XM Radio Questions

Hi Folks,

I'm looking to upgrade my in-dash radio which is an older AM/FM/Cassette unit.
On longer trips it's hard to find any music out in the middle of nowhere, and when I do find a station, the reception is kinda lousy and the station goes by fast. While we enjoy some of the solitude of long distance travel, I would like to get XM reception like I do in my Jeep; no commercial interruptions and I can select the channel (type of music) I want to listen to.

Specific questions for those of you that may currently have XM:
-Will the head unit maintain station memories when house power is disconnected for extended periods of time (1~2 months)?
-Does the antenna have to run to a specific area away from under-dash (like the front cap)?
-Any particular brands to stay away from?
-Would you trust an automotive audio guy/shop to install one of these in a Class A?
(Maybe even a mobile installer that comes to my location)

I haven't narrowed down my selection but am looking at units from Alpine, Kenwood, Pioneer. I'm sure there's others...

thanks in advance for any input,
bill

Instead of another subscription why not dump the one you have buy a movable single like the  roady and a couple of mounting kits and move your music to where you are.  As for the head units?  There are two power sources. One for memory clock etc one switched for radio on.  Without the first one powered all the time you will loose all memory

I was afraid of that about the memory-house and chassis power goes off for storage. It would be kind of a pain to re-set the preferred XM channels into memory before each trip.
I guess it's not a deal-breaker though, as I can do that the night before we depart. I typically bring the coach out storage the night before a trip. Sometimes 2 nights before, depending on what I need to get done.

I don't want to mess with swappable head units. The Jeeps' is a tightly integrated unit. Plus, I have 1 yr free subscription, so for now it's not costing me anything. And, I will likely get a Nav receiver with an expandable XM receiver head unit for the coach. That setup is not easily moved about.

thanks for the ideas though, keep 'em coming....

Xm is NOT commercial free. The sound quality is just above am radio too. I had it for a year and dumped it.

I have a Sirius radio that I swap between the motorhome and my car. The unit does not lose programming while unplugged. The antenna needs to"see" the satellites, which isn't as difficult as it sounds. The one in the motorhome is inside a roof vent; the one in my car is on the back deck, under the fabric that covers the speakers.

Is there anything wrong with the existing stereo? If it still works okay, you can use it with a satellite receiver using the FM adapter.

I prefer my Starmate receiver over the built-in receiver in my wife's car, due to it's ability to record a couple hours of programs for later playback.

I have a XM radio that I use at home, in the truck and in the RV when we go south.  I just move it from place to place.  It's easy to do, if you have an auxiliary connection on your radio in the car/truck/rv it's so simple to plug it in there.

(Chip) said:

Xm is NOT commercial free. The sound quality is just above am radio too. I had it for a year and dumped it.

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Hmmm... Perhaps it depends on the channel, but the several channels I listen to have no commercials. Talk, sports, RAP, rock, etc. are out of my bailiwick, but country, folk, easy listening, classical, show tunes & bluegrass are commercial free. While it's not CD quality sound, it's well above AM radio, at least close to FM radio, and my aged ears have very limited frequency response these days, so it works fine for me.

Thanks for the comments so far, all good points to consider. I appreciate them.

I have XM in my Jeep which I purchased this May; it comes with a 1 yr. subscription to XM. I have not listened to FM or even streamed BT music since!

I am extremely happy with XM; I do not get "commercials" on the channels I listen to (mostly classic rock)-some short chatter from the DJ on music -related happenings at most. CD-quality while on the road is not necessary for me, just some pleasant background music; anytime-anywhere.

I just got off the phone with a local store/installer. They mentioned the antenna as was brought up above by HappyWanderer. They typically install a Marine-grade antenna on the roof. I don't want another hole so am leaning toward mounting under the front cap. I was told I may get some directionality... still mulling this over.

I realize I could probably get an XM receiver module tied in to my existing in Dash unit. It's a 2006 model (Jensen I believe), a bit dated as far as features go. The Kenwood unit I'm looking at has a built-in Garmin GPS with 6.2" screen, BT streaming, yada-yada... I think it will modernize and clean up the dash a bit, as I can ditch my over-the-dash 7" Garmin GPS which ties up the Gigarette Lighter port. (And, I haven't been totally impressed with the RV features of the Garmin 760LMT. Subject for another thread...)

Been quoted 3 hrs for the install which is way less than I expected. So I'll be heading off to do this real soon. I'll have a Garmin 760LMT up for sale soon. That should offset some of the cost of the in-dash unit.

Don't pay their inflated annual fee of about $190. I get it for $107 per year. Also will be cheaper if you transfer between units.

Here's what I did for an antenna. Couldn't get that little black one to stick anywhere it would work in all directions. Ran the line in to the same hole as the satellite dish, and down through the TV cabinet, and under some padding that is around the TV cabinet over to the windshield post, and then down under the dash.

Stan

The standard magnetic hockey puck will stick quite nicely on the inside of a standard 14" roof vent - just stick it to the steel crossbar inside the vent cap.

It's just high enough above the roof to let it see the satellite in all directions, and won't interfere with opening or closing the vent.

parttymer said:

Here's what I did for an antenna. Couldn't get that little black one to stick anywhere it would work in all directions. Ran the line in to the same hole as the satellite dish, and down through the TV cabinet, and under some padding that is around the TV cabinet over to the windshield post, and then down under the dash.

Stan

Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm thinking that the roof is going to be the best spot for trouble-free reception. After paying for the unit + install, I may as well get best reception possible. Thanks for the pics that helps a lot.

Bill

Lou Schneider said:

The standard magnetic hockey puck will stick quite nicely on the inside of a standard 14" roof vent - just stick it to the steel crossbar inside the vent cap.

It's just high enough above the roof to let it see the satellite in all directions, and won't interfere with opening or closing the vent.

Click to expand...

Hmmm, that's a nice idea too. No falling off on bumpy roads or washboard highways?

thanks,
Bill

hunter41 said:

Don't pay their inflated annual fee of about $190. I get it for $107 per year. Also will be cheaper if you transfer between units.

Click to expand...

Yeah, the Jeep guys say the same thing-big discounts are available, somewhere around $10/mo.
Transferring between units is not something I want to do at this time, as my new Jeep has a tightly integrated head unit. I wouldn't want to try and make dock/undock so I could move it into the MH. I'll have to suck it up for now and subscribe two separate units.

thanks,
Bill