XM or Sirius Radio?

Jay Honeck wrote:

Can anyone comment on them? Sirius or XM? What's the difference?

If you have a DISH network satellite system with the America's Top 120
(or higher) package, the Sirius music channels are on channels starting
with 6000, so you can get an idea of what it sounds like.

I have a XM in my Baron and it is indispensable for long trips. The car
mount antenna sits on the glare shield along with the receiver. The output
plugs into the audio jack of my PS audio panel.

The only problem is that I get a lot of high pitched audio noise when the
plug is plugged in, even with the radio turned off. I suspect the cheapo
12-6 volt converter in the plug generates enough noise to get picked up.

It really gets annoying after a while, especially since I had a 24-12 volt
converter hard wired into the plane to convert all of the lighter sockets to
12 volts just so I could use the satellite radio. Any suggestions in this
regard would be appreciated.

The reception is excellent (no drop outs like in a car when going under
trees or an underpass). The PS audio panel automatically mutes the radio
when ATC or someone talks on the intercom, which is OK, but could be
annoying to some.

With 110 channels there has to be something to listen to for everyone, and
except for the electrical noise I think it is great.

"Jay Honeck" wrote:

Doesn't Sirius also have NPR?

That plus the NFL could be a deciding factor for me.

Me, too but I doubt you'll ever see the big NPR news shows-- Morning
Edition and All Things Considered -- on satellite. The local affiliates
would scream, and they are NPR's bread and butter.
--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

Viperdoc wrote:
I have a XM in my Baron and it is indispensable for long trips. The
car mount antenna sits on the glare shield along with the receiver.
The output plugs into the audio jack of my PS audio panel.

The only problem is that I get a lot of high pitched audio noise when
the plug is plugged in, even with the radio turned off. I suspect the
cheapo 12-6 volt converter in the plug generates enough noise to get
picked up.

It really gets annoying after a while, especially since I had a 24-12
volt converter hard wired into the plane to convert all of the
lighter sockets to 12 volts just so I could use the satellite radio.
Any suggestions in this regard would be appreciated.

Only you know your installation well enough to know if after reading the
following any of it or none of it may apply. Since I haven't had the problem
so far, I don't really know much about it, but here's the link:

http://www.xm411.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=620

Good luck and thanks for the information about your airplane install since
we are looking to put our Roady in our C-182A next month.

Gail

"Gail Allinson" wrote in message
...
Newps wrote:
"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
...
I really like the one you see advertised on TV, where the guy pops
the little XM receiver (which appears to be about the size of a
cassette tape) out of his car and brings it into his home boom-box.

That's the one I have, the Sky-Fi. The Roady is a little smaller but
you don't want that one, it has several issues.

Just curious. What issues with the Roady are you referring to? We've had
one since December and have no issues, not even sitting right next to our
Garmin 295 if that is the issue you are alluding to (early on there were
reports of problems with the Roady when next to a GPS unit, but it was
found
to be an installation issue, not a problem with the Roady). The Roady is
sturdy, reliable, and sounds great with decent speakers (IOW -- sounds
better in the Miata with the Bose Audio than in the Bronco with speakers
that need replacing).

XM Radio has had many extensive threads on the Cessna Pilots Assoc website.
There have been many GPS issues, although I didn'y pay attention and see if
it was certain models or what the deal is. It doesn't affect my two GPS's
so I glossed over it. The Roady has some or all connections that hook up to
the radio itself, so if you want to move the radio to your car you have to
unplug cables. The Sky-Fi is a much cleaner setup. The radio goes into a
tray. The tray gets attached to where ever you want to mount it. The
Sky-Fi slides into the tray and all connections are made to the tray and not
to the radio. There have been numerous issues with the audio level being
too low with the Roady. Hardly any issues with the Sky-Fi.

Jay Honeck wrote:
: We're looking at adding satellite radio service to Atlas. (It's his
: reward for winning the trophy for "Best Cherokee 235" at the National
: Cherokee fly-in last weekend!)


Hey, Jay, did you mention that you were one of two 235's? (grinning).
I have my sources, even though I didn't attend...
--
Aaron Coolidge (N9376J)

Newps wrote:
snippage

XM Radio has had many extensive threads on the Cessna Pilots Assoc
website. There have been many GPS issues, although I didn't pay
attention and see if it was certain models or what the deal is. It
doesn't affect my two GPS's so I glossed over it.

An external antenna on the GPS solves any problems that I have heard of.

The Roady has some
or all connections that hook up to the radio itself, so if you want
to move the radio to your car you have to unplug cables.

Very true and that can be a weak point if handled roughly.

The Sky-Fi
is a much cleaner setup. The radio goes into a tray. The tray gets
attached to where ever you want to mount it. The Sky-Fi slides into
the tray and all connections are made to the tray and not to the
radio. There have been numerous issues with the audio level being
too low with the Roady. Hardly any issues with the Sky-Fi.

Thanks for the clarification. That's a good and IMHO a valid point and one
of the considerations when deciding to go with a Roady or a SkyFi.

Gail

There have been numerous issues with the audio level being
too low with the Roady.

P.S. Missed that -- There is a line level adjustment on the Roady if that's
any help, but since I've not yet tried the Roady in the airplane I can't
speak with authority -- line level is great at the default, 5, for good
speakers but I had to lower it to 3 so that cruddy speakers didn't buzz.

Gail

We've got Atlas just about perfect now (for an often-flown, "hard-VFR"
bird), but there's always *something* that "needs" to be added!

One has to ask...
How much did Atlas weigh when you bought him?

How much does Atlas weigh with all your "improvements"?

Well, everything we've put in has resulted in something being pulled out.

The leather interior was probably the biggest weight penalty, but with our
useful load it didn't really matter. Everything else we've added has been
done while removing something older and (usually) heavier. Nowadays,
everything is lighter, from radios to intercoms to transponders.

And polishing the prop probably saved us some weight, too!

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck ) wrote:

Doesn't Sirius also have NPR?

That plus the NFL could be a deciding factor for me.

As a big fan of music in the cockpit, I learned that I absolutely cannot
listen to talk radio of any type while flying. It is far too distracting
for me to try to concentrate on what is being said while at the same time
listening to ATC.

Now, good jazz has the opposite effect, as it helps me to relax and
concentrate more.

--
Peter














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