Delphi Skifi - XM Radio

[Mellow]

I've had this unit for a about 2 years now.

I use a RAM mount to attatch it to the right handlebar and I have a cig lighter in the right fairing pocket where I plug in the converter for power.

The antenna is stuck to the top of the right fairing pocket, not the best of locations but works okay, I do have signal drops every now and then but it hasn't annoyed me to the poit of moving the antenna elsewhere.

I use some Sony earbuds plugged into the line out jack. There's enough power there to hear the radio very comfortably at highways speeds.

In the future, I'm planning on getting the J&M CB and Headset and plugging this into the aux input.

Pros:
Easy on/off of the cradle for storing in the trunk
Easy to Read
Excellent sound and reception
10 Preselects
The Buttons are fairly easy to get to

Cons:
NOT waterproof, I use an audio cover from J&M if the sky looks like it might open up.

http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/sc/20745797-2-200-front-2.gif

[Bill Ishmael]

XM Radio is going to be my next addition to my ST1300. If I had not been so slow, I would have taken advantage of the Deal that Mellow made us aware of recently. But, they ran out of units. Mellow, I hope you can keep us aware of deals like that one. I hate that I missed it :banghead:
Bill

[Mellow]

This from another website:

---------------------------
Just tried to order and they have shut down the site w/ regard to the XM w/ car kit or home kit. This according to the customer service lady in Knoxville, TN. She answered on the first ring ! How's that for customer service. She said to check back on Saturday or Monday. They had so many back orders to fill, they stopped taking orders. The good news - They just got a new shipment of product in. If there are any left after filling the back orders, they will resume taking orders on that promotion.

I figured they would do something to sway the consumers away from the Sirius' promo.

[crazykz]

I know a lot of people are using the XM setup on their bikes but after looking at what's available I actually think I would like a Sirius setup. If anyone here sees a deal on Sirius would they please post it?

Has anyone mounted a Sirius unit? It seems like they come up with a new one every week but it's dissapointing because I haven't seen anything yet that compares to the RoadyII from XM in their line up.

Thanks,
Curt

[Mike]

Going to the Delphi site I see they now have a marine case for the Sky-Fi and a marine antenna.

I have a Roady, like it much more as it is smaller, just waiting for a waterproof case.

I wrote Delphi and suggested a weatherproof model for those of us out in the elements. I did get a note back from them saying that would be interesting and that they would look into it, haven't heard a word since.

[crazykz]

Going to the Delphi site I see they now have a marine case for the Sky-Fi and a marine antenna.

I have a Roady, like it much more as it is smaller, just waiting for a waterproof case.

I wrote Delphi and suggested a weatherproof model for those of us out in the elements. I did get a note back from them saying that would be interesting and that they would look into it, haven't heard a word since.

Hey Mike, do you have a link to the page?

Curt

[SteveST1300]

I am thinking Sirius also. Hope to can find something soon. Not sure if I want to go with speakers or helmet mounted speakers. My wife doesn't wear a full face helmet(clostrophobic?) If anyone has the Sirius set up please pass on some info.

[Texas T]

There is a thread on xmfan.com devoted specifically to motorcycle installations. This may provide some tips and ideas for some of you considering this.

http://www.xmfan.com/viewtopic.php?t=19651

[Keith R.]

Anyone looking just to by parts and such for there XM radio's go to <www.myradiostore.com>

A friend gave me an extra antenna and all I needed was the docking staition. It also had to be a single pink lead instead of the dual yellow/green im running on the ST. They had it for $28, such a deal. :grin:

Many things for the XM radio on this site It is well worth a look.

[NewsMag]

You can also get much of the same stuff at XM Fan Store (http://www.xmfanstore.com/)

This guy and the My Radio Store (http://www.myradiostore.us) guy used to be partners, and had a falling out, and now they dislike each other. But the heated competition keeps prices low! I usually check both sites for items before deciding where to order!

[Fireball18]

I've been considering going to satellite radio, but am unsure whether to go with XM or Serius. While talking to a guy at a car stereo place today, he advised me that XM has only one satellite for the U.S., and it's aimed at the east coast. I live in the west, and the angle is so shallow here, at about 35 degrees, that the signal is often lost while in mountains and canyons. He went on to say that Serius has 2 satellites for the U.S., and the one for the western states is at an 85 degree angle with almost negative loss of signal.

My question is really for the XM users, because I really like the Roady2 for its compactness. Has anyone experienced signal loss with XM radio, while in mountains and canyons? I don't want to spend a lot of money on something that is only going to be partially useful to me. I spend a lot of time in the mountains and not having my signal that I'm paying for would be a major source of irritation. On the other hand, is this guy just telling me this because he no longer sells XM and Serius is now his exclusive brand and he's just trying to promote sales? I'd appreciate any good input here.

[dond]

Drop outs: Mountain roads, occasional. MR with lots of trees, more. Real deep gorges, yes. I have my ant on top of a metal dash shelf and the dropouts are minimal But they do happen. If I'm really in tight twisties I usually turn it down or off to aid my concentration. PLUS--I have a little tape player for backup (shelves are very handy), I juST switch the earbud plug and go.


XM Roady owner
Don d

[NewsMag]

Fireball, your car stereo guy is either misinformed or lying. XM has two primary satellites named (no kidding) Rock and Roll. They are geosynched over the equator in the Atlantic and Pacific and both provide coverage for the 48-state area. In addition there is a 2-3 second buffer and in cities there are repeaters all over the place to prevent blackouts in urban "canyons." The only dropouts I've had in the middle of nowhere happen when there is a sheer wall over 200 feet high just to the south of me. And I mean real close, like within 50 feet of the roadway. This situation COULD indeed happen in some areas of Idaho, but signal returns as soon as you get a southern view again.

Here's a post from XMFan.com that elaborates on some near-term changes coming:

There seems to be a misunderstanding of what each spacecraft is for. Roll is XM2 and located at 115W, While Rock is XM1 and located at 85W. Some people then extrapolate that this is for east and west coast coverage, no this is for spatial diversity and spectrum reuse.

Each spacecraft can cover the US with signal independant of the other. To illustrate my point PanAmSat owned SBS-6 is located further East than Rock at 74W, but still covers the entire US minus Alaska and Hawaii. The point of launching XM3 is to deal with solar arrays that will not meet specification as the spacecraft ages. I would also like to point out that Echostars main location (119W) is further west than Rock at 115 and still provides total US coverage including Alaska and Hawaii. So between 74W and 119W at least we can be assured that the Contiguous 48 are covered equally well by either satellite.

The solar panels will gradually lose their ability to produce the electricity needed to operate the spacecraft at full power, they were supposed to degrade only to the point that they made the needed power, not below. To deal with this, XM3 will be launched to replace XM1/Roll at 85W. Then Roll will be moved to join Rock at 115W, each spacecraft will then carry half of the regular traffic that Rock now carries.

XM3 shares the same basic design as XM1 and XM2 but has been modified to correct the shortcomings of Rock and Roll. The patterns will not change. In fact each spacecraft has roughly the same foot print as the other two.

As to the proposed coverage for XM3 that opened the thread, the spacecraft is already built, thus the Ground Spare Status until the recent events and decisions to launch this one and relocate Roll.

There will be little change to the footprints, only the satcom industry will really know the difference, and it can be done seemless to us subscribers.

[Fireball18]

Yeah, I got online last night and did some digging around and came up with the same idea. I think the guy sells only Sirius and was badmouthing XM. He may also be misinformed. In any case, I sent an email to XM and got a reply today, in which I was informed that they do, in fact, have 2 satellites--Rock and Roll. In fact, one of them is roughly over Las Vegas, NV. So I'm not too worried about signal loss. As for Sirius booking up Howard Stern, that would be a good reason NOT to go with Sirius. Got no use for that guy.

Thanks for all the great input. I see there is a Roady2 in my near future.

[crazykz]

Some people may want to check out this site.

Keep an eye on this one. Man is that a cool idea:
http://www.willowstreetdesign.com

Curt