# Sirius XM Radios Q1 2009



## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

Sirius XM Radio Inc. CEO Mel Karmazin told investors during yesterday's conference call that interoperable radios will be available ahead of the nine-month deadline mandated by the FCC.

Here's the whole article:

http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/i...m-radios-to-arrive-in-less-than-9-months.html


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## Dolly (Jan 30, 2007)

Mine is in my car


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## scr (Feb 5, 2008)

From the above article: 

"Karmazin confirmed on yesterday's call that "an a la carte radio will hit the stores this fall," and told Orbitcast that specific decisions on the programming packages are mere weeks away."

That's what I'm waiting for. 

However, I thought that they had already set the programming packages and prices in the process of the merger. At least that's what I read on the now gone XM Merger site.


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## DanoP (Sep 29, 2006)

Ken S said:


> Sirius XM Radio Inc. CEO Mel Karmazin told investors during yesterday's conference call that interoperable radios will be available ahead of the nine-month deadline mandated by the FCC.
> 
> Here's the whole article:
> 
> http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/i...m-radios-to-arrive-in-less-than-9-months.html


Coincidently, the pic looks like the Audiovox Express I had installed a couple of weeks ago. Which is going to come out this next weekend. I don't know how anyone listens to these aftermarket HU....sound is awful, metallic, hard, and tinny. And I have a direct FM modulator connection. When I replace my auto in a year I'll hopefully find one with XM/Sirius already included.


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## Dolly (Jan 30, 2007)

DanoP said:


> Coincidently, the pic looks like the Audiovox Express I had installed a couple of weeks ago. Which is going to come out this next weekend. I don't know how anyone listens to these aftermarket HU....sound is awful, metallic, hard, and tinny. And I have a direct FM modulator connection. When I replace my auto in a year I'll hopefully find one with XM/Sirius already included.


Lucky you I just bought my auto last year


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## DanoP (Sep 29, 2006)

Dolly said:


> Lucky you I just bought my auto last year


I love the programming on XM but the thing got yanked yesterday because the sound was just so bad. I have a Mazda 6 and it is designed to accommodate Sirius but it will cost $700+(!) to install the aftermarket unit designed for it. I'll just need to wait....and even when I'm done waiting and get my new car I don't know what kind of interoperability they'll have.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

$700? My Lincoln's factory head unit is satellite ready, for $200 I can get Sirius put in and have it fully integrated, but I'd rather have XM integrated and use a plug and play receiver for Sirius. I'm going to order one of those Terk Sirius to XM converters. I would imagine your Mazda has a standard Ford factory radio, it shouldn't cost nowhere near $700 to put Sirius in.


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## Dolly (Jan 30, 2007)

DanoP said:



> I love the programming on XM but the thing got yanked yesterday because the sound was just so bad. I have a Mazda 6 and it is designed to accommodate Sirius but it will cost $700+(!) to install the aftermarket unit designed for it. I'll just need to wait....and even when I'm done waiting and get my new car I don't know what kind of interoperability they'll have.


Well I know I'm not having anything done to my car until I really believe that Sirius XM is going to last. Which probably means I will never have anything done to the car :lol: I didn't want the merger and I don't have a great deal of faith in the merger now that it has finally taken place


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## DanoP (Sep 29, 2006)

Steve Mehs said:


> $700? My Lincoln's factory head unit is satellite ready, for $200 I can get Sirius put in and have it fully integrated, but I'd rather have XM integrated and use a plug and play receiver for Sirius. I'm going to order one of those Terk Sirius to XM converters. I would imagine your Mazda has a standard Ford factory radio, it shouldn't cost nowhere near $700 to put Sirius in.


Actually the Mazda 6 Sirius unit itself is $300+ and then when they factor in labor, it comes to $700. I called a Mazda service department just a few days ago and that's the info they gave me. I *could* try to do it myself but I'm just not too crazy about pulling out the console and messing with the innards. Besides, I'll be going through alot of time and expense to install something that is already obsolete.

The XM head unit cost me $100, FM modulator $30, bracket $30 and install labor $79 (Best Buy). Total = $239. BTW, when I yanked it out last weekend, I got all these costs charged back except the install labor.


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

I’ve installed several factory receivers in “Sirius-ready” vehicles – BMW, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus. Truly, the most difficult part of the task is getting to the wiring harness. On many vehicles, especially SUV’s, the receiver tends to be mounted in the trunk behind an easily-removable panel. Lexus (and I’d assume Toyota, too) tend to be the worst as it goes in the center console behind the radio. Before you write-off the job as being too difficult, research on the Internet to see what advice those familiar with your car can give. 

Even if you do have to pull trim off the center console and remove the factory radio, you don’t have to do any “wiring”. Once you gain access to the install location, the rest is usually very easy - one or two plug-in connections on the wiring harness plus the antenna and you’re ready to go. Note that some vehicles (often Mercedes) must have the computer system “coded” to recognize the new device and that requires a dealer visit (or someone with the very expensive tools to do it). 

There are some aftermarket Sirius and XM receivers for popular makes and models, but often, you can find the OEM factory unit on places like eBay for a reasonable price. I bought a Sirius unit on eBay for about $90 to replace the XM receiver that cam in my wife’s new Murano. Although Nissan now sells XM, they used to offer Sirius and on most cars, the connection is identical. It will save me money in the long run since I can “stack” the Sirius unit on my existing account for $7/mo instead of getting a new $13/mo XM account. Also, she didn’t like XM as much as Sirius (probably just a matter of familiarity with the channels and DJ’s).


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

Paying for installs is a complete rip off. With a little patience and the right wrench you can do anything. It took me about 2 hours to fully install both XM and Sirius plug and play receivers in my Mountaineer, installing the dual Aux In adaptor (FM modulation sucks) , and making it look as clean as possible. I can't imagine what the jamokes at Best Buy would have charged and what it would have looked like. I know the goofballs at Circuit City wanted $20 to install my radar detector two years ago. Suction the damn thing to the windshield and plug it in, my jaw about hit the floor when they guy tried to push the installation on me.

Now I am in a unique situation, the headunit in my Aviator is satellite ready, I want to keep both XM and Sirius in my truck, I could careless about dual receivers, I've been using two receivers for XM and Sirius for years, I can live with it, but instead of going plug and play on both, I want XM integrated into the headunit and use my Sirius Starmate 4 connected via aux in. There's a very reputable local car audio shop around here and they only charge $10 for installation, that's on anything, car audio, car video, anti theft and so on. I could have had Sirius installed already, but I don't want Sirius integrated in, the shop can't find the Terk Ford XM adaptor locally, and I never got around to order it online yet, but if I order in, they will install it, for $10. It will be just like if it rolled off the assembly with XM built in. For $10 I'll pay for the installation but Sirius, I'm doing myself.


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## pez2002 (Dec 13, 2002)

hey i have a question my stepdad brought a 2008 ford focus really nice car how does he get the sirius turned on ?


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## djlong (Jul 8, 2002)

I was only too happy to pay $100 to have my Pioneer Avic D-3 installed. No, it wasn't Best Buy or Circuit City - got my stuff at Tweeter (nice package deal).

They wired the XM antenna through the windshield, the GPS antenna through the dash, the hookups for the XM/NavTraffic receiver through the passenger compartment and trunk and made a perfect factory-looking installation of the head unit. About the only thing that was 'simple' about that was the iPod wire that goes from the back of the head unit to my iPod which usually sits in the glove compartment (to keep it hidden).

Cost me a lot less to pay them than to lose my time over doing it. It's not the 1970s anymore when I used to change in-dash radios on a weekly basis.


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