. I'm really not at the point of choosing between Sirius and XM. I'm no longer a Howard fan having grown up with the guy in NYC. I've very much enjoyed XM when I rent cars but never had Sirius for comparrison.

As far as the antenna goes, my installer feels that reception quality decreases if the antaenna does not have a clear "view". He's suggesting that I not install it under any fiberglass. Chuck Tator is installing Chrysler Sirius antenna under the dash with no problem! I like the idea of placing the antenna under the sports bar, but I'm thinking the best compromise (reception quality and aesthetics) is at the front of the dash top. Can't see it from the driver's seat and I'll probably never notice it at all after the first week.

As for HD radio (despite the fact that all the head units I'm coinsidering come with HD radio)...don't they still have commercials?

 

[Asp Man]

"hey sirius users...1992 called they want what was funny back then back...lol"
Exactly!!

"I wouldn't buy Sirius because of Howard Stern. He's probably the most overpaid individual in the entertainment industry. He's vile, ******, and not worth paying money to hear IMO." <and mine.

XM is great. Sirrus is probably OK, too. The problem with HD is you get all the comercials in HD, too. Once you've got Satellite you'll never be able to listen to FM again. Period.

 

[Daddy Long Stroke]

Citysnake,

I'm not sure how chuck is installing the antenna "under" the dash. As far as I know and from my experience, the antenna has to have a clear shot at one of the 3 sattelite's in orbit. The signal seems to go through glass ok, but anything with a little substance behind it and it will block the signal. If I take my hand and cover my antenna I lose reception, and mine is in the middle of my trunk on my daily driver.

However, I do notice that when Im in the city (baltimore) I still get reception even in parking garages. It leads me to believe they must have some boosted signal or low mounted transmitters in the larger towns with lots of buildings. I have no idea how the damn thing works.

You being in N.Y. should have no problems wherever it is mounted if my theory is true!

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

XMSR is at $11 a share now. A 52 week low.
Don't know if it's a buy yet but, I can't imagine satellite radio not being around 10 years from now.

I can't stand that Direct TV now uses XM Radio for their music stations. They have commercials about themselves and made up ******* commentaries.





2005 Silver SRT/10
2000 Steel Gray GTS (sold)

 

[GTSnake]

As for HD radio (despite the fact that all the head units I'm coinsidering come with HD radio)...don't they still have commercials?

Yes they do still have commercials but remember when cable TV first came out? It was commercial free too. Look what happened there?

Satellite being commercial free is great for now. As long as you don't have a problem paying for it. $10 a month is not much but I just don't see why I should pay for it when I can get it for free.

 

[CitySnake]

Citysnake,

I'm not sure how chuck is installing the antenna "under" the dash. As far as I know and from my experience, the antenna has to have a clear shot at one of the 3 sattelite's in orbit. The signal seems to go through glass ok, but anything with a little substance behind it and it will block the signal. If I take my hand and cover my antenna I lose reception, and mine is in the middle of my trunk on my daily driver.

However, I do notice that when Im in the city (baltimore) I still get reception even in parking garages. It leads me to believe they must have some boosted signal or low mounted transmitters in the larger towns with lots of buildings. I have no idea how the damn thing works.

You being in N.Y. should have no problems wherever it is mounted if my theory is true!

Chuck actually mentioned that "living matter" will cause interference (although I think he was referring to trees). The poly body of the Viper is "seen" as glsss to the antenna from what I'm learning which is why Chrysler's sat radio install can be under the dash. At least that's how it was explained to me.

 

[Magicboy2]

As DaddyLongStroke alluded to, "Satellite" radio really isn't "satellite" in a big metro area. Both Sirius and XM employ a broad network of ground radio repeaters in densely populated areas. This is why you can get away with installing a satellite radio antenna in an obstructed location and still get perfectly fine reception around town. But guess what, as soon as you venture out of the boosted area and are left solely to receive from the satellite itself, you will get zero signal, as your antenna does not have line of sight. If our car's fiber resin material does let thru satellite signals, I have never heard of this phenomenon.

My XM antenna sits behind my rear window glass on my RT/10.

As for which service is better, you will likely not be disappointed with either one. Stern still seems to have more fans over age 30, while the younger set (myself included) seems to prefer Opie and Anthony on XM.

 

[Gary Grube]

I have a 2006 Coupe with Pioneer XM satellite receiver. The aftermarket installer hid the antenna just under the roof above the headliner. The reception "through the roof" is perfect. My '99 RT/10 has a GPS antenna under the rear deck and it picks up the geo gps satellites just fine as well. Evidently the composite material does not cause much of a signal loss. If you added carbon fiber you will likely have problems.

 

[plumcrazy]

Magicboy2 is right about the ground repeaters and in the city, my reception is always perfect compared to out by me in the country where it isnt perfect.

 

[Lee00blacksilverGTS]

Listen to the Wizard, I did, it works perfect UNDER the dash, it sees the satellite right up through the dash. This is Sirius. If you think about it the GPS/NAV units have to see through the dash also in exactly the same manner.

 

[Gerald Levin]

XMSR is at $11 a share now. A 52 week low.
Don't know if it's a buy yet but, I can't imagine satellite radio not being around 10 years from now.

Good luck. XMSR lost 50% of their cap in the last 3 months. That is huge. Another 50% dump and XMSR will be a penny stock. Better odds that satellite radio will tank before it soars. JMHO.

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

XMSR is at $11 a share now. A 52 week low.
Don't know if it's a buy yet but, I can't imagine satellite radio not being around 10 years from now.



Good luck. XMSR lost 50% of their cap in the last 3 months. That is huge. Another 50% dump and XMSR will be a penny stock. Better odds that satellite radio will tank before it soars. JMHO.
____________________________

I hear ya brother, and Sirius is way down as well but, if they turn this thing around, this could be looked back upon as an incredible buying opportunity.

I wouldn't mortgage my house on it but, I'll dipping my toe in both companies little by little. Beat the lottery

I bought AOL in 1996 against my professional Merrill Lynch brokers advise. He said dump your money in Prodigy. The rest is history.

No guts no glory