View Full Version : XM Satellite Radio
k9apy
08-17-2005, 05:44 AM
I finally got XM after a month of holding it off, it is so awesome, anyone else here have XM?
K6BBC
08-17-2005, 05:58 AM
The wife and I have XM in our cars. I love it. We took a driving vacation to Canada and back last summer. It was fab. It does make the world small. No more driving through the country listening to local stations. That is a bit sad.
K6BBC
wd5kca
08-18-2005, 06:15 PM
I have XM in the truck and a Myfi to carry around. I rarely listen to local broadcast radio any more.
W0LPQ
08-18-2005, 07:12 PM
Sirius ... never listen to BC radio...AM or FM...
Bill, W0LPQ
kf6rdn
08-18-2005, 07:45 PM
Quote[/b] (k6bbc @ Aug. 16 2005,22:58)]The wife and I have XM in our cars. #I love it. #We took a driving vacation to Canada and back last summer. #It was fab. #It does make the world small. #No more driving through the country listening to local stations. #That is a bit sad.
K6BBC
On a recent trip, I rather enjoyed listening to the local stuff. As your driving by, you just kind of get a "taste" of life in the area.
wa9cwx
08-18-2005, 08:33 PM
Since I was a kid, I have always enjoyed tuning around for local AM stations at the top of the dial when on trips. As said, you get a 'flavor' of the area. I have heard XM, in my friends new truck, awsome...but the loss is sad, but these days it seems most of the 'locals' are programmed to run national shows anyway. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif
n5tjd
08-18-2005, 08:39 PM
Quote[/b] (wa9cwx @ Aug. 18 2005,13:33)]but these days it seems most of the 'locals' are programmed to run national shows anyway. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif
I hate the pre-recorded weather updates.... "It's a nice sunny day out, take your family on a picnic, the high should be a nice 95F, don't forget the sunblock!"
Then you look outside and it is raining cats and dogs, lightning and the wind is blowing so hard all the birds are flying backwards. I'd hate to hear their definition of stormy weather.
KE7DFP
08-18-2005, 09:03 PM
Well. I have sirius at home so I know what you mean. #Don't listen to regular AM or FM much anymore. Just got an AM radio at a garage sale #so I can listen to talk radio. #Though there are Sirius left and Sirius Right stations, I'm usually on Folk Town, Classical Voices (Opera), or the Gospel station.
KF0RT
08-19-2005, 12:34 AM
I've had XM in the car for almost 2 years. Mostly tuned to "60's on 6" but I like the (adult) comedy channel too.
I need to find something else to listen to, though. The 60's DJ's on XM appear to be "one trick ponies" and get old after awhile. I shifted my hours at work so I don't have to listen to Phlash Phelps, and now I catch the mid-afternoon guy (Mountain time) who wastes 5 minutes of my drive home with his desire to hook up with Mariah Carey. They also play a Beatles tune at the top of every hour, which seems excessive to me.
Might be time to go back to "Top Tracks". No DJ's or commercials on that channel.
HD broadcast radio might be worth some research. From what little I've heard, this is the broadcaster's answer to satellite, and quite a number of stations are already on board.
73, Rob
wd5kca
08-19-2005, 02:02 AM
Quote[/b] (KF0RT @ Aug. 18 2005,19:34)]I've had XM in the car for almost 2 years. Mostly tuned to "60's on 6" but I like the (adult) comedy channel too.
I need to find something else to listen to, though. The 60's DJ's on XM appear to be "one trick ponies" and get old after awhile. I shifted my hours at work so I don't have to listen to Phlash Phelps, and now I catch the mid-afternoon guy (Mountain time) who wastes 5 minutes of my drive home with his desire to hook up with Mariah Carey. They also play a Beatles tune at the top of every hour, which seems excessive to me.
Might be time to go back to "Top Tracks". No DJ's or commercials on that channel.
HD broadcast radio might be worth some research. From what little I've heard, this is the broadcaster's answer to satellite, and quite a number of stations are already on board.
73, Rob
I listen to 60's on 6 some, but also avoid Phelps. He really sounds awful and he runs his audio levels all over the place. I have to constantly move the volume up and down on the radio.
If you like Top Tracks, give Deep Tracks a try. The DJs are laid back and do a good job mixing coherent music sets.
K6BBC
08-19-2005, 02:42 AM
I listen to Fox News Channel and Cinemagic a lot. Also, Starbucks has a great music channel.
k9apy
08-19-2005, 03:27 AM
I mainly have been listening to SquiZZ xL, it's my kind of stuff, what can I say
I bought one about a year ago.....Opie & Anthony W.O.W.
K9YLI
08-19-2005, 01:53 PM
no #but i have #direct tv #satellite in my shop.
nothing but # cowboy and rock music on # fm and #all but in # am station.
absolutely ,totally with a purple passion despise #cowboy music. #single digit IQ moronic crap. # "she thinks my tractor's sexy" # # #get real...!!! 'cowboys like us'' # my little wiskey girl' # #. I quit my job #so i wouldnt have to listen to that stuff. #
don k9yli
I have XM in the car and house............I hate the commercials and other chatter between selections that XM thinks I need. Hey XM, dump the talking on the music channels!
KC7YRA
08-19-2005, 06:33 PM
I use mine exclusively. No AM or FM here. From the SQUIZZ and FUNGUS (53) all the way to Bluegrass Junction. The Bone Yard is also good for heavy metal sometimes. I like the comedy but they put so many commercial in there that it is almost useless. Coverage is good in Wyoming. There are no earth based repeaters in the state so coverage is spotty around big buildings or in the woods.
Brad
KF0RT
08-20-2005, 12:38 AM
Quote[/b] (wd5kca @ Aug. 18 2005,20:02)]I listen to 60's on 6 some, but also avoid Phelps. He really sounds awful and he runs his audio levels all over the place. I have to constantly move the volume up and down on the radio.
If you like Top Tracks, give Deep Tracks a try. The DJs are laid back and do a good job mixing coherent music sets.
I'll give it a shot, thanks! Top Tracks is consistently good, but I haven't spent much time on Deep Tracks.
Listening to '6' it almost seems like XM has a real "budget" for jocks. These guys wouldn't make it in middle-market FM, and Phelps seems proud of how many times he's been fired from small markets. To his credit, he DOES play requests, though.
Someone else here was mentioning Opie and Anthony. This was once a "premium" channel on XM as I recall, but I think they opened it up, so may have to try that, too.
73, Rob
KF0RT
08-20-2005, 12:47 AM
Quote[/b] (KC7YRA @ Aug. 19 2005,12:33)]I use mine exclusively. No AM or FM here. From the SQUIZZ and FUNGUS (53) all the way to Bluegrass Junction. The Bone Yard is also good for heavy metal sometimes. I like the comedy but they put so many commercial in there that it is almost useless. Coverage is good in Wyoming. There are no earth based repeaters in the state so coverage is spotty around big buildings or in the woods.
Brad
Brad - Hope to be headed up to your great state in a couple weeks for a little camping R&R and mobile HF. Will have XM along, of course.
I don't believe there are any repeaters in Denver, either. I find a few dead spots, but they're very rare, and my antenna is just "thrown" on the back deck of the car -- I know it would do better if I put it on the roof, but I like the simplicity of no mounts at all.
I've got one of the original Roady's and use the RF modulator to get stereo at 88.3 MHz. Seems to be a lot of people using RF modulators in their cars -- I hear other things sometimes.
73, Rob
k9apy
08-20-2005, 07:14 AM
I bought the Roady2 and half-butted the install at first...then went back the next day and did a cleaner job and routed the antenna cable in better, and put the swivel mount in because I was disliking the vent mount and had nowhere for velcro.
I'll have to check out the bone yard, my next step is to buy the home kit so I can listen here(I do listen to XM online from time to time...but the compression gives it that tinny sound)
KI6ADA
08-20-2005, 08:02 AM
January 1st Howard Stern....................ah.............??
KF0RT
08-20-2005, 12:23 PM
Quote[/b] (KI6ADA @ Aug. 20 2005,02:02)]January 1st Howard Stern....................ah.............??
Stern's going to be on Sirius. I hope those guys know what they're doing. The cost for the Stern show could put them in bankruptcy.
73, Rob
KW4MW
08-20-2005, 02:36 PM
I went to visit the folks in WV a couple of months ago. #The local radio station is still there, I used to hang around it a lot when I was a kid over 40 years ago. #I recall the big moment when it went from being a 1 KW station to 5 KW station. #Big whoop in the county with a ceremony, balloons and cake and the "Big" switch was thrown by the local disaster relief agent. #
For year the station played the same mix of rock and country, mostly local commercials and local news. #
My stepdad even had his radio timed to come on for the morning news, mainly reports about engagements and weddings, ambulance runs, who was admitted to the hospital, who was released, who was dying, who was dead and the times of viewings and interments.
Alas, during my last visit I discovered that the station owner had passed away, his kids had sold the station and now it transmits a daily stream of syndicated programming. #
Shame really.
KF4OZH
08-20-2005, 02:47 PM
Quote[/b] (WS2L @ Aug. 19 2005,01:42)]I bought one about a year ago.....Opie & Anthony #W.O.W.
THE VIRUS IS SPREADING XM 202.................. well, actually got XM initially to listen to Coast to Coast AM on Ask? XM 165, but ended up being 'down with the sickness' too. Really enjoy the commercial free music channels, it has been reminiscent of FM's surge in central Virginia in the early 70's. Really feel sorry for SIRIUS users as they will have Stern instead of O&A...... I guess if you go with #2 you get what you pay for..... a shame.
W0LPQ
08-20-2005, 03:08 PM
OZH: Only if you listen to him, which I never have nor do I intend to. We have about 98% Classical in both cars and the house. The other 2% is Oldies on Saturdays.
Thus, no Stern. Watched about 2 minutes of him on TV once, and never watched/listened to him again.
Just like commercial broadcast, if you don't care for them, don't listen. What else they happen to carry I listen if I am interested, if not, I don't.
With Sirius, no commercials but do miss local WX.
73
Bill, W0LPQ
N7VQM
08-21-2005, 03:44 AM
We had XM installed in our truck when we bought it. I don't drive the truck often so my wife has all her favorites programmed into the presets on the receiver. In the last 6 months, we've driven the truck to Missouri and Montana. Having a constant supply of music we like was great. Well, except for XM's Fred. I just don't like listening to Fred.
I'd like to get another subscription for my car but, I need to find the time to look at different receivers. I'd like to think the AudioVox in the truck is not the cream of the crop.
I did not order XM radio, I figure that I'd rather be listening to 14.300 or 7258 instead if music.
Quote[/b] (K8YS @ Aug. 19 2005,21:49)]I did not order XM radio, I figure that I'd rather be listening to 14.300 or 7258 instead if music.
That's a shame Bob because I thought your bouncing WOW was for O&A's Whip 'em Out Wednesday............... oh well, your loss, but I guess you're really right though......... 20 and 40m is one hell of a lot more crude and racey than satellite radio ever thought of being.