I'd like to get Sat radio but I'm not sure which network to go with. I've heard that XM gets better reception in urban areas because of their use of repeater transmitters. I'm in the SF Bay Area where all the hills play havoc with broadcast radio...inconsistent reception for my favorite FM stations. How many commercials do the XM channels have per hour? Is Sirius really commercial-free? I also have 30% metallic tint on my rear window and I was hoping to mount an interior antenna on the rear where the 3rd brake light goes in non-aero package cars. My 3rd brake light is in my factory spoiler. Will my amount of metallic tint force me to go with an external antenna? Thanks in advance for your advice.

Dr. Jim
6MT Coupe DP/G/Prem/Aero/Nav/Tint/ClearGuard/HyperGroundKit/CrystalGuard

 

Hey Jim, try a search here and on FA. There's been extensive banter about comparisons between the two providers. Strong proponents for each... There were also some tint comments as well. After seeing the pictures of the external antenna, I'm trying to get the port to install the antenna on the rear deck but I don't have aero and it'll be interesting if they can pull it off. If I go with tint, it'll be the Huper Optik ceramic for both, better thermal protection and no reception lost. Good luck. ...dean

Seattle 'Eastside' area
'R' Order - IP/Graphite 6MT Coupe; Prem., Nav. & XM (maybe) [img]/w3timages/icons/smile.gif[/img]

 

Dr Jim: Know what you mean about all the hills. Am a real fan of XM as the picture shows. Actually, that's a web site for fans. I now have the antenna in the rear break housing module, but am getting more dropouts than my first placement on the trunk, about six inches from the rear window. I did place a metal plate below the antenna to assist with ground plane, and do not have any window tint.
As far as XM vs. Sirrus, I just went down the play lists of both to see if the music I liked was on non commercial channels. 95% of what I wanted to listen to was commercial free on XM, and have been so happy with it that I installed a unit connected to my PC yesterday. Love the clear digital sound.

03G35c/C_Blue/Willow/5AT/Premium/Splash/Garmin SteetPilot III/V1/SAT/XM/18" PermaStar rims w/NITTOs.

70369-PICT0152M.jpg

 

TheScreenSavers.com at TechTV did a real-life comparison and said that XM sounded noticeable better than Serius. Serius sounded highly compressed, where XM sounded more natural. I was surprised to hear this. I thought the sound quality was comparable with both, but maybe not. Most comparisons just mention drop-outs and programming.

<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by probepro on 07/04/03 09:37 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

anyone notice that sirius's symbol is a little dog? the name sirius is actually the major star in the constellation Canis Major, which is in the shape of a dog. How cool is that?

 

Thanks for the info. I need the tint on the rear of my coupe since the severe slope of the rear glass leaves the rear occupant directly under the sun. I have 30% on the rear now, but I still get whining in stereo from my kids about how hot it is, so I'll change it to even darker. If I can find a place to do the ceramic tint (doesn't block reception), I'll go with an interior antenna on the rear shelf, otherwise I'll use an exterior antenna. I think I'll be going with XM at this point. Everyone I know that actually has sat radio has XM.


Dr. Jim
6MT Coupe DP/G/Prem/Aero/Nav/Tint/ClearGuard/HyperGroundKit/CrystalGuard

 

I'm wondering if that TechTV comparison is very recent (even though I know it was on a recent show). It USED to be that XM had better sound than Sirius, but every RECENT comparison I've read said this is no longer the case and they're quite equal. It wouldn't surprise me if even though the show was recent, they used an old comparison, but I don't know for sure as I haven't seen it.

I vote for Sirius, as I like some of their programming choices better (OutQ was a major bonus for me), and I also think they may have slightly better coverage in rural areas (where I am) because of their three constantly moving satellites (as opposed to two fixed ones).

I honestly think you'll be happy with either one. I'd look at the programming for both and choose based on that if I were you.

 

Sirrius! (Biased Opinion) But seriously how can someone honestly compare the two? Now that I have sirrius I'm not gonna pay for Xm so I dunno.