What are some of the top models of car receivers for xm radio?
Ive done a little searching but i thought id ask for some experienced recommendations along the way

11/25/2007 1:59:01 PM

sirius sportster 4

11/25/2007 2:01:25 PM

xm?

11/25/2007 2:04:51 PM

up

11/26/2007 1:58:49 AM

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1157067818724&skuId=8039035&type=product
I have that one, pretty sure it's not what you'd call a 'top model', but I've enjoyed it for close to a year now. Can't remember where it was but I got it for $40 on sale back then. Easy to use, has a remote if you place yours in a far spot on the dash or like to drive ghetto style with the seat all the way down. Anyway, easy to read, easy to use-havent had to really mess with the settings ever since the initial setup except to retrieve the saved song titles. I'm not baller enough to buy the 200 dollar ones.

11/26/2007 3:06:00 AM

Is the sound through the FM modulator pretty decent?
Do you have to run the antenna through a door to the outside of your car?

11/26/2007 1:20:10 PM

you dont have to have the antenna outside the car

11/26/2007 1:21:42 PM

The modulator for XM uses basically a ring on a wire, with the ring attached around the base of the antenna. Didn't feel like wiring it through and having possibly bad sound quality, so I used the auxiliary output on the unit to just wire a hardline to the back of the stereo. Yeah, the antenna doesn't have to be outside but works best on the roof. It's magnetic so you could probably just stick it in the doorframe. They use both satellites and radio towers to broadcast so it doesn't really matter unless you live out in the boonies.

11/26/2007 10:00:09 PM

so uh

11/27/2007 1:21:28 AM

Well what do you want it to do? Do you have an XM ready head unit, or how do you think your going to want to install? Do you want a unit that you can carry inside as well, or just for the car? Does live portability matter at all?

The current ultimate unit is going to be the Pioneer Inno1. The Inno2 is the newer unit using the weakened FM modulator. The old ones had a range of 1/8-1/4 mile on the FM mod, while the new ones have a hard time getting to the antenna on the back of your car, but the SureConnect option allows your to attach it to your FM antenna. I prefer the fewer wires and much stronger output of the Inno1 FM modulator. This unit will also pick up live when you get out of the car and walk around, and if you live in a metro area like Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh the repeaters will allow you to catch the signal indoors too. I live out in the country, so this would not help me. It also has a gig of memory on it and will allow you to add MP3s to the unit or download live content off XMs feed. My unit is the Nexus 50, basically the Inno without the live capability off the cradle. Its much smaller and cheaper and has a gig of memory on it, so I can download or record songs I like and then play them back if I'm working out or whatever.

Also if you have a WiFi enabled wireless device you can catch XM Radio Online indoors and listen that way. I use my Pocket PC indoors at work and home on my wireless and get the streams of my favorite channels.

11/27/2007 8:13:27 AM

http://shopoffers.xmradio.com/detail.aspx?pid=762&cat=36&page=detail&dpid=762


this is what's currently in my car, i love it.

don't use the fm modulator unless you like crappy FM-sounding audio. use an aux input on your head unit, it's worth the extra hassle. if you don't have one, there are adapters that trick your head unit into thinking there's a cd changer attached so you essentially get an aux input. PIE makes them.

i have a skyfi2 that i take between work and home, i used that for years. if you don't get the xpressRC, i'd recommend that, although you can only find them on ebay nowadays.

11/27/2007 10:12:22 AM

also, i don't like those small portable ones like the inno and nexus. the buttons and display are too small for in-car use.

11/27/2007 10:15:26 AM

You are right, they are much more of a pain in the ass to read. I use the car mount for mine, but I don't have it hanging up or anything. It sits on my center seat and I usually just hold it in my hand to see whats playing and control it.

And he is right, if you can, do it by Aux or even the shitty tape adaptor. Aux>Tape Adaptor>FM Modulator. You will get shitty radio quality by playing it on FM mod. I didn't know what he had though, so I was trying to wait until he responded to what his needs are.

11/27/2007 12:51:42 PM