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I heart XM
Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 8:33 am
by ColonelPanic
Either my Sirius cradle was crapping out, or something was wrong with the antenna cable. I kept getting "Antenna Not Detected" at random intervals and by the time today rolled around, I had to keep the cable in one position to keep the tunes coming. Since wiggling the cable a few inches down from the plug would bring it back to life, I figured the antenna was crappy, not the cradle. Or I had hoped so.The selection of Sirius antennas readily available SUCK! The only one around is that monstrosity of a hockey puck with a wire attached. Already have one of those but I didn't want to use it. I've been wanting to put one outside on the Accent for a while, but a micro antenna was mandatory. Less space for the antenna to occupy = less paint damage when the time comes to remove it. The one I had on the Vibe scratched the heck out of the roof. So anyway, I'm at Best Buy looking around and notice the plugs are similar for the nifty xm micro antenna and the Sirius antenna. I recall someone on Sirius Backstage saying that this particular antenna xm worked on thier Sirius tuner. So, I decided to get it... XM to the rescue.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ol...97612Works like a charm. The only downside, the huge connector on the tuner side makes it difficult to use the lock on the cradle that holds the tuner in place. But I never lock it down anyway. Nice little antenna, the underside has four rubber feet that hopefully will keep it from tearing up the paint on the trunk.Getting good signal, I took it around to test it out... In a wooded area, I still had full satellite and terrestrial signal, so that's cool... Doesn't drop out any more than the authentic Sirius antenna did when it was stuck to the roof of the Vibe. And it certainly works better now in the Accent since the antenna has been relocated to where it belongs instead of remaining inside the car.I'll post pics of it later when I get back home. This looks to be like a good alternative for us Sirius guys... Hopefully it works out well in the long run. I'll have to get far away from the repeater to see how good it really works.
Re: I heart XM (ColonelPanic)
Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2006 7:50 am
by ColonelPanic
As promised... If the connector is down like it is show, it makes it difficult to tilt/swivel. If it is up, it interferes with the lock. The Sirius antenna had a big piece of white plastic underneath, compared to how this one is...The finished product:There's not much of a difference in size, really. And proof that it still works. Reception is perfect, btw. I took a trip down to the parent's house today, way out in the middle of nowhere. Did great the whole trip. Great lil' antenna for us Sirius guys to use. The Sirius ones look fine on something like the Vibe that's already busy up on the roof with the roof rack, antenna, etc. But on the trunk of a car, me likey this one muuuuch better.
Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2006 2:53 pm
by ragingfish
And here I was thinking we'd successfully brought you to "our side."
Re: (ragingfish)
Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2006 8:12 pm
by ColonelPanic
Heh, give Sirius a few more channel lineup changes, they may very well fix that. lol! They keep getting rid of channels I like, it sorta pisses me off. Like the PRI channel that just left and went to XM. If anything ever happens to my Pure Jazz, I'm gone! Better looking antennas on XM anyway. heh
Re: (ColonelPanic)
Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 2:36 am
by ZubenElGenubi
Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »If anything ever happens to my Pure Jazz, I'm gone! Better looking antennas on XM anyway. heh You're missing one of the best shows on the airwaves...The Bob Edwards Show. They also broadcast This American Life regularly...both on XMPRI.XM also has "Real Jazz" and "Beyond Jazz"...both pretty good at covering that genre. You're welcome to join us @ XM anytime!
Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 2:50 am
by ragingfish
real jazz is great...i just started listening to bluesville too...another fantastic station...but i told jahntassa one day while we're were bantering...if clear channel ever buys a controlling stake in XM (or the entire company)...i'm as good as cancelled. they've already massacred too many stations with there damn commercials...
Re: (ragingfish)
Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 3:12 am
by ZubenElGenubi
+1 on the ClearChannel point. I don't listen to any of those CC stations...don't need to fortunately.Weird thing is, there are some stations that I know they continue to broadcast (like MusicLab) that my radio can't get anymore. Hmmm.
Re: (ZubenElGenubi)
Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 4:59 am
by ragingfish
Quote, originally posted by ZubenElGenubi »Weird thing is, there are some stations that I know they continue to broadcast (like MusicLab) that my radio can't get anymore. Hmmm.many of their stations that were previously part of the regular lineup still are being broadcast, but only through XM online. They aren't being broadcast over the air. My assumption is they weren't popular enough to justify keeping in their broadcast bandwidth, so were axed to make way for new streams...but were too popular to kill altogether, so they got exiled to the online lineup."Online Exclusive" stations are:31 - The Torch51 - Music Lab61 - New Soul79 - On The Rocks95 - Luna103 - World Zone104 - Ngoma154 - Special XThe following were never part of XM's lineup, but have been developed jointly with AOL Radio to be online-only stations:300 - 1 Hit Wonders301 - Metalcore302 - New Indie First303 - Late Night Mix304 - Sessions@AOL305 - Shuffle306 - New Rock First307 - New Country First308 - New Hip Hop First309 - New Pop First