Need advice on XM, please ...

Fern,
I am an XM junkie. I got it for free for one year with my 2006 Pontiac Torrent. I now have a skifi that jumps between a boom box in my kitchen and one in my office. Plus I have an XM2Go that broadcasts over the radios in my bedroom and bath. Can't remember the last time I listen to the radio. I also have an iPhone which syncs with the radio in the Prius, but like you I love the surprise of XM. I'm constantly cranking up the volume as I say, "Oh, I haven't heard this song in ages!" XM was a deal breaker for me in the purchase of the new prius.

That being said, have you checked out the wireless broadcast options? Delphi MyFi XM2GO XM Radio Portable Audio System - SA10113
This is what I use in the house. It has a pretty good setup for the car. For a while I was driving an '86 jag, and I used this with a charger, and just laid it on the dash, without jacking in the antenna. It worked well, and you'd only be out the $170, plus you can take it with you.

Just an idea.

PS If XM goes broke, surely someone else will pick them up?

 

Don't forget the option of getting a limited subset of XM stations streamed to your smartphone (and tlthompson, there's an iPhone app for XM, too).

Of course, you'd need a smartphone (and an unlimited data plan, to be safe), and a way to connect that to your stereo (e.g. bluetooth streaming, aux jack to phone's headphone jack, etc.)

edit: to answer your original question, personally I think it would be a waste to spend $400 on hardware, plus the XM subscription cost, for XM radio. But that's a personal opinion, and I'm guessing my listening and driving habits differ from yours.

 

I don't know if the Slot Radio cards from Billboard work with the Ipod but they do with my Sansa Fuse. $50 gives you 1000 songs of a specific genre. There are subsets within that genre but it does give that surprise factor you are looking for. So far I have Rock and enjoy it very much.

I agree with SCJoe that that is a lot of cash to spend for something that may not be available much longer.

 

I've been an XM subscriber for the last 6-7 years. The love affair I had for XM has long gone since the merger. That being said, I still have not killed my subscriptions. I can say that if a reciever dies, I will probably kill that radios subscription. I would never entertain $400 bucks for hardware. $60 would be my max. hardware out of pocket in this day and age of internet enabled cell phones. I don't feel I would ever pay a $300 premium to have the hardware integrated into the car.

 

Ipods don't have microSD slots. But a lot of phones do.

Fernem, if I may, a couple of questions.

What capabilities does your car have right now? That is, does the stereo support Bluetooth streaming? Is there an AUX or a Line In jack connected to the stereo (I'm unfamiliar with pre-2010 Priuses).

Do you own a cellphone? Would you be willing to use that as a "XM-type sound source"? If so, what kind of phone is it?

 

I can understand liking to have everything integrated -- and just controlling it from the car stereo. I prefer it that way myself. Nothing to look at, no cords dangling about, etc.

I don't know much about Palm OS (i.e. Centro phones), but I don't think there's even a semi-elegant solution to using one as a source for "random" music. I also am pretty sure it can't stream XM Radio.

 

On a really old car, adding anything that expensive would be a waste, nearly. I added a $400 Alpine and a $350 Sirius kit to a 10 year old Mercedes and it died within a few years BUT the few years we had together after the upgrade were a whole lot better than before the upgrade and only having AM/FM/Cassette/Weather Band.

If you spend a lot of time in a car, any upgrade could be a good idea but for just buzzing around town, adding that probably wouldn't be worth it at all but it's your money.

Having factory upgrades is nice but you really should check if there are aftermarket adapters for the steering wheel controls. Sometimes there are and it comes off less expensive...

On XM/Sirius: I liked Buzz Saw and then post merger they axed it. Why? I don't know. Now especially after finding out how the two are essentially two ships passing in the night and aren't truly 'merged', it really makes me wonder. Did they really have to piss off that many customers by killing the best rock station AND the best Jazz station? I'm sure with the 'separate but equal' between the two companies they are eating big money. You would think that smarter people would run these companies...

Makes no sense to me but maybe the government will buy them like they did Iridium, the satellite phone company. (The DOD uses it a whole lot not to mention Osama bin Laden)

 

Fern when I used the skyfi 2 go, I would set it to transmit over the fm radio (you have at least six different fm settings to choose from). Then keeping the unit charged in the house, I would take it to the car, turn it on, turn the radio on and tune to the fm setting. Then set the unit on a flat part of the dash and go. There is a remote that I attached to my visor, that would allow me to move through the channels just like presets or scan within genres. The unit has a built in antenna that worked well enough for me, but I was just running errands and such.

I did take it on a couple of long trips, where I would use the antenna (which is wired to the unit), and the car charger (also wired). Additionally for a long trip, you will need to occasionally change the fm settings as you move into an area that has a local fm station broadcasting on the same frequency.

Now I use it in the house, and it sits in a small basket in my bathroom. It is plugged in and the antenna is also jacked into the unit. I still broadcast over the fm frequency which is picked up in my bedroom as well.

It's not the ideal situation you're looking for, but it is a cheaper less permanent option. I don't stream the xm through my iPhone as I would need to leave the iPhone out to manage controls. I just toss the phone in the center console and pretty much forget about it using the bluetooth to make calls.

Hope this helps. BTW there are several XM/sirius forums out there as well that may be able to give you more ideas. I like XMFan.com :: #1 Fan Site of Sirius XM Satellite Radio :: XM Radio Community Forums

Good Luck
Tina

 

Now that I've re-read your post and am not so distracted I can offer this: No one knows what the future holds. I do know that from someone high up at OnStar, they are having a problem with retention. People get their trial period of it, love it, and then don't subscribe as their freeby ends. It's something they are 'working on' but the idea of retention is hitting them hard. I mentioned the BMW idea where they 'bundle' three years of their service with their cars and then actually pay a fee to the division that runs it. Everybody is happy. By the time the car is past three years old, having that service is so ingrained that people then want to pay for it. (Their service offers some other things but not having a BMW I don't know)

Sure, Sirius/XM could go away. That is potentially a very real risk. Who knows what would happen if they did do a swan dive into the pavement what that would mean to subscribers. I just know that I really value their weather channels as no one does it better (that I'm aware of) and they have a smorgasbord of 'stations' that play just about everything you would/could want.

I'd expect more channels to go with commercials or maybe hour long segment sponsors like some NPR terrestrial radio stations do already.

In places where there aren't any radio stations, or any that play the type of music, their demise would be hard. Truckers really like satellite radio from what I've heard.

Bottom line is: I have the money. I like the offerings. I listen a whole lot when I'm in my car and I spend a lot of time in it (and I can't use an iPod!) and like the idea that I could listen to the same 'station' across the country if I was crazy enough to drive it.

Get the kit. Get a short subscription from them and don't worry. I doubt that they will be left totally high and dry. Not that they aren't 'too big to fail' but there aren't any competitors and they do fill a need.

Sirius/XM does need to start finishing that damn merger and then clean out the deadwood. They *can* be profitable.

 

well... My car still does not have 3 months and XM has already cut the service twice on my free three month trial...

I don't think this is the right way to convince me to subscribe at the end of the trial period... if this is the service when they are trying to get my dollars what would it be after they have my money?

 

I'm a little confused, you said your car still does not have the 3 mos of free Xm but yet they cut your service twice? Maybe some clarification would be helpful. As for cutting your service have you told them you took delivery of a new car and gave them the radio ID and they have set you up correctly?? I have had No problems with my XM trial and have the XM NAV Taraffic as well as part of it.
I would call the customer service number again if your not getting it as planned. They also called me to see if I wanted to incorporate my new car under the home account and of course since I like it so well, I am going to do that. In the meantime I am going to enjoy the 90 dys without paying...Good Luck in getting it resolved...

 

He means that his car is not 3 months old yet.

In other words, he started the trial, but they cut it two different times before the 3 months were even up...