Satellite Radio purchasing question

[Ragone]

Well, i decided on Sirius after doing some research.. but still am unclear what i'll need to use a plug and play model in my home/car

Any help would be appreciated

[Samdari]

I got Sirius for Christmas. I got the Sportster PnP, with the car kit. Pretty easy to install, although it is in my vehicle being stuck to the dash. Easy to run the wires though.

Don't count on being able to listen to it inside though. Through my own experience, and reading at the sirius backstage forums, I learned that you cannot recieve Sirius with an antenna located indoors. In order to listen in your home, you would almost certainly need to locate an antenna outdoors and run a wire to either the home kit (another $50 separate purchase) or boombox ($100, also sold seperately).

[panerd]

Originally Posted by Samdari

I got Sirius for Christmas. I got the Sportster PnP, with the car kit. Pretty easy to install, although it is in my vehicle being stuck to the dash. Easy to run the wires though.

Don't count on being able to listen to it inside though. Through my own experience, and reading at the sirius backstage forums, I learned that you cannot recieve Sirius with an antenna located indoors. In order to listen in your home, you would almost certainly need to locate an antenna outdoors and run a wire to either the home kit (another $50 separate purchase) or boombox ($100, also sold seperately).

I echo the car comments from Samdari. Though I just shelled out $50 to circuit city for installation so I didn't have to mess with the wiring and so if something went wrong I could just go bitch at them.

I listen to my Sirius "plug and play" all of the time indoors. Yoiu just need to look at the map that comes with your box and find out what direction the satelittles are. I just put my antenna in a window facing that direction. It even has decent reception if it is within 10-15 feet of the window. Maybe this is just a lucky break for me, but I have a feeling unless you live in a house with no windows that you won't have to mount an antenna outside.

Where are the sirius backstage forums? I have a few questions about whether channels 8 and 9 just play a group of like 10 artists. I enjoy a lot of the other stations but it seems like every time I turn on the big 80's it is either Madonna or the B-52's.

[Cringer]

I too am able to listen inside with no problem as long as I have the antenna in the right window (facing north since I am almost in Mexico here). Also, if you live in an area with the on-ground relay stations then you should have little problem from what I know.

I bought the one Wal-Mart sells for $140, comes with car and home antennas, and a pretty decent length wire on each. You can also buy extension wires that I have read almost seem to amp up your signal reception even though they are technically not supposed to do that.

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by panerd

Where are the sirius backstage forums? I have a few questions about whether channels 8 and 9 just play a group of like 10 artists. I enjoy a lot of the other stations but it seems like every time I turn on the big 80's it is either Madonna or the B-52's.

http://www.siriusbackstage.com/

Not officially connected to Sirius but a pretty good site/board.

And yes, you do have a number of people who complain about the play lists not being long enough. But I have noticed an improvement in the short time I have had it. People keep pounding to them that they want deeper play lists, they will start to listen more I think.

[Samdari]

Well, I am having trouble listening at my office - don't have the luxury of choosing which direction the antenna faces. I have gotten reception at home, with the antenna in the window (facing the opposite direction from my office). I live in an area with a repeater, but they also require directional placement, and my windows again face the wrong direction.

The key point is that home listening has an added degree of difficulty - don't expect to just plop down the units you buy wherever your stereo is and have it work. Depending on luck, some thought will be required as to placement of an antenna, much more so than AM or FM antenna reception.

[panerd]

Originally Posted by Cringer

http://www.siriusbackstage.com/

Not officially connected to Sirius but a pretty good site/board.

And yes, you do have a number of people who complain about the play lists not being long enough. But I have noticed an improvement in the short time I have had it. People keep pounding to them that they want deeper play lists, they will start to listen more I think.

Geez, great site for information, but talk about fanboys! There is a thread dedicated to whether or not Sirius is going to have a superbowl commericial. I am really enjoy the change from FM radio to Sirius, but in the end it is just radio. But thanks for the infomation.

[jamesUMD]

I also have no problem listening indoors. I got the plug and play. I like that I can take it out of my car and put in a friends in like 5 minutes to go on road trips.

[Loren]

Originally Posted by Cringer

I bought the one Wal-Mart sells for $140, comes with car and home antennas, and a pretty decent length wire on each. You can also buy extension wires that I have read almost seem to amp up your signal reception even though they are technically not supposed to do that.

YOU bought I got that for you for Christmas MISTER the nerve...
I'm getting one for myself here soon though, i like the one we can take in the car and in the home, but figuring on leaving it in the car as inside I can just log on the computer to listen, it's pretty damn clear online and takes a split second to switch stations which I found surprising

[Bearcat729]

I was considering getting Sirius because of their NFL package. Being a Browns fan in Cincy, and AM 980 in Dayton doesn't seem to come in a clear as I want it.

I want to know, can you listen to their sports programing online or does the NFL block the online streams.

[panerd]

Originally Posted by Bearcat729

I was considering getting Sirius because of their NFL package. Being a Browns fan in Cincy, and AM 980 in Dayton doesn't seem to come in a clear as I want it.

I want to know, can you listen to their sports programing online or does the NFL block the online streams.

No, right now you can only listen to music online. I read on the site listed earlier in the thread that the main reasons are they don't have permission to feed the commericials online and their security is awful. Basically I could give my password away to other people who don't subscribe and they could all listen from their computers. I don't mind this because it makes it easier for me to listen and I have enough scrupples not to share something with freeloaders that I am spending money on. But I also know a lot of the "napster" crowd who wouldn't consider something like that stealing and it is just sticking it to the man. (but that is a whole other topic all together.) So in a nutshell, no.

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by Ragone

Well, i decided on Sirius after doing some research.. but still am unclear what i'll need to use a plug and play model in my home/car

Any help would be appreciated

Where are you buying it? I got mine at a car stereo place and they set up the whole deal for me. If you do it yourself you'll need to run the holder's cables into the A/V outputs of your car stereo (possibly behind the dash) and run the small antenna up to your roof. Then find a place to locate the holder.