• Welcome Guest! If you are already a member of the BMW MOA, please log in to the forum in the upper right hand corner of this page. Check "Remember Me?" if you wish to stay logged in.

    We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMWMOA forum provides. Why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the club magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMWMOA offers?

    Want to read the MOA monthly magazine for free? Take a 3-month test ride of the magazine; check here for details.

  • NOTE. Some content will be hidden from you. If you want to view all content, you must register for the forum if you are not a member, or if a member, you must be logged in.

Satellite Radio

Fritzc

New member
Many of my friends have MP3 players and listen to music while riding. I like to listen to talk radio and news. I have a satellite radio in my pick-up truck and love it. As of yet, I know no one who has satellite radio on their bikes. Is it possible and what are the sources? Thanks in advance.:german
 
Sure it is possible. I've had a Sirius Starmate on my bike for three or four years. As long as the radio has an audio out jack you can plug in earphones. I use ones molded to fit my ears and they are comfy all day.

John
 
Mirge Radio

I just got a Mirge receiver from XM. It gets all XM and Sirius channels. The set is pricey, as is the monthly service, but I like it, especially getting every baseball game. If you want a second receiver that gets only one satellite, you could look at the second-hand Sirius or XM receivers on eBay.

I mount my receiver next to my iPod on an aluminum bar screwed to my tank bag. It's easy to take with me when I leave my bike alone.

The power supply is directly from the battery (fused, of course).

I put the antenna on a steel bracket screwed to left-hand winglet under the windshield (above the Michelin Man in the photo) on my 2005 R1200RT. It's away from the FM antenna on the right. I have had some reception dropouts, same as n I do in my truck.

The FM output from the Mirge goes to my BMW radio, at 88.1 MHz. The stock radio has terrible reception, so I rarely get interference.

I listen to my radio most often while rolling on the slab, where the stock speakers are useless, so I patched a mini-jack to the speaker terminals, and plug my Shure earbuds into that. That cable leads to my tank bag as well.

The large tuning knob is easy to turn with my gloved left hand, but the presets aren't, even through a small hole that I cut in the tip of the index finger of my glove. At my rest stops, I just choose a series of adjacent channels that I can dial through until my next rest stop.

The stock radio controls are very easy to operate, so volume is never a problem. I like BMW's muting feature.

It all works for me.

Good luck!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0084.jpg
    IMG_0084.jpg
    59.7 KB · Views: 746
Frugal way to do it..

I take my cage XM and antennae put it in my tank bag with power adaptor and then tune my Scala head set to to pick up XM frequency output...cheap way to go, but works for me. I also take my cage GPS with bluetooth and sync it to my Scala along with my phone, everything works great.
 
Installation

As usual installation is more difficult and requires more thought and other products to get a satillite radio to work. For installation on a motorcycle try Cycle Gadgets and they have the necessary hardware to carry your radio. Then you have power to run, again Fuzeblock etc. gives you a power source for other accessories. Sound is important so run it through a intercom type device like AutoCom. Patience with those three aspects of installation make it well worth the effort and expense. Good luck.

gpodzo
 
Just finished the install -

XM Roady mounted on a Ram Mount using the available bracket for the puck antenna. I use a Boosteraoo in line amp and earbuds that block most outside noise. Cyclegadgets sells several mounting brackets, Boosteraoo available from the Boosteroo website. Earbuds according to your taste (and budget.)

Leaving for Alaska in 3 weeks - can't imagine doing this trip without XM.:ear
 
Last edited:
Fritz,

Visit Cyclegadgets.com and check out all the goodies they have for mounting a variety of "stuff" including XM radio. I have a mount on my RT and on my K12S and just move the XM radio module from my car to either bike or into its boombox for use at home. A typical setup for a bike will run between $40 and $50 depending on the hardware you choose and whether or not you buy a car cradle.

I wouldn't be without a satellite radio setup and feel it's worth the cost. Good luck with your install.
 
+1 on the Boosteroo amplifier.
I have it connected to a Sirius Sportster 4 mounted to my bike and powered by a canbus helper.
 
Back
Top