XM Radio In Accord Questions

Hello:

Am thinking of getting satellite radio XM as a gift for a person
with a new 2004 Accord LX 6 cyl. Apparently it does not come
with an XM capable radio (only the leather packages have it) so will
have to do it the hard way, I guess.

a. Does the "standard" 6 CD radio that came installed with the car have an
aux. jack, anywhere, to accept the XM tuner output, or must one use the
small fm transmitter that
you can purchase for it ?

b. Hate to have to install the antenna on the exterior of the car.
The salesman said that it works fine placing it on the dashboard, as the
glass is so extremely angled, it has a good sky view. Also said it works if
you
place it on the rear inside shelf.

Are both of these statements true ?
Or, is it "substantially" better on the roof ?

c. Not too sure what else to ask.

Are you folks happy with XM ?
Works well ?
Worth it, in your opinion ?

Any caveats, etc. ?

Thanks,
Bob

 

Why XM? Remember, when cable came out they said no ads too. Everyone
switched to cable and now there is hardly any broadcast TV. Now everyone
with cable is stuck paying for ads that make an hour and a half movie three
hours long. Why pay for radio when it's already free?

I have experienced XM in a car, not just some display in a store. In
places with trees it cuts out like a cell phone. A digital station can't
come in unless it's clear. Also, I hear people make fun of the funny
antenna you have to put on the roof. Basically, you're only going to
impress the people that need the newest thing to spend money on.

Basically, I don't see how it can be worthwhile.

Aron

 

Why XM? Remember, when cable came out they said no ads too.
Actually, XM just recently increased the number of comercial free stations.

a half movie three hours long.
My HBO plays movies straight though, yours puts ads in the middle?

Cause my local stations don't have CNN, FOXnews, MLB or NFL
games. I also cant get any NASCAR races on fm. ohhh wait.....
I also can't get a 24hour Comedy channel. (it goes on and on and on)

Nothing is perfect, but its much better then most FM signals.

If you like the sound of static, its ok. I understand.
Some dont like the sound, so no signal is better then raw noise. Also,
I dont have a single problem getting receiption. Owned it for more
then a year now......never a droped signal.

Dont be foolish. Not a good reason at all for not liking it.

 

<Are you folks happy with XM ?>
YES - YES - YES! I have my presets to 60s, 70s, 3 classical music stations
and CNN news. Hubby likes the Country stations like Hanks Place. IT IS SO
COOL!!! We get it free for 3 months. Even my son likes it - and he is 30
and hard to impress. I hear it is only $9.99 per month. Your friend should
have got the leather with navi and the XM. It really is worth it! Of
course back when I was young I couldn't even afford to get the A/C option or
an automatic trans. DonnaB

 

You pay extra for commercial-free channels on cable. It's always been that
way even if it shouldn't be.

OBTW, when cable first came out, my father told me he didn't get it for the
extra channels and ad-free stations. He got it so he could take that nasty
antenna off of his roof and it would provide better reception. Sounds worth
it to me.

The content of local radio absolutely sucks in comparison. That's why
people will spend money on it.

I guess you can still listen to CDs or, in your case, cassettes.

 

Basically, it's because basically you don't get it.

 

I have one, and I probably wouldn't want to do without it now.

I drove from the SF Bay area to the middle of Yosemite, and I didn't loose
it until I got almost to the middle of the park. I never loose it around
town......

So far, no commercials are only on the music stations. CNN, MSNBC, ESPN
radio, et al have commercials.

 

" Not being illuminated is one of our peeves when we got our Accord---------------
I wish they had used Braille-like keys. It would be a lot easier to find the
right one with your finger.
Sort of like a hand calculator with the knob protrusion on the middle key.

George

 

I subscribe to Sirius, and I will say this, satellite radio is a great thing
:O)

 

Why? How about variety? Choice?

I think that is much too highly subjective to state as a general rule.

 

are you that shallow that if outher people make fun of your antenna, it
will affect your decision as to how you equip your automobile?

 

And the antenna really isn't that bad.

 

He had problems in high school gym. Some things, people never get over.

 

And how much EXTRA do yu PAY for HBO? I was talking about the standard
cable stations, not the premium stations.

You don't have CNN or FOX news but you do have NPR on FM and AM has at least
MLB and plenty of news. I don't listen to the radio for sports so I can't
be certain but I bet you can find other sportscasting on AM. Well maybe you
aren't in an area with a good selection of stations or something but in the
New York area there are tons of sttions.

You have no chance of hearing what going on if it cuts out. You can hear
through most AM/FM signal problems. If you're trying to listen to
information or music, continuity is important.

This may be your experience but it doesn't describe XM in general because I
have experience repeated dropped signals on a regular basis on a
professionally installed system. I'm sure it depends mostly on the area.

But it might be a good reason not to do it. I be you wouldn't wear clown
shoes to school or work (unless of course you work as a clown or something)
even if you liked them.

 

Funny, in my area you still get fuzz and ghosting in cable programming. So
much for the great improvement. With a good areal you will get the local
stations equally well. If everyone didn't have cable there would be tons of
local stations, at least in metro areas, just like there are tons of radio
stations.

I have had a CD player in my car since 1995. I listen to CDs all the time.

 

Basically, I don't want it. I don't think it is worth spending more on. I
guess that makes you uncomfortable.

 

That's pretty good. I wouldn't want an extra bill in order to listen to the
radio though. I have never been anywhere I can remember where there was no
radio coverage. I have, however been where there are only two stations and
they both suck. I guess that's about equal to cutting out in Yosemite since
either way I'd be popping in a CD. I don't like the idea of paying for
radio. Paying for TV (cable) was the downfall of local television coverage
and now you really can't get TV without paying a premium for it even though
advertisers have already paid for it. Even in a metro area you only have a
small number of broadcast television stations. I would hate to see that
happen to radio.

 

Not really but I do try not to look like an idiot. If it's important enough
to me then I'm not going to do it even if others aren't understanding.

 

Hello Aron...

Congrats on coming back to a conversation that ended two weeks ago.

You dont get it do you? When I said "CNN and FOX" I wasnt talking
about getting any news, I was talking about CNN and FOX. I dont
get them on local free stations.

OK...so you say you "dont listen to the radio for sports" but yet you
feel the need to act like AM has a lot of sports? Local AM only has
LOCAL sports. Like ONE game a weekend. Sat radio offers EVERY
MBL game in the country. and in the future EVERY NFL game.
Local AM/FM doesnt offer anything near that.

Here is were you are wrong. I'm sorry that you have had a bad experience.
But did you read the other posts in this thread? 90% of the people that
responded
said they get great reception. The other 9% didnt mention reception, but
had a
positive oppinion of Sat radio. So far you are alone on this issue.

Still a foolish reason. Nothing you've said changes that. Just as foolish
as this.....
"I have a FM/AM stereo in my car. I only listen to AM cause I dont like the
letter F"


Officially I am done with this thread.

 

That's funny. I bet you buy bottles of water for a dollar. I bet you
go to Starbucks and overpay for coffee. But ten bucks a month for
commercial free music in the car, now that's different. Right?

Well, now, if you consider the Reverend Billy Joe Bob to be radio worth
listening to, you may be right.

Remember that the next time you buy a bottle of water.

Radio has already gone down the tubes. Ten bucks a month for the
privilege of NOT listening to a Clear Channel station is well worth it.

I'll give up the two cups of Starbucks per month for that.

It's already happened.