I contacted XM satellite radio about Sirius in Mazdas and here is their reply:

Thank you for contacting XM Satellite Radio. We apologize for the delay in
response.

We're sorry that you can't replace your deck.

If you don't mind a seperate receiver, the Terk XM Commander uses an FM
Modulator, and the Delphi Skyfi and Roady both have "Universal Audio Adaptors",
which is an FM Modulator that plugs into your cigarette lighter.

http://www.xmradio.com/get_xm/

Once Mazda does integrate Sirius into their head units, you can get XM Radio on
it by getting an XM Direct unit, which will be available in a few weeks. This
will allow you to use your existing radio and steering wheel controls. You can
find out all about it at www.crutchfield.com, by entering XM Direct in the
search.

Please feel free to contact us via e-mail or through our dedicated toll-free
number, 1-800-XM RADIO.

 

I heard it is like $600. I'd rather get a Roady II which has built in FM modulator for $120.

 

XM is claiming under $100 for the tuner and interface currently available. The Mazda kit when available should be in the same gen. range, I would imagine.

http://www.xmradio.com/xm_direct/aftermarket.jsp

I would be willing to switch out my HU (ver 9.53) for a new one if this kit works with it.

 

Also, why would you ask about XM about their competitor (Sirius)?

 

Great info thanks. Do you think that the current non-Sirius head unit is considered satellite ready or not? In the email XM seems to indicate that we will have to have the Sirius ready unit in order for the XM adapter to work.
Jason - why are you questioning him asking XM about Sirius - especially since the link to the XM direct unit was extremely uselful.... Using an FM modulator is the surest way to kill the sound quality of satellite, which is better than broadcast FM. The XM unit looks as if it will hook up directly to the back of our current head units - for less than 100, with direct audio wiring, and use of steering wheel controls, this is one of the best options out there to date.. The question is just how different the newer headunit is, and whether one needs to replace the existing one with the Sirius.

 

Nice find! :D Can't wait!

 

Just an update guys, I was at a local Best Buy store today, and saw that they had the new XM Direct units that you're refering to. It's a small orange package that contains a small XM Tuner (much smaller than the Pioneer or Kenwood sat. units) and a tiny antenna (also smaller than the 2nd gen. flat Turk antenna). It also had a set of RCA outs instead of a harness (at least it's what it looked like from the box). Didn't really look at the price, tho.

Anyways, could this be what some of us were waiting for?
Hope this helps!

 

It's listed at around $50 at Crutchfield. The question is when will MazdaUSA release it's Sirius unit. We should see some action at the XM side to integrate the XM Direct into our HU after the Sirius release. So I guess we have to wait another few months.......

Unless someone has any other info

 

I revisited my local dealership because I didn't see the SAT button on either of the whire 2005 RX-8's they had in stock the first time I looked at them. Surely enought there was no SAT selection button on the head unit. Is Mazda coming out with it later in the 2005 year?

 

I know it probably won't help much, but I took the time today to write a letter to XM about bringing XM Direct options to the Mazda M-Bus platform. While I understand large corporate agreements and partnerships, I mentioned there were many new Mazda (not just RX) owners with Dash-Display capabilities that would love to have the option to get XM as their Sat provider and so on, so forth...

Like I said, I'm not expecting to get an actual personal response, let alone change the future for us... but hey, I guess I still like to think every customer counts...

I'll post a followup if it turns out to be informative.

 

Mazda is already working on an XM Satellite solution. It should be out "soon."

 

Mazda has contract ageement with siruis, I don't think they will have an XM solution soon.

 

forget the modulator...go with the P.I.E. adaptor for gold plated rca connector in goodness

also do any of this act as a 6 disk changer? if so you could control it through the HU easily...what a simply idea...someone?

 

So, are you saying get the P.I.E. adapter the XM kit and it should just work? That would be an easy solution!

 

IMO any commercially available XM reciever will connect to the RX-8 head unit via the PIE adapter audio in. You will still need to have the XM reciever screen visible and use it or it's remote to change channels, you can still adjust the volume by the steering wheel control.

We hope in the near future (after Sirius is available on Mazda vehicles) XM will come out with an interface to connect XMDirect (tuner) to the head unit so the radio controls will work including the steering wheel channel up/down, and the song will be displayed on the dash display. sigh........ hoping, wishing........

 

Here's a question I couldn't really find an answer to in that long-*** thread on the PIE Alpine adapter:

For those of us with the factory MP3/CD Player (Pioneer) ..well what do we do?!? I read that PIE has a Ford-Pioneer adapter (and that it would support any text, but doesn't simply b/c/ fords typically don't offer text support), but I don't think that's gonna help much tho as it seems XMDirect isn't yet avail. for Pioneer.

Any thoughts, or anyone already done this to confirm radio controls/display?

robertdot, I know you probably have an answer, or at least a thread to point me to regarding this combo?

 

Here's my 2cents: The mp3 player has nothing to do with the PIE adapter, which will plug into a different connector and the head unit switches to the PIE when you press the mode button on the steering wheel.
Also the PIE only feeds in 2 channel audio, no text and no controls unless you are going the Ipod route when you can have track up/down control from the steering via the Dension adapter/PIE combo. So unless you are happy with burning your own mp3 discs or CD-Text discs, you will not see any text info until Sirius and later XM arrive.

 

Great! Just what I was looking for! Thanks!