XM Radio? (FM modulator quality?)
 

Hey all,

I'm thinking about getting an XM radio system so that I can have tunes when I go camping out in the middle of nowhere. If I do, I'd also like to get something that will work in the rx8 so I'm not paying a subscription for something I only use camping.

SO.... I've been looking at the XM Roady-2 which has a FM modulator option so it can be played on a normal car stereo.

I'm kinda dubious about the sound quality though when it goes through the FM modulator.

Does anyone have a XM radio hookup in their car? If so, are you doing a direct hookup or via FM? If you're doing the FM modulation trick, what's the quality like?

Any other thoughts, opinions, etc about XM radio?

Thanks in advance- I did a search for XM radio and didn't get much back - possibly because xm only has two letters....

Cheers,
Simon.

I researched the same option a while back, and found a couple of reviews that said the sound quality was not very good. Their conclusion was - "why buy digital satellite radio if it's going to sound like FM?" I don't remember now where I read the reviews, sorry.

I just installed my Roady2 this last weekend (there should be a thread on here about it somewhere) - I FM modulate (for the time being), and it's not awful. I've found that the modulator is stronger than most others I've used, and if you're not competing with a strong radio station on one of the channels you can select from, it's pretty good quality (as good as a good FM broadcast). On the other hand, my brother has his Roady2 in his GS400 hooked up with a BlitzSafe adapter, and it sounds much better than modulation. I guess for me, for the time being, modulation will just have to work until real Aux inputs are out there. I got my Roady2 for similar reasons you mentioned - the way I mounted it, I can quickly remove it from the car and take it in the house, or when the accessories become available, I could put it in a boombox (do people still use that word?) or walkman.

Why get digital sat radio if you modulate? Because it's not only about quality of sound, but about reception anywhere and way better programming.

I have an XM Commander that I use via FM Modulation. I find the quality to be very good. Yes a direct connection would be much better but I am very satisfied with the quality. And as the previous poster said, the access to the excellent diversified programming makes me very happy with my setup.

I have the XM Commander also. I find the FM modulation to vary between slightly worse than FM to slightly better than FM depending on the channel you're listening to. This is with the factory Blose system.

I picked up an XM Roady (first version), during a sale at Best Buy where they were offering a free FM modulator cigarette lighter adapter along with the kit. I have it plugged into the outlet under the armrest, not the one up by the dashboard, and I get a really nice clear signal on FM 88.1.

Impressive thing is, when I don't have it plugged in, I actually get some fuzzy reception on that station, but as soon as I plug it in, whether the unit is on or not, the station gets completely blanked out.

I'm very happy with it, and after tucking the wires up under the silver trim down the middle, it looks pretty clean, with no tools. :)

...Paul

how about the antenna? Do you have it mounted outside the car?

I picked up a SkyFi unit yesterday and the hard-wired fm modulator unit for my Jeep. (The rx8 is going to get some kind of direct wired thing).

Anyhow the FM modulator in this case actually goes in-line on the antenna wire to the radio, so there's no chance for bad reception since it's plugged right into the antenna input on the radio. I think there's some kind of isolator that disconnects the external antenna and subs-in the XM modulator when the head unit is turned on. The sound quality is quite good and far better than any other FM-modulator type of thing I've ever heard.

I have the antenna trailing down the front of the dash to the molding along the center console. I tucked it up in there all the way back to the rear seat, then tucked the wires behind the seat all the way to the top deck. The antenna "bump" sits right behind the headrest corner, held in place by virtue of the fact the wire is pressed against the deck by the back of the seat.

No glue, no mount, no drill, no nothin'. And if I ever need to take it out, no problems. :)

...Paul

PS> Oh, I do get "blank spots" of reception, but I live on the west side of a ridge line (the SF Bay peninsula), so I don't think it's the positioning of the antenna that is the significant factor. Usually I fade out when I'm "in the shadow" of a rock wall, or in my garage, which faces west. I'm fairly certain the satellites are located east of the coast.