I first wanted the Sirius Satellite system to fix my reception problem. I am a frequent listener of NPR and some music especially when I am driving 45 min from where I live to the bay area. During this trip I would always lose reception and at home the signal for any radio was static laden and of very poor quality.

I considered XM but settled on Sirius due to the fact that they offer NPR stations (3 stations - XM has no NPR). Sirius also uses repeaters that help improve the signal in major metropolitan areas.

I was a little discouraged that all the parts are sold separately and not together, but a local retailer had a car set that included the receiver and the car mount for around $124 (with a $50 rebate offer). I also got the home dock since I listen to the radio in the mornings and evenings.

I installed both units and I couldn't be happier. The signal is always strong and as long as your home antenna is out from under and big overhangs (a patio deck above me in my case) there is no problem with the signal.

The car install was a little more concerning since I own a VW Beetle and wasn’t sure how to route the magnetic antenna and then get the cable inside - I found that once I searched the web for my car model and Sirius I found a lot of different instructions from people who had successfully installed the antenna.

I found that although I bought this mostly to hear NPR I have become a music junkie. Sirius has so many great channels of music for every taste and style that I find myself hopping around to sample a lot of great music. There is one channel that you can phone in a request!

One feature of the receiver I really love is the "memo" feature. When a song you like is playing you just push the memo button and the next time that song is playing on any of the other channels it alerts you that the song is on so you can catch it! This is the TIVO of the radio world!

The subscription to the service allows you to access the music over the internet. This is a great feature so you don't need to have a dock in the office or set one up and pack it up each night! They do not offer the entertainment content online but I am happy to have the music.

The entertainment content does contain commercials, but since I listen to these streams less so I do not find this to be too much of a problem.

All in all I am very happy with the service, the unit and would recommend it to anyone who wants good music mixes without commercials, great reception and the freedom to travel anywhere and keep your content!




Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 99