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RexSeven
RexSeven SuperDork
5/19/12 7:20 p.m.

With the recent news that the last independent rock station in Boston got bought out by the radio Death Star that is Clear Channel and will stop broadcasting in 1-2 months time, the FM landscape in my area is looking pretty bleak. Rumors say CC will change my beloved alt- and local-rock WFNX into a Spanish talk or pop-country station. My 2013 Mustang doesn't have Sync and I don't have a Pandora/Spotify-compatible smart phone, but the Mustang did come with a 6-month trail subscription to Sirius radio. Anyone here have satellite radio? Do you like it? I wasn't planning on using the trial but once FNX stops broadcasting there won't be much left to listen to around here.

Derick Freese
Derick Freese SuperDork
5/19/12 7:32 p.m.

I've had XM, both pre and post merger. I'd still have a subscription if my wife's car had a capable stereo. I use an iPod in my Jeep, it doesn't even have the antenna hooked up to it.

N Sperlo
N Sperlo UberDork
5/19/12 7:34 p.m.

I used to have it and liked it. Didn't want to keep paying for it. Sounds like it may be worth it for you, but St Louis has and will continue to have a ton a good FM stations.

jrw1621
jrw1621 PowerDork
5/19/12 7:40 p.m.

I used to drive all over 4 states and Satellite was the greatest. I really liked it when my company Ford Escape arrived with a factory satellite radio.
Previous to that I used a satellite receiver and a cassette tape adapter.

What is full price, something like $17 per month?
Take the free trial, quit and do not keep it going, this should generate an offer from a "customer retention team" that will offer 5 months for $20.

If your station does go away, give a try to CIMX which is known as 89x. Officially a Canadian station in Windsor, ON just across the river in Detroit.
http://www.89xradio.com/
http://tunein.com/search/?query=cimx

Streetwiseguy
Streetwiseguy SuperDork
5/19/12 7:49 p.m.

I've got Sirius in my truck and hooked into the sound system in the shop. It is mountains better than most local radio, if only due to the lack of inane chatter from the morning drive time team of halfwits.

It tends to get a bit repetitive, so you'll want to figure out about 6 or 8 channels that fit your desires so you can rotate through.

Some of the channels have the most irritiating ads in all the western world. There is some group of scammers selling boner pills on the comedy channels, and they change the name of the pills every few weeks, I presume because the food and drug people shut them down. I wish I had started a list of the names when I first realized they were changing them.

Woody
Woody GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
5/19/12 7:55 p.m.

I love, love, love Sirius. Try it and you'll never want to go back.

aussiesmg
aussiesmg PowerDork
5/19/12 8:01 p.m.

I really like it in my Elantra, so much so that my iPod has been in the trunk unused for the past year,

1988RedT2
1988RedT2 SuperDork
5/19/12 8:18 p.m.

It comes in all the new cars my wife keeps buying. The free trial goes away and then they actually want monies to listen to the radio. Ain't gonna happen.

racerfink
racerfink Dork
5/19/12 8:19 p.m.

I couldn't wait to get rid of my Sirius radio. It rains a lot in Florida, and when it does, no Sirius. Moon in a weird phase? No Sirius. If you're gonna do a lot of highway driving, I can see it being worth it, but for around town... I'm glad I have that money in my pocket every month instead of poor reception.

ThePhranc
ThePhranc HalfDork
5/19/12 8:21 p.m.

Have XM in the shop and shop truck. We only play two stations, those being First Wave and Studio 54. Its good stuff.

I haven't listened to terrestrial radio that wasn't traffic and weather in a good 15 years. They don't exactly play my music on the radio though. Except for a show every Saturday out of STL on 88.1 KDHX. They stream the show after it airs.

mmosbey
mmosbey GRM+ Memberand Reader
5/19/12 8:32 p.m.

I had it XM for a year shortly after launch as part of an employee deal at Circuit City.

Bleh. Sound quality was good, but they just didn't have much of anything I liked, and my tastes aren't particularly esoteric.

Trans_Maro
Trans_Maro SuperDork
5/19/12 8:52 p.m.

Never had any reception problems with my Sirius up here in Canada.

I like the music selections and the lack of annoying DJ banter is fantastic.

They've given Ozzy his own channel now.

Rob_Mopar
Rob_Mopar Dork
5/19/12 9:36 p.m.

They gave Ozzy the Boneyard and ruined the Boneyard in my opinion. I don't care for the Cookie Monster Metal bands that play the Ozzfest shows and don't want to hear them between Thin Lizzy and Iron Maiden. Used to have the Boneyard on for the classic hard rock & metal most of the time in the shop. Can't leave it on for more than a few songs at a time now.

Would bounce between that and Deep Tracks. Deep Tracks is usually on in the shop now. They just announced that Memorial Day weekend it will be all Pink Floyd. That's cool, but Jim Ladd was saying that come June there's an all Pink Floyd channel. Isn't clear to me if I'm loosing Deep Tracks to get the Floyd channel, or if Floyd will have their own like the Dead and Springsteen.

I don't bother with the talk or comedy channels. It's all the music stations, and I can usually find stuff I like on a variety of channels. But the changes to the Boneyard and now Deep Tracks has me concerned. I'm really hoping all the media consultants and destroyed FM haven't gotten a hold of the satellites now.

ddavidv
ddavidv UberDork
5/19/12 9:38 p.m.

I have XM, but if I had it to do over again after the free trial in my Sebring I'd choose Sirius because I'd have the Playboy channel for free. But seriously, I never, ever listen to 'normal' radio anymore. Whenever I try, I want to stick a long, solid piece of metal into the radio head unit with vengeful force. I'm in the car anywhere from 2-6 hours a day and I divide my time between music and talk radio. It's worth every penny to me, and less hassle than carrying multiple CD's or trying to pug an Ipod thing into a radio that isn't made for one.

RexSeven
RexSeven SuperDork
5/19/12 9:43 p.m.

Never mind, turns out I DON'T have Sirius. My radio has a Sirius button and an info card that came with the owner's manual, but apparently the base model 'Stang isn't wired for it. $600 to have the stealership install it, $170 for an aftermarket kit. Not worth it IMHO. I'll just look into replacements for my puny 8GB iPod that's already full.

Trans_Maro
Trans_Maro SuperDork
5/19/12 10:06 p.m.

Huh?

You should be able to get a Sirius receiver for a little over $50.

I agree on ruining the Boneyard. Mostly I have it set to Hair Nation or Classic Rewind

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
5/19/12 10:33 p.m.

I'd say try it as it's very much a personal thing. I don't have satellite radio, but many of our test cars have it. I loved the Sirius Punk channel, but then they killed it. I also dug the Boneyard but, yeah, Ozzy killed it. Right now my favorite is Real Jazz, especially when Bruce Lundvall is hosting.

mistanfo
mistanfo SuperDork
5/19/12 10:39 p.m.

Does your factory radio have a USB input? 32 Gb sticks are around $30, and work as well as an iPod (at least in the car).

Also, if you have an aux in 1/8" jack, I can sell you a few different Sitius or XM units for less than $50 after rebates.

Disclaimer- I work at Crutchfield, sell these everyday. Don't use it myself since I am blessed with a great local radio scene. Do wish that I had it the few tea a year we road trip.

mazdeuce
mazdeuce Reader
5/19/12 10:44 p.m.

Have xm in my truck and love it. It mostly lives on the kids channel because I mostly have kids with me. It beats the ever living hell out of listening to the same kids CDs over and over and over and over. I'm not sure that I've listened to the regular radio even once in 5 years. My wife liked it so much that I got her a setup for her car for mothers day last year. She spends about an hour a day commuting and says she will never own a car without it. I won't pay for cable, but satellite radio is worth it for me.

Streetwiseguy
Streetwiseguy SuperDork
5/19/12 10:45 p.m.

Bluesville, Margaritaville for a while, Lithium, classic rewind, boneyard, spectrum, bluegrass junction in the shop, and raw dog comedy in the truck. Can't listen to talk radio working. If something gets interesting, work stops so it can be heard. Thats not profitable.

As to the cost someone mentioned- I'll happily pay money so I don't have to listen to ads. If someone would offer a way to eliminate advertising from the internet for a monthly fee, I'd sign up in a heartbeat.

02Pilot
02Pilot Reader
5/19/12 10:53 p.m.

I've had a Sirius receiver in my car for a bunch of years now. Local radio used to be great, but most every decent station has changed format to something unlistenable. I'm also a Stern listener since the NBC days, so that was a big draw as well. Agreed that the punk channel was the best thing on there while it lasted, and that some of the programming has gotten weaker as branding has ramped up. It's still better than the current alternatives, though if Stern retires I'm taking a serious look at Pandora hardware.

Wally
Wally GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
5/20/12 1:00 a.m.

I got XM when they started with O&A and loved it until it got stolen. I've been without it for a few months and really need to replace it. NY is allegedly the media capital of the world but the radio stations all suck

Woody
Woody GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
5/20/12 5:18 a.m.

I haven't heard a McDonald's commercial since 2006.

akamcfly
akamcfly HalfDork
5/20/12 6:57 a.m.

There's always a deal on some or other XM/Sirius receiver. Often you can get one for "free" after mail in rebate.

If you have an iphone or ipod touch, they were offering the skydock not too long ago for "free". It uses your iphone/ipod touch as the receiver.

I drive a lot in northern Ontario. There are a few places with nothing at all for radio and I was never a CD or itunes guy. If you average 8-12hrs a day on the highway, it's totally worth it.

Sirius has CBC1, XM doesn't. I neeeeeeed my CBC1 to live.

jimbob_racing
jimbob_racing Dork
5/20/12 8:18 a.m.

I have an aftermarket Sirius receiver installed in my Honda, a boom box adapter for the garage, a table radio in my living room and the internet subscription for my laptop.

Needless to say, I rarely listen to local radio anymore.

I actually worked in broadcasting for years and was eventually a radio station owner and then did consulting for a time. I HATE what broadcast radio has become and Sirius offers an endless variety of stations to choose from. I can literally listen to a different station every day of the month and not be bored.

The cost is insignificant if you realize how many commercials are played per hour and how little music is actually played. Your time NOT listening to music on local radio has got to be worth something to you.

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