XM U.S. PULLS RECEIVERS OVER RF ISSUES

[gordo54]

Following up on a previous report that two of its receiver models exceed FCC limits for RF interference with their internal FM transmitters, XM SATELLITE RADIO has now informed the SEC that it has suspended sales of the two receivers and is reviewing interference levels from other receivers.The company says that it cannot issue assurances that the situation will not materially impact its financial numbers and declined to name the other receivers being scrutinized but says it's still targeting 8.5 million subscribers. The models being suspended are the DELPHI SKYFi2 and the AUDIOVOX EXPRESS.

 

[CTListener]

I find it very curious that the complaints about RF interferences, supposedly from noncommercial and religious broadcasters, all center on XM. I've heard Sirius FM modulators from as far as five car lengths away. In fact, Howard Stern obliterated an FM station at 104.9 while I was in a parking lot off the Mass. Turnpike recently. The car with the offending radio was three cars away from me! I saw the car back out and pass behind me -- the signal getting stronger -- then head for the exit, with the signal disappearing when it was about a half-dozen car lengths away.Combine the XM-only focus of these allegations with Mel Karmazin's buying a million more shares of his own company's stock, and I detect the faint reek of possible corporate dirty tricks here. Possible, or am I just wearing a tinfoil hat here?

 

[4dude]

This is just plain stupid!!!!How weak does the FCC want these radios to be???I think they shud worry about MAJOR PIRATES and not this crap......... (Not surprising that the biggest complaints are coming from RELIGIOUS broacasters)

 

[CWRUFan]

It's not yet time to drink the Kool-Aid

Poor E-Lo. He must be pulling his poorly cut hair out. Seriously though, the barrage of bad news has hurt XM, but the stock price is solid and they haven't *Lost* any subs, so the long-term projections are still fine.

 

[livingfruitvirus]

This is just plain stupid!!!!How weak does the FCC want these radios to be???I think they shud worry about MAJOR PIRATES and not this crap......... (Not surprising that the biggest complaints are coming from RELIGIOUS broacasters)

That's because most of the earlier radios only broadcasted to the 88 Mhz band (and the 107 Mhz band). Newer radios, like the Inno, broadcast to the complete FM band.

 

[4dude]

Yes and the Sirius ones do also...........Ah well

 

[jras20]

Thats funny that the FCC would do that, because I know of a lot of illeagle FM radio stations that are yet still broadcasting. and they havnt done nothing to shut them down.

 

[jesusjuice]

"they havnt done nothing to shut them down."

 

[sdh483]

one of the reasons why I got Xm becasue a pirate in my area in San Antonio on 101.5 is eating up all the stations on my alarm clock and my big analouge tuner at home. [EDIT*=unnecessary vulgarity]