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XM Satellite Radio

Grey_Matter

New member
I have been at the Consumer Electronics Show for the past two weeks preparing for the 135,000 attendees to wander through our booth. In the CES store the nice folks at Delphi were selling there MyFi XM Satellite receiver for a rather substantial discount $199.00 I believe. One or our Partners bought me one as a gift & for the past 72 hours I have become an XM radio junkie.

A few cool things about the MyFi unit are:
ÔÇó It has an internal antenna, so on the bike or car you do not need an external antenna. I used it in cabs & my rental car without incident.
ÔÇó It also has a FM transmitter that works very well. I tuned the MyFi to the rental cars radio most of the time. This works kind of like the iPod iTrip.
ÔÇó You can record up to 5 hours of XM content to use as a back-up in case you are going cave exploring.
ÔÇó The battery last for over 5 hours (so far).
ÔÇó It came with every adapter you could ever need as well as a powered house antenna & an auxiliary auto/bike antenna.

If you are on the fence about purchasing satellite radio you should really look into it. I can't say enough good things about the quality & breadth of the XM programming. I have a close friend that has a Sirius system & he really likes it as well. The only difference between the two that I can tell is the XM monthly subscription rate is $3.00 cheaper than Sirius. Also, Howard Stern will be on Sirius exclusively later this year. I donÔÇÖt care much for Howard so I donÔÇÖt really care.

All the details about the unit I have can be found at: http://shopdelphi.com/products/consumers/myfi/

LG_IMG_MyFi.jpg
 
I average 3-4 hours/day behind the windshield travelling throughout the Carolinas and Georgia on business. I have a friend in the printing business who's a similaring travelling fool. He has XM and loves it.

For my last b-day, the wife and friend conspired to have XM radio, Commander model installed in my car w. 1 year subscription......love it!!
I recommend for any professional "road warriors" out there.

I'm in the process of installing Autocom on the RT. (my wife gets me the coolest toys) XM is next, but not sure if the new portable gizmo or Roadie is the way to go. I was thinking of getting Roadie to move between bike and car, and taking the Commander in my car, and installing in her car.

Anyone have both? I understand XM has "family" plans...anyone using this?
 
I got XM for Christmas as well. It's mounted in my Jeep right now and was great for my trip dwon to South Carolina and back. I absolutely love it! I can't wait to get it mounted on my bike for the long road trips of the summer.
 
I've had the Roady 2 for a few months now, just can't beat it. PLays through a Mixit amp and Hoon Hardware mount on the bike. Works well going from car to bike with minimal fuss. In the car I run the antenna on the dashboard, out by the bottom of the windshield, works just fine.
The built in FM modulator works well,with 6 available frequencies *except* that here in the Orlando market I have found interference on all of them from one end of my commute to the other. Fortunately the stereo in the car has a line in plug. Continuous local traffic & weather for Orlando is a big plus for my 38 mile commute. YMMV.
FWIW I have Sirrius programming in the house through Dish Network. Very similar programmming as far as music choices. At present the XM offers better equipment for the bike, though that is likely to change.
 
I've been using a Roady2 with Etymotic ER-6 earplugs when on the bike since Oct and I really like it. In the car I use it with either the built in modulator or the cassette adapter. For Christmas I got a home kit and now I use the Roady all the time. Now that the MyFi is out I would really like to see one up close. I think the 5 hour record function would be useful as well as the ease of going between vehicles.

In early Nov I went on a ride with 8 other bikes, all BMW. 5 were using XM.
 
Thanks for the report G-M (except that you suck! $199!!!! I KNEW I should have gone to CES! :D )
I've been using a Roadie for about a year and just got a new Alpine with integrated XM for the main cage. If I didn't have all that dough tied up in gear (along with a real expensive Phillips MP3) I'd get a MyFi in a heartbeat.
For you guys and gals sitting on the fence, the MyFi is a no brainer for the bike, the cars (w/integrated modulator) and home. The programing is amazing, and everywhere.
My two favorite things about XM:
a) LA traffic when I visit
b) Web Wilder in the middle of nowhere! (X-Country Ch. 12)
 
I have sirius fadio for my bike and car and home. I use the xact model. It is small, has a volume control, and works well. I got sirius because I wanted to hear my football team after I moved. They have college basketball and nfl football. If I hear howard stern it is by accident. I have been well pleased with the Sirius setup.
 
Is there anything besides the My Fi's recording feature that makes it better than the Roady or Sky Fi for use on a Bike? Does the Roady have enough volume and any volume adjustment? I get the impression from reviews written on the My Fi that you still need to use the exterior car antenna to get reception.

Goose 2004 R1150RT
 
I get the impression from reviews written on the My Fi that you still need to use the exterior car antenna to get reception.

I have a Myfi that I received as a Cristmas gift. I love it.

You can use it with just earphones directly like a Walkman without having to transmit the signal to a radio.

It has a built in antenna, and outdoors I've been able to pick up a signal with no problems without any other antenna source. It comes with a clip on antenna that can be clipped to a jacket that I thought I would use on my tankbag while riding. Also you get a magnetic antenna for vehicles and an indoor antenna for the house.

You can also use it with a FM radio to run it on your home or car stereo. If you want to transmit to an fm radio, it's not necesary to buy the fm modulater, everything you need is integrated in the Myfi, so it's one less wire.

The only thing that I may need to change is the earbud speakers for something in the helmet. I was able to get the helmet on and off ok with the speakers that came with the unit, but I'm not sure how well the long term comfort will be, but thats an issue with any music/radio source.

I havn't had the opportunity to travel with it yet on the bike, but I think it is going to work out well due to the portability and how the unit is relativly self-contained compared to the other options.

I'd like to hear how others have dealt with the speaker issues, my helmet is comfortable, but pretty snug, and not alot space for much speaker fabrication.
:wave
 
XM Satelllite Radio

Etymotic Er-6 speaker/earplug combination has worked really well for
me. Some of the best money I have spent. Got them at a rally for a llittle over $100.00.

Goose
 
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