My Sirius Radio Experience
Written: Jul 17 '05
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After hearing all about Satellite Radio, I was excited to find out more about this new way of listening to music, talk radio, news and even weather. Driving for a living does have its disadvantages when it comes to radio reception and selection of radio channels. I thought wouldn’t it be great to have a radio that allowed you to select your type of music and listen to it wherever you go. Also I looked at the variety of channels and was simply amazed that all of this entertainment could be right at my fingertips anytime/anywhere. My wife bought me Sirius as a Christmas/Birthday gift. I really did know what to expect, but I will say that I am quite pleased.
Buying The Equipment.
In my area we are very lucky to have a small electronics store that is known for its expertise in all areas of electronics. Also I have a friend, who works there and was more than willing to lead me in the right direction. I decided that I needed three docks for my Sirius Receiver. My Audiovox (Sir-PNP3) receiver is about 3 ½” high by 4 ½” long by 1” thick. It reminds me of the older cassette style Walkman radios. This receiver is carried from my work truck to my pickup to my Audiovox Boombox at home. The mobile docking stations are easy to install and run about $50 each. With the docking station you get a mounting bracket that is simple stuck fast to your dash with double-sided tape, a power cord that plugs into a cigarette lighter and a magnetic antenna with about 25 ft of cord. The Boombox is a typical Boombox with a dock for the receiver unit to be installed and runs about $100. My total cost for all three docking stations including the Boombox was about $300.
After all of this equipment is installed, the receiver is simple to move to any of these docking stations. It slides into the docking station from the top and is secured with a switch that locks it in place. The receiver is truly a plug and play unit, and when in operation displays the artist and song playing. In my pickup and work truck, the signal is beamed from the satellite through the antenna to the receiver from there is it broadcasted on any of 100 FM channels on your car stereo. This is done by selecting a FM frequency that is not broadcasted in your area, and setting the Sirius receiver to broadcast there. The frequency can be changed at any time as you move to different areas.
The Sirius Website and Activation.
There are two ways to activate your Sirius subscription. The first way is to call 1-888-539-SIRIUS(7474). A $15 activation fee applies for subscribing via phone. The second method of activation is by using the Sirius Website (www.sirius.com). I choose this style of activation and was very pleased to have my Sirius radio up and running in about 10-15 minutes. To activate, you tune the receiver to channel 184. This channel is the Sirius preview channel, and with give a signal even if you do not have a subscription. Tuning to channel 184 allows you to check for an antenna signal. In most areas to get signal, you simply point the antenna skyward. You will also need a major credit card and the ID/ESN number from the back of the receiver. The website walks you through the process and the whole thing is very painless. There is a $10 activation fee for subscribing via the website. The payment options are a monthly fee of $12.95 or a yearly subscription of $142.45 (You get one month free with the annual subscription). The website is also allows Sirius subscribers to listen to the music channels while they are online, if they have broadband service. The site is also full of Sirius news, information and upcoming events. Navigating around the website is simple and the pages load pretty fast even with my dialup internet service.
What did I get with my subscription?
I have three main reasons for choosing Sirius Radio. The first reason was the 65 channels of commercial free music. I am a Classic Rock fan and found that pretty close to half of the channels in the Rock category are dedicated to Classic Rock. Also in the Pop category there are several channels that are of interest, mostly the Mellow Rock and 70’s and 80’s Rock channels. The second reason is for the variety of talk and entertainment channels. The fact that Howard Stern is coming was a very big influence for me. I have enjoyed his radio show for more than 15 years, and welcome the chance to listen to him on a daily basis. Also channels of interest are the Comedy channels and Talk Radio channels, whether it is about sports, politics or even entertainment. The last but not least reason is the Sports category. You get play by play coverage of any NFL game during the season. I am a huge football fan and this was a major draw for me. There is also coverage of NHL and NBA games and several sports talk channels with great insider information about these sports. It seems that no matter what your interests may be Sirius has something for you. My presets include the following channels:
Classic Vinyl- Early Classic Rock
Classic Rewind- Later Classic Rock
The Vault- Deeper Classic Rock
Buzzsaw- Classic Hard Rock
Hair Nation- 80’s Hair Bands
The Bridge- Mellow Rock
Totally 70’s- 70’s Rock
Elvis Radio- All Elvis
Raw Dog- Uncensored Comedy
Cracked Up Comedy- Comedy
ESPN Radio
ESPNews
Sirius NFL- NFL talk radio
Sports Byline USA- Sports Talk
Descriptions taken from the Sirius website.
My Sirius Experience.
I have learned several things about the equipment and programming in the past few months. The programming is constantly getting better with the addition of more channels. The fact, that Mel Karmazin is now the CEO of Sirius makes feel great about the future of Sirius Radio. Mr. Karmazin is a former CEO of CBS and has a proven track record of being a pioneer in the entertainment business. The programming is only going to get better.
My equipment experiences differ depending on which docking station that I am using at the time. The reception is the main issue here. It took me about a week to find a perfect location for the antenna for my Boombox. The changing position of the Sirius satellite is a bit of a problem with an inside antenna. Oddly enough I moved the antenna away from the windows in my house to a position on the top of my entertainment center and I have reception all the time in that location. The mobile stations are a bit different. My Pickup antenna is mounted to the top of the roof and I get a very strong signal from there. I do sometimes lose reception under trees or underpasses. Also if I am in an area with tall buildings, reception can be a problem. In my work truck, I needed to find a place for the antenna inside of the truck. I do not own this truck and running the antenna cable was a problem. The antenna cable is a bit flimsy and is easily broken if it is constantly bent. I placed the antenna on the dash of my work truck next the large front windows. I get great reception about 75% of the time and this depends on the direction that I am driving. If I am driving away from the satellite position, there is a chance of totally losing reception. This is not Sirius’s fault, but is an issue anyone that can not find a way to run their antenna to the outside of the vehicle. I am told that reception issues vary in different parts of the country.
Final Thoughts.
My overall Sirius experience has been a very positive one. The freedom to listen to the kinds of music and entertainment that I want to when I want to is now very important to me. The simple fact is that I am now lost without Sirius Radio whether is be at home or on the road. The easy of installation and ability to carry the receiver from docking station to docking station makes for a wonderful combination. The website is setup for quick and easy excess for subscribers and non-subscribers alike. It is by far the easiest way to activate service. With the variety of music and entertainment options, I feel that anyone will get their money’s worth from Sirius Radio. I highly recommend that if you listen to a good amount of radio that you buy the equipment and subscribe to Sirius. It is going to be the wave of the future for one simple fact, because people like freedom and choices.
Thanks For Checking Out My Reviews!!!
Steelfan
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Steelfan
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Member: Kent Dobson
Location: Central PA
Reviews written: 170
Trusted by: 182 members
About Me:
Casual Woodworker and Novice Handyman. Tools and Lawn/Garden are my favorite areas. Go Steelers!!!
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