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Just switched to Sirius

S

stljohn

I've had XM for about 6 months. Had planned to keep it until Stern in January but I got tired of XM cause of 2 things, one they control, one they don't.

I wanted to get the unadulterated sports networks but XM stopped broadcasting Sporting News on weekends, my prime time, and Fox Sports moved Steve Czaban to ridiculous shifts. After that I discovered I could care less about FoxSports.

What I've noticed is Sirius has deeper classic rock; 3 channels to 1.
XM had deeper classic soul; 2 channels to 1.
Sirius has deeper Rap/Hip Hop; 4 channels to 2.

Seems like most of the "other" music is comparable: blues, classical, pop, etc.

I had an XM Roady2 and the sound was kinda poor, several channels had an irritating flat high-pitch character but the reception was outstanding.

My Sportster Replay provides a much nicer richer sound but the reception is AWFUL even with 3 bars. Passing under a simple overpass usually causes a hiccup. I wonder if its the buffering? I drive through this tunnel and the Roady2 would keep playing almost all the way through. Haven't tried the Sportster but I doubt it will perform as well.

Anyone got any ideas about improving reception? I have the antenna mounted outside on the roof.
 
Make sure it has a clear view of the sky. I have had to put mine in the bushes out front and when a lizard climbs on it I lose my signal (the hazards of living in FL lol!). Also make sure it is facing the right way. Just being off a little can ruin reception.


> Anyone got any ideas about improving reception? I have the
> antenna mounted outside on the roof.
>
 
> Make sure it has a clear view of the sky. I have had to put
> mine in the bushes out front and when a lizard climbs on it
> I lose my signal (the hazards of living in FL lol!). Also
> make sure it is facing the right way. Just being off a
> little can ruin reception.
>
>
> > Anyone got any ideas about improving reception? I have the
>
> > antenna mounted outside on the roof.
> >
>

I got XM for a handful of reasons and I am very happy with it...but looking into the two of them, I thought SIRIUS was too fragmented. For my tastes it was just too specific. I saw their hairband channel and thought "how many different hairbands/good hairband tunes could you possibly play before running out of material and lapsing into massive repetition? Isn't that one of the reasons I got XM in the first place???"

Plus if SIRIUS has that bad of a reception problem, I won't bother trying it out until they fix that. My XM receiver works just about everywhere. I got rid of pointing my antenna the day I got rid of my 1970s tv rabbit ears.
 
> > Make sure it has a clear view of the sky. I have had to
> put
> > mine in the bushes out front and when a lizard climbs on
> it
> > I lose my signal (the hazards of living in FL lol!). Also
> > make sure it is facing the right way. Just being off a
> > little can ruin reception.
> >
> >
> > > Anyone got any ideas about improving reception? I have
> the
> >
> > > antenna mounted outside on the roof.
> > >
> >
>
> I got XM for a handful of reasons and I am very happy with
> it...but looking into the two of them, I thought SIRIUS was
> too fragmented. For my tastes it was just too specific. I
> saw their hairband channel and thought "how many different
> hairbands/good hairband tunes could you possibly play before
> running out of material and lapsing into massive repetition?
> Isn't that one of the reasons I got XM in the first
> place???"
>
> Plus if SIRIUS has that bad of a reception problem, I won't
> bother trying it out until they fix that. My XM receiver
> works just about everywhere. I got rid of pointing my
> antenna the day I got rid of my 1970s tv rabbit ears.
>

You can't "look" at the two services, you have to listen to them. Just going by channel names is a pretty stupid way to judge which service is better.

For example, the "Chill" channel is in the Electronica category but plays plenty of soft rock along the the electronica stuff.
 
> > > Make sure it has a clear view of the sky. I have had to
>
> > put
> > > mine in the bushes out front and when a lizard climbs on
>
> > it
> > > I lose my signal (the hazards of living in FL lol!).
> Also
> > > make sure it is facing the right way. Just being off a
> > > little can ruin reception.
> > >
> > >
> > > > Anyone got any ideas about improving reception? I have
>
> > the
> > >
> > > > antenna mounted outside on the roof.
> > > >
> > >
> >
> > I got XM for a handful of reasons and I am very happy with
>
> > it...but looking into the two of them, I thought SIRIUS
> was
> > too fragmented. For my tastes it was just too specific. I
>
> > saw their hairband channel and thought "how many different
>
> > hairbands/good hairband tunes could you possibly play
> before
> > running out of material and lapsing into massive
> repetition?
> > Isn't that one of the reasons I got XM in the first
> > place???"
> >
> > Plus if SIRIUS has that bad of a reception problem, I
> won't
> > bother trying it out until they fix that. My XM receiver
> > works just about everywhere. I got rid of pointing my
> > antenna the day I got rid of my 1970s tv rabbit ears.
> >
>
> You can't "look" at the two services, you have to listen to
> them. Just going by channel names is a pretty stupid way to
> judge which service is better.
>
> For example, the "Chill" channel is in the Electronica
> category but plays plenty of soft rock along the the
> electronica stuff.
>

Well my "stupid" way of looking at it was good enough for me. My musical interest are fairly wide open, so a decent description of each channel was sufficient. If I look at SIRIUS's "Hairband Channel", I don't really need TOO MUCH MORE of a description on what the content would be (since I did grow up in the 80's and listened to my fair share of hair bands). I did click into what I could to get a deeper undersanding with what the website offered. But considering I didn't have a plethora of extra time to split my listening to both XM & SIRIUS, I went with what I assumed was the better choice. I can't say that I am upset at my choice either. When time affords it, I may pick up a SIRIUS receiver. Until then, it would be a waste of my money to purchase both. I'd rather go down the path of listening to each one exclusively for a period of time.
 
> >
> > You can't "look" at the two services, you have to listen
> to
> > them. Just going by channel names is a pretty stupid way
> to
> > judge which service is better.
> >
> > For example, the "Chill" channel is in the Electronica
> > category but plays plenty of soft rock along the the
> > electronica stuff.
> >
>
> Well my "stupid" way of looking at it was good enough for
> me. My musical interest are fairly wide open, so a decent
> description of each channel was sufficient. If I look at
> SIRIUS's "Hairband Channel", I don't really need TOO MUCH
> MORE of a description on what the content would be (since I
> did grow up in the 80's and listened to my fair share of
> hair bands). I did click into what I could to get a deeper
> undersanding with what the website offered. But considering
> I didn't have a plethora of extra time to split my listening
> to both XM & SIRIUS, I went with what I assumed was the
> better choice. I can't say that I am upset at my choice
> either. When time affords it, I may pick up a SIRIUS
> receiver. Until then, it would be a waste of my money to
> purchase both. I'd rather go down the path of listening to
> each one exclusively for a period of time.
>


Um I wouldn't discount what Dan said about having to actually hear them.

I've looked at the channel descriptions for months but once you hear them its a whole other thing.

I agree with your specific example about the Hair channel but it comes down to if you do like Hair you got to give it a chance, they may surprise.

For example the one Sirius classic rock channel... forget which one... does it the way I want. They play the great songs that aint on that common playlist every classic rock terrestrial channel uses. Can't tell you how many times in a few days they have delighted me with something I hadn't heard in years. Earlier they played Stones Happy. Cool.

The hip hop stuff seems to have more width then XMs. Of course they have more channels but still there is some creative improvement too.
 
> > >
> > > You can't "look" at the two services, you have to listen
>
> > to
> > > them. Just going by channel names is a pretty stupid way
>
> > to
> > > judge which service is better.
> > >
> > > For example, the "Chill" channel is in the Electronica
> > > category but plays plenty of soft rock along the the
> > > electronica stuff.
> > >
> >
> > Well my "stupid" way of looking at it was good enough for
> > me. My musical interest are fairly wide open, so a decent
>
> > description of each channel was sufficient. If I look at
> > SIRIUS's "Hairband Channel", I don't really need TOO MUCH
> > MORE of a description on what the content would be (since
> I
> > did grow up in the 80's and listened to my fair share of
> > hair bands). I did click into what I could to get a
> deeper
> > undersanding with what the website offered. But
> considering
> > I didn't have a plethora of extra time to split my
> listening
> > to both XM & SIRIUS, I went with what I assumed was the
> > better choice. I can't say that I am upset at my choice
> > either. When time affords it, I may pick up a SIRIUS
> > receiver. Until then, it would be a waste of my money to
> > purchase both. I'd rather go down the path of listening
> to
> > each one exclusively for a period of time.
> >
>
>
> Um I wouldn't discount what Dan said about having to
> actually hear them.
>
> I've looked at the channel descriptions for months but once
> you hear them its a whole other thing.
>
> I agree with your specific example about the Hair channel
> but it comes down to if you do like Hair you got to give it
> a chance, they may surprise.
>
> For example the one Sirius classic rock channel... forget
> which one... does it the way I want. They play the great
> songs that aint on that common playlist every classic rock
> terrestrial channel uses. Can't tell you how many times in a
> few days they have delighted me with something I hadn't
> heard in years. Earlier they played Stones Happy. Cool.
>
> The hip hop stuff seems to have more width then XMs. Of
> course they have more channels but still there is some
> creative improvement too.
>

I think the general opinion is that XM has better sound quality and reception, while Sirius has better programming...

If you are in an area where your view of the sky (apartment, tunnels) is limited, consider XM. If you are tolerant of breaks in coverage, or live in an open space, get Sirius<P ID="signature">______________
If a DJ talks into a microphone, and no one's there to listen to him, does he make a noise?</P>
 
Sirius -- Antenna aiming, where to find content

> I think the general opinion is that XM has better sound
> quality and reception, while Sirius has better
> programming...
>
> If you are in an area where your view of the sky (apartment,
> tunnels) is limited, consider XM. If you are tolerant of
> breaks in coverage, or live in an open space, get Sirius
>
Satellite antenna for Sirius -- should be pointed at about 60 degrees elevation, towards Winnipeg, Manitoba. That's about the ideal spot. Avoid trees or other line-of-sight obstructions.

Content:

Check out http://www.givemesatelliteradio.com/. I *think* this updates regularly; a few days ago the listings weren't dynamic. This way you can see which songs air on which stations.

Also check out http://www.siriusbackstage.com/songseek.php.

That utility will allow you to plug in favorite artists / songs and figure out which channels play them and how often.

Richard / Allentown
 
I just added Sirius myself

> I've had XM for about 6 months. Had planned to keep it until
> Stern in January but I got tired of XM cause of 2 things,
> one they control, one they don't.
>

I just got Sirius last weekend. I was in no rush to get it until I found XACT's Stream Jockey with universal kit on sale at Target. I got this receiver because it was affordable and I can also attach it the Power Pod so I can take it on the go. It's a bit hard to change channels and put presets on though. I am enjoying it so far, especially the dance, hip hop and talk channels. I have also been an XM subsciber for over a year.

> I wanted to get the unadulterated sports networks but XM
> stopped broadcasting Sporting News on weekends, my prime
> time, and Fox Sports moved Steve Czaban to ridiculous
> shifts. After that I discovered I could care less about
> FoxSports.
>

I'm not a big sports fan, except for NFL football. At least I can finally listen to the westling show they have on Sports Byline USA on Sunday nights.

> What I've noticed is Sirius has deeper classic rock; 3
> channels to 1.
> XM had deeper classic soul; 2 channels to 1.
> Sirius has deeper Rap/Hip Hop; 4 channels to 2.
>

I don't listen to much rock either, although I like Hair Nation so far and have listen to bits of some of the other rock channels. You're right about XM having deeper classic soul. I tend to stick with The Groove instead of Soul Street. I have listened to the hip hop channels on Sirius. They are better than XM's channels. Even the hip hop selections on Hot Jamz is uncensored.

> Seems like most of the "other" music is comparable: blues,
> classical, pop, etc.
>

I agree except when it comes to the dance channels. The Strobe offers more variety in dance classics then Chrome. The Beat has more familiar songs than BPM. I also like Boombox with its beakbeats and old school rap. In the pop category, I like Sirius Hits 1 better than either Kiss XM or top 20 on 20.

> I had an XM Roady2 and the sound was kinda poor, several
> channels had an irritating flat high-pitch character but the
> reception was outstanding.
>
> My Sportster Replay provides a much nicer richer sound but
> the reception is AWFUL even with 3 bars. Passing under a
> simple overpass usually causes a hiccup. I wonder if its the
> buffering? I drive through this tunnel and the Roady2 would
> keep playing almost all the way through. Haven't tried the
> Sportster but I doubt it will perform as well.
>
> Anyone got any ideas about improving reception? I have the
> antenna mounted outside on the roof.
>

I thought the sound quality was fine with my XM Skyfi & Myfi. I did have to point it south though to get the best reception. I didn't find much difference with Sirius's sound quality. I was able to Sirius reception better in my room since its located toward the north. I have to go to the attic the get the best XM reception.
 
> Um I wouldn't discount what Dan said about having to
> actually hear them.
>
> I've looked at the channel descriptions for months but once
> you hear them its a whole other thing.
>
> I agree with your specific example about the Hair channel
> but it comes down to if you do like Hair you got to give it
> a chance, they may surprise.

I have heard many songs that did not get airplay in the 80s. they mix a lot of deep cuts in with the stuff that was popular.
 
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