Has anyone installed XM radio? Just wondering about costs/quality of sound/, etc.

[quote:9598bd5616="SmuthyB"]Has anyone installed XM radio? Just wondering about costs/quality of sound/, etc.[/quote:9598bd5616]

I'd like to know these answers too. I'm going to go aftermarket on stereo and alarm, and several of the stereos I'm looking at are either XM or Sirius-ready. I'll probably have to go to Sirius because XM doesn't carry NPR.

Then there's the Delphi SkyFi unit - looks cool.

Kim, I've had XM since September and I'd be really hesitant about "XM-ready" stereos. That's what I had, a very nice XM-ready Sony, and there are a couple of problems. First, having a Sony, I was locked into a Sony XM receiver, which cost much more than other available receivers. I don't know for sure that would be true for other brands, but it is for Sony.

Secondly, and much more important in my opinion, is that the display area on most XM-ready stereos is very small and the controls are not XM-dedicated, just XM-adapted. When you're shopping, compare the display areas to the Delphi Skifi and you'll see what I mean. I never did figure out how to use the XM preset buttons on the SONY, and the display would show only the first few letters of the song or program.

IMHO, NPR programming would be the only reason to go with Sirius, but that's counterbalanced by the fact that Sirius has a larger monthly charge. I keep hoping that XM will pick up NPR. It does have other good news channels though (BBC, CNN, etc.).

This is turning into a long post, but one more thing. I'm going with the Delphi SkiFi in my E, hopefully tomorrow! (I had to sell my old unit first.) There are several other threads about installation, but I'm going to mount the receiver bracket below the shifter, so it will be convenient, and initially plug it in through the AUX input. When aftermarket converters become available for the E, I'll then hardwire the receiver to the CD-changer input.

Kristi

SOP EX

Kristi --

That is really good information. Thanks so much.

Although I have loved Sony for my home electronics, it was suggested I steer clear of them for car audio. Hearing what you have to say about the XM-ready unit, I can see why.

And yeah, NPR is the Sirius thing's only strength, and considering that I can listen to it on my local station, I see no reason to jump into Sirius just for that (But ask me again during donation pledge week - I go bananas then!)

The XM Delphi SkyFi unit does look very cool.

Hmmm. More to think about.

Thanks!

Hi all,

The Delphi XM system is great. I have it installed just over the sub woofer. I take it out and use the Boom Box feature when I travel.

For anyone looking to add XM I would say that was the way to go.

There are some pics posted of my system installed in another thread....check for it, it looks great.

My best buddie just had a Kenwood Sirius radio installed. It runs his factory speakers. I notice a very nice quality increase in the sound. The head unit, sirius tuner, antenna all together put him back about 500$. I will probably get one when i get me an Element in a few weeks.

I got my Delphi XM yesterday, and had it installed. I was delighted to find that they just reduced the price! Receiver was $99 and car kit was $67. (This was at Circuit City.)

I decided to put it on the shelf in front of the AUX input, because I was sure I'd knock it off if I put it below the shifter. They made a bracket that velcros to the car, and then the Delphi car cradle is on that. I'm going to play with it a little, as I want to angle it more toward me; right now, it faces straight out. I also decided just to plug it in to the AUX and the lighter, rather than pull the radio. Once the adapter is available to plug it into the CD changer on the radio, then I think I'll have it hardwired in.

I'm pretty pleased with the whole thing. The sound is good, and the receiver is within reach, though with the remote, that doesn't really matter.

Yeah!!! No more static!!

:D

I just read an article on XM vs Sirius. They addressed NPR BUT said that Sirius IS NOT carrying NPR freature programming like Morning Edition , ATC etc.
Without that I don't consider them to be "carrying" NPR at all!

The article also said that Honda has like an 8% ownership of XM. Doesn't Honda have XM capable receivers?

Peter

I have a Pioneer FM-modulated XM reciever in my Element. The sound quality is excellent, but at a certain frequency range the sound makes a crackling noise. It's only at a certain range and it doesn't happen very often. Very nitpicky observation. The Pioneer display doesn't show the whole song title or band name due to the limitation of the display. I think the Delphi would have been a better bet, but I got a huge discount with the Pioneer due to it being used.

My husband has the Pioneer in his truck, but when he got it (last July), that was about all that was available. Not too long after I got my Sony (September), the Delphi came out. :?

When I got my E, I was glad to have the chance to sell my Sony and buy the Delphi! Of the three, the Delphi has the best display and controls, but the Pioneer is really not bad at all. The controls and presets are easy to use. Plus, it's a little smaller than the Delphi, so the install options are a little better. The controls and display of the XM-ready Sony were horrible!

I love my XM!!!! I don't think I could live without it! We hooked it up when we had our trip driving to FL from VA and it was great. I just have factory speakers and head unit, just added the Del Phi right in front of the console on the floor.

I've had a Delphi XM unit at home for about 6 months, since I can't get FM very well. When I got my EX last week, the dealer installed a car kit I bought.

http://www.ncis.com/~planner/Uploads/element/xm01.jpg

This was the first one they have installed. If I had it to do over again, I would use right angle audio plugs. I still may change them out sometime.

http://www.ncis.com/~planner/Uploads/element/xm02.jpg

There's nothing standard about the connectors in the EX. There are 6 wires going to the rear of the AUX (MP3) connector. Rather than figure out how to hardware them, we just ran the audio cable out next to the connector. If I ever DO need to use another device, the Dephi can just be unplugged here.

The power was hardwired in, right here at the front accessory outlet. Since the voltage reduction for the Delphi takes place in the accessory plug, that assembly had to be reconfigured and reconnected.

As other threads have discussed, the fact that the accessory plugs go off when the E is turned off is a problem. It may be possible to rewire it -- in fact it IS possible, just not easy. The EX has two accessory outlets, separately fused at 10 amps each. The power to the front outlet comes on at the fuse block when the ignition switch is in the "On" or "Accessory" position.

The power from the fuse block to the rear outlet is on all the time. It's just that the power is controlled by a relay located behind the glove compartment. The coil to that relay is powered by the same circuit that powers the front outlet.

I asked the dealer to look at rewiring the outlets so they would be on all the time. Honda won't let them. Voids the warranty.

http://www.ncis.com/~planner/Uploads/element/xm03.jpg

I mounted the antenna on the left side near the rear hatch. The wire goes under the plastic molding ...

http://www.ncis.com/~planner/Uploads/element/xm04.jpg

... and comes out near the wiring harness for the hatch.

http://www.ncis.com/~planner/Uploads/element/xm05.jpg

Here it enters the plastic harness cover, where it makes its way north thru the frame, where it eventually connects to the cradle on the dash.

If you get one of these little tuners that you can hook up to the existing stereo and then take in the house... etc you lose some sound quality. These systems us an FM modulator that works sort of like a mr. microphone. You set it to broadcast to a channel where there is no radio station in your area, then tune your radio to that channel. The signal is broadcast through your radio. To get a pure sound, get a stereo that is ready for xm or sirius.

Another drawback to the "mr. microphone" system is that if you go on a trip you may encounter a radio station on the channel that you have your sattelite radio set on. This makes road trips a huge pain in the butt because you are always re-setting your system to avoid static and talk-over from local stations. Even two or three hours away from home can pick up different radio stations.

Hope information helps-

Well, not exactly, getmygoat. At least not in the E. I've got my Delphi plugged into the Aux input, as does Bobh, as shown in his picture, so there's no FM modulator involved. Just push that nice AUX button on the radio to switch to XM. And sometime in the future (hopefully not too long), there will be an Aux converter for the E, so that the XM can be hooked into the CD changer input in the back of the radio.

Foxtail's right. The Delphi provides line level outputs. There IS an FM modulator available for use with those car radios that don't have an AUX input, but it's not needed on the EX models (I believe that the DX models don't have that?) That was one of the reasons I had the Delphi installed before I picked up my E.

The home cradle -- which includes it's own antenna -- plugs directly into one of the input channels of my home audio system. No FM modulator there either.

SmuthyB started this thread by asking about sound quality and, which we never did respond to.

Sound Quality is, of course, in the ear of the beholder. I don't think anyone would claim that even the superHondaaudio system is that great; lots of threads on this an other boards talk about changing out the speakers, but if you want REALLY great quality ... start by replacing the head. As it sits, though, the XM quality is every bit as good as CDs ... to my untrained and unrefined ears.

The cost of a single station system is about 140 bucks. 70 for the receiver, another 70 for either a home kit or a car kit. There's also PC kits and boomboxes available. Check out http://delphi.com/electronics/skyfi/.

Satellite radio quality is very good in general. I would agree that it is very close to CD quality.

I went with Sirius over XM due to the fact that it is what my Kenwood supports. I love it.

That would be a good reason ....

That's good to know, thanks for the feedback. On the Honda website it only talks about hooking up your mp3 player to the aux input. It's good to know that it can be used for other purposes.

thanks

Well, after mulling over many options, I decided to keep my stock radio and amplifier. Didn't want to give anyone a reason to break into my Element if I could help it. I upgraded my speakers with JL Audio TR-600CX 6.5 inch Coaxial Speakers (front and back), and JL Audio Component Tweaters (VR-075CT). I also had installed the Sony DRNXM01R XM Unit. I had the Controller put up in the storage bin. I can't see it very well while driving, so I've got the channels I'm intersted in programmed. Not over impressed with the sound of the music stations, but am very happy with the Talk Radio stations that are available

[quote:d86cd87b1e="MiamiElement"]Well, after mulling over many options, I decided to keep my stock radio and amplifier. Didn't want to give anyone a reason to break into my Element if I could help it. I upgraded my speakers with JL Audio TR-600CX 6.5 inch Coaxial Speakers (front and back), and JL Audio Component Tweaters (VR-075CT). I also had installed the Sony DRNXM01R XM Unit. I had the Controller put up in the storage bin. I can't see it very well while driving, so I've got the channels I'm intersted in programmed. Not over impressed with the sound of the music stations, but am very happy with the Talk Radio stations that are available[/quote:d86cd87b1e]

How does your system sound with those new speakers? Would you mind posting your experience in this thread...

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2692

Just installed the Delphi SkiFi and its awesome. With the AUX input you save money on the FM modulator(about $50) I mounted it right in front of the AUX plug and can angle it towards me. Sounds incredible...

I got a Sony XM radio from my wife for X-mas. I think it is the greatest thing since I am no longer stuck with just CDs when I drive through Christian Rock / Country music land. I have to agree with foxtail's accessment of the NPR and Sirius. If you are big football fan Sirius might also be a better bet since they are picking up all the NFL games.

The best part of my XM purchase was that I made money on the deal. Sony got out of the XM radio business and ran a $100 off promotion. I got mine on uBid for under a $100 with shipping so I came out ahead. :)

By the way, I am sure this probably obvious for most people here but using a FM modulator for satellite radio is just plain silly. Especially in the Element with a built AUX input, why limit yourself to FM bandwidth.

I am not sure if most people know this but don't judge XM quality based on talk channels. XM varies its compression ratios between talk and music channels.

Oh yeah, stay away from Terk antennas. I have tried two different antennas and they both performed abysmally. Despite what some salespeople will tell you antennas do make a difference. You can find out your reception status/strength by:

The Delphi Skyif, Roady and XM Commander all have hidden diagnostic screens that show details about the signal strength and source along with firmware versions and other details.


To access these screens:


On the SkyFi -

Turn the unit off, then on ethier the remote or the receiver itself press 2, 0, 7, and then the XM button. The SkyFi should turn itself on. Hit the DISPLAY button 3 times to get to the first of 5 screens of DIAG info. The first 2 show signal details.


On the Roady -

Turn the receiver off, hit 2, 0, 7 and then press the tuning wheel down. The Roady should turn itself on. Hit the DISPLAY button 3 times to get to the first of 9 info screens.

On the XM Commander -

Turn it off, then press 2, 0, 7, and then the large XM button. It should turn itself on. Hit the DISPLAY button 3 times


How to decode these screens.....

DEMOD: A check mark means you have demodulator lock. This means the receiver is locked on the signal from that source.

TDM: A check mark means you are synchronized with the Time Division Multiplexed signal from that source.

BER %: Percentage Bit Error Rate. This is the percentage of received data bits in error. For satellite this value should be less than 3% for error free audio. For terrestrial, it should be below 6%.

AGC: Automatic Gain Control Level. This is an indication of the amount of internal gain needed to recover the signal. The more negative, the higher the signal being received.

BER: Raw Bit Error Rate. This is the number of received data bits in error. This value divided by the maximum number of errors in a measurement interval is the BER % on Screen 1. Max number for SAT1 and SAT2 is 5440. Max for TERR is 6800.

C/N: Signal to Noise Ratio measured as Carrier Power divided by Noise Power. For SATs, this value needs to be greater than 7, otherwise the receiver will not be able to lock on. It does not apply for TERR. This is a good satellite antenna pointing indicator.

RSBK and RSBY: Reed Solomon Block and Byte Errors. They should be 0.


The SkyFi has some addtional key combos... 1-2-3-XM puts the receiver into "Demo Mode". Cycle power to get it back to normal. 6-0-2-XM puts it into "PC Connection" mode. This actually activates the serial input/outputs at the SkyFi's dock connector, you can control the SkyFi in the same manner you can a XM PCR by simply sending the right command (and someone on the XMFan forums has did just that)

The Roady also has another feature. 2-3-2-tuning wheel turns the Roady on with the backlight DISABLED.

"Oh yeah, stay away from Terk antennas. I have tried two different antennas and they both performed abysmally. Despite what some salespeople will tell you antennas do make a difference."

What Terk Antenna's have you used?

The TERK options might be limited for the Sony P+P unit. I've used the new Terk Micro antenna and it gets better reception then the micro XM antenna's. A lot more sensitive.

The Terk micro is about as big in diameter as a quarter, and maybe a 1/4" tall. It is so small I bought one for my SkyFi boombox and velcro'd it to the top. A lot better then the larger directional antenna's the boombox comes with.

I purchased an XM Roady for my Element about four months ago and I feel it was worth the money. I had it installed at the very top of the sub cover (directly below the shifter). The installers talked me into placing the antenna on my dashboard stating that the little antennas seem to get stolen a lot when placed on the roof of a vehicle. The reception has been most of the time although there have been some dead spots.

The installers at Best Buy did a horrible job running the wiring up the sub cover and next to the glove box. I pulled it all out and did my own installation under the sub cover, behind the dash (next to the glove box). I drilled a very small hole on the shelf below the AUX input and power supply. I drilled the hole on the lip facing the front of the Element so the hole cannot be seen. Now, I only have about three inches of wiring showing. It looks really clean and I couldn't be happier.

Now, I'm just waiting for the Roady boom box to be released this summer. Although, I saw some pictures of what it will look like and I prefer the look of the SkyFi boom box.

Oh yeah, I chose to mount the Roady under the shifter so I can loop one of my extra baseball caps on the shifter and the bill of the cap hides the Roady. Just a little peace of mind when leaving my Element in a parking lot.

I've had some problems loading images so if you'd like to see some pictures of my wire routing, e-mail me and I'll transfer them from my camera and e-mail you a couple of shots.

If you send the shots to me, I can post 'em for you. Send a PM.

Oh, and if you have any links to pics of the Roady boombox, I'd love to see 'em. I wonder if they're using the standard 3 side connectors, or if the "test pad holes" on the top back of the roady will be used for docking...

-brendan

Nickel: I have tried 2 mast type antennas because they were on sale. They both did not work well with my Sony unit. I have not tried the new one which looks like the Blitz antenna. I am glad it works well for you.

You boys hear about Roady2? It was announced at the consumer electronics show in May and I guess it will be in stores some time in July. I guess it is suppose to be compact (maybe smaller?) like the Roady but also includes a 20 customizable stock ticker and built in FM transmitter. It will also include a rechargeable battery, built in antenna (via headphones), and headphone jack. This is Delphi's attempt at a walkman style XM radio. :P So iff'in you be in the market for one and are looking for these features, you may want to wait till July.

Ya, the micro works well. No experience with the mast type, but technology has improved by leaps and bounds on the XM stuff.

Roady 2, ya, heard about it and seen some pictures. Looks exciting but not for me at this time. I really enjoy the SkyFi (I have 2 boomboxes, one for work one for portable at home, a home kit and a car kit)and will probably pick up a SkyFi 2 when they come out in Q4. Will have the same new features as Roady, plus adding some things they missed the first go around like the song search/alert button. My wife has a roady and I am envious on that feature.

I believe the battery/walkman will be an addtional unit that the roady 2 can be plugged into. That will be cool and an inexpensive way for Delphi to test a portable unit market. I'm curious to see how it does. I think the big "if" that needs to be answered is will the general public "get" that it cannot be used indoors. That is probably when I would most want it (buses, trains, libraries, etc.)

Beyond that, the 4th generation chips come out early 2005 and those will consume even less power and be even smaller. There is rumored talk about XM in cell phones, iPODS, etc.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the only other community I know that is as passionate about a product as XM subscribers is this one.

[quote:eead5c2637=" "]I think the big "if" that needs to be answered is will the general public "get" that it cannot be used indoors. That is probably when I would most want it (buses, trains, libraries, etc.)[/quote:eead5c2637]

...gyms....

-brendan

Bypassing the FM modulation device via an aux wire to aux jack is a great idea that is not emphasized enough. however, I've replaced my stock head unit with a Sony unit that has aux inputs (RCA) in the back of the unit itself and therefore will terminate the stock aux jack in the dash area.

Would I be able to plug my RoadyII, via an RCA to 1/8" mini, to the Sony's aux input and achieve the same function and quality?

[quote:11c0673e5d=" "]
Would I be able to plug my RoadyII, via an RCA to 1/8" mini, to the Sony's aux input and achieve the same function and quality?[/quote:11c0673e5d]

Yes. Doing the same thing as the Element's AUX, just with different equipment and you need to run the wiring out from behind your new sony HU on your own.

For some Element owners, me for example, the built in stock HU with AUX input was a big selling point. I hate dealing with wires and electronics so I wanted the ability to plug my XM in without much fuss.

I have a Roady 2 that I move back and forth from my E to my Prelude to my house. It has an FM modulator built in as well as line output. The modulator works OK. One big disadvantage is the need to the modulator is the need to change channels while traveling as you enter an area that broadcasts on the wave length you're tuned to. So... in addition to the better sound the aux on the E is the way to go. On my Prelude (No Aux) I bought an adapter that makes the CD changer port work as an AUX input. This should work on the non EX Elements as well.

If you love music, get an XM!

[quote:6a152587af=" "]On my Prelude (No Aux) I bought an adapter that makes the CD changer port work as an AUX input. If you love music, get an XM![/quote:6a152587af]

I didn't know such a thing existed. Where did you get this adapter? What is it called?

EDIT - Oh wait, never mind. "Changer Port"!! I thought you meant just the regular CD player. Yes, I've used these adapters.

Yeah it works really well. The only down side is you can't use it with the factory changer.