Satellite Radio and the future

[Hotsauce]

I am looking at buying an XM receiver for my car. I went to bust buy to get an installed price. I can get a descent one installed, parts and labor for around $220. Then of course I am going to have to pay for the XM service.

Also, a tidbit on the service... My dad let his subscription expire last year, and the sales person from XM called him to offer $499 lifetime service. He went ahead and got it, but again it was $500. I called XM and they offered me the same deal. So I would ultimately be paying around $750 for sat radio. I really would like to have it, as I drive around 4000+ miles a month. It gets annoying trying to dick around with local radio stations in different cities.

Does anyone have any knowledge about the direction of subscription based radio? I dont want to spend $100's on something that will be obsolete in a couple years.

I can use Pandora, however I am extremely dependent on my phone for work, and Pandora messes with the battery/functionality of the phone.

[Purity-Control]

It's not going anywhere, Stern is there cash cow and he just resigned not to long ago.

**all though he is suing them now**

Most of there other personality's have also resigned.

I don't see it going anywhere

They might get some competition from free Internet based radio, until they also start charging.

[The Saltman]

I bought a receiver from ebay and installed for about 125. I would try to save a little there. But I wouldn't change anything if I could go back in time. I love satellite radio and am glad I made the change. Also who in the 21st century listens to fm radio?

[Dpantherman]

*raises his poor little hands*

[Hotsauce]

Will best buy install a reciever that I bring in?

[The Saltman]

Yes

[tight lines]

I wouldn't personally let best buy install a cd in my cd player. They don't generally have very good installers. (yes this is a generalization, but without information to the contrary on your specific best buy I stand by this generalization.)

[fitty76]

I'm thinking about getting rid of the satellite radio. Listening on line used to be free. Now it isn't. The merger took place 4 years ago and they are still two seprate companies. I have XM and if I want the "best of Sirius" I have to pay for that. Just recently I changed my settings and they charged me a $5 "change fee." And now Stern is suing the company. And don't get me started on the lack of original programming on Howard 100 and 101. It is a joke now.

Maybe I should just get rid of it and use Pandora and podcasts as my car radio.

[Carolina Husker]

I love Sirius.

[88 Bronco]

How mechanically inclined are you? They aren't too hard to install. I have had Sirius for 2 years now and it drives me nuts to ride with someone how still listens to terrestrial radio.

[Hotsauce]

Actually, I have installed XM recievers on 2 cars in the past myself. However, what inclines me to have it professionally done is the fact that they can

A) hardwire the power

B) install the FM modulator (which is seperate from the built in one, this one installs directly onto the attena coming from my car radio and it essentially disables FM, and only allows the XM Broadcast...DEF worth the $22)

C) Custom mount my reciever exactly where I want it. They will likely have to create a special mount, because the one that comes with the reciever SUX.

D) take away the 2-4 hour headache...$70 aint bad to have someone else do it for me!

Also, I met the installer while I was shopping. He is def qualified, and he knows whats up.

[Anybodyhome]

I discovered XM in 2005 when I bought my Tahoe. One of the many deciding factors when I bought my new Tahoe last year was XM (now Sirius XM). We had the dealer install it in my wife's car in 2006.

Would never go back to terrestrial radio. Most of the channels Sirius offered are now on XM, with the exception of a few of the premium channels which I don't subscribe to (NFL games being one of them). Anyway, I'm on a quarterly payment plan for both cars and it runs me about $78 per quarter.