Hey, Im a newbie when it comes to Satellite Radio. I have an '04 G35 and it has the "SAT" button, so im sure it is already pre-wired. Anyway, as a dealer option it says its $400 to get satellite radio. What does this include?



Also, XM vs. Sirius: I think they are both the same price (12.95 a month) What are the pros and cons of each for helping me decide which to get? All I know is that Sirius has Stern and XM has O&A.

 

All the $400 includes is the satellite receiver box (which mounts in the trunk under the liner) and an antenna. As a factor option, it's generally cheaper than having the dealer do it. The dealer and factor installation includes a roof-mounted antenna and running the antenna wire under the rear glass weatherstripping, down into the trunk and to the box. This CAN be done by the owner but it looks to be a serious pain in the rear - you have to actually cut a specific-sized notch in the metal lip of the trunk, fit a cable run through it, seal it with butyl gum and clear tape, etc. Ugh.

Others are installing micro antennas on the rear parcel shelf under the glass or even on the metal deck underneath the parcel shelf. I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet, although I'm going with XM and here's why:

1. I'm not a Howard Stern fan-boy;
2. XM has almost three times the subscriber base;
3. If you look at how much Sirius is bringing in through subscriptions versus how much they're shelling out for sports tie-ins and big names (Stern, etc.), something seriously doesn't add up; Sirius is going to have to increase it's subscriber base ten-fold and soon to avoid getting into serious trouble with creditors;
4. I have no interest in the NFL on sat radio - I've got NFL Sunday Ticket and a wide-screen TV and that's how I prefer my football;
5. Bluesville - love it, love it, love it;
6. XM is $9.95/mo. for just the car subscription. You pay an extra fee only for streaming 'net audio or for premium shows like the Playboy. I don't know about you, but I don't need THAT kind of stimulation while driving. And I try not to listen to too much streaming audio at work because if everyone here does it, we'll saturate our DSL connection. And at home I've got 30 channels of satellite radio through DirecTV that comes with my subscription anyway. I really only need it for my usual long drives through radio wastelands.

Of course, others have different opinions and that's fine. If Stern is your thing, great. If you travel a lot on Sundays and want to listent to football, great. I do have serious (pardon the unintentional pun) concerns about Sirius' financials, though. I hope they don't keel over and strand their subscribers.

 

Sirius had a $399 lifetime plan when I signed up in Nov 03. I intend to keep the car for well over 3 years so it's worth it (plus I hate monthly bills).

Sirius has channels that fit my tastes better. The free streaming is a big plus for me also. I don't care about Stern or NFL either. People have been predicting Sirius' demise for years.

 

Well, what do you know: just saw this posted today over at DBSForums.com:

"XM Raising rate to $12.95

Press Release Source: XM Satellite Radio

XM Satellite Radio Expands Basic Service and Announces Price Changes Effective April 2; XM Offers Existing Subscribers Unique Opportunity to Lock in Current Rate for Up to Five Years
Monday February 28, 10:12 am ET


WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- XM Satellite Radio, the nation's leading provider of satellite radio with more than 3.2 million subscribers, today announced that it is expanding its basic service package, and that the monthly subscription price for XM's basic service will increase to $12.95 beginning April 2, 2005. XM is also offering existing customers the unique opportunity to lock in the current $9.99 monthly rate with a one-year prepaid plan and deeper discounts with a two, three, four, or five-year prepaid plan until April 2.
(Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050228/DCM030 )
(Logo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000724/XMSATLOGO )
The price change will not affect XM's Family Plan, which allows XM subscribers to add up to four additional subscriptions for $6.99 a month per radio. Beginning April 2, XM's expanded basic service will include the Internet service XM Radio Online, which offers more than 70 channels of XM music and talk programming (previously $3.99 per month), and the High Voltage channel, featuring the talk radio duo Opie & Anthony (previously $1.99 per month).

Since the national launch of XM Radio in November 2001, XM has dramatically expanded its channel lineup from 100 channels to 151 channels. XM has converted all of its music channels to a commercial-free format and invested heavily to add 21 traffic & weather channels, 16 channels dedicated to Major League Baseball, nine college sports channels, and XM Public Radio, featuring legendary journalist Bob Edwards, among other channel additions. This is the only price change since XM's 2001 launch.

Hugh Panero, XM President & CEO, said, "XM's growth to date demonstrates that the potential for satellite radio is far greater than anyone anticipated. This new pricing approach will help fund future technology development, enable us to offer more attractively-priced radios and maintain our programming excellence. Together, these initiatives should result in XM exceeding its current target of 20 million customers by 2010. Most importantly, XM is instituting the pricing change in a way that adds value to the basic service and provides existing customers the opportunity to lock in the current lower monthly rate -- a unique opportunity rarely offered by subscription entertainment services, including satellite radio, satellite television and cable television."

So XM is going up two bucks, adding streaming 'net audio without extra charge and one of their premium channels (which was $1.99/month) will be included. Hmm . . . won't affect me as I'm not interested in a syndicate DJ show and the streaming audio thing is still verboten at work.

Makes my choice a little more difficult, I think, but I'm still leaning towards XM because of subscriber/financial worries.

 

Beginning tomorrow (Mar 1, 2005), you can lock-in at lower rates right now by signing up for their extended plans and paying up front. Of course, when these plans expire, the price goes up.

Here are the tiers:

1. One year, $9.99/month (current monthly rate)
2. Two years, $8.96/month
3. Three years, $8.75/month
4. Four years, $8.56/month
5. Five years, $8.33/month

 

if you listen to the Jazz and Rock channels, XM has quite a few repeats throughout the day and Sirius is more diverse in their music selection so that you don't have repeats on these channels.