Finding The Right Radio
SIRIUS XM for beginners
SiriusXM Satellite Radio is a service that provides a wide variety of programming for everybody. Music, sports, talk, news and traffic are all featured on SiriusXM with various genres from each category. A good way to picture satellite radio is like a cable television but instead of watching the subscription on your television, you can listen to the subscription on your home or car stereo. Many people are first introduced to SiriusXM when they buy a new car and the service is included free for several months. For those who don't have SiriusXM installed in their car or want to install it in their house, there are only a few things you need to start listening! "Welcome to the World of SiriusXM"!
Installing SiriusXM radio is very easy to do but first you need a satellite radio tuner, or more simply, radio. While there are several different types of radios, for the most part they all provide the same service. There are three types of satellite radio tuners. Sirius radios, XM radios, and SiriusXM radios. All types will install in very much the same way, all are subscribed to their respective satellite radio service, and most have very similar features. All in all there are very few differences between a Sirius radio and an XM radio. However, with the introduction of "Satellite Radio 2.0" SiriusXM branded radios offer an expanded channel lineup and some models offer additional features.
There are still a few minor differences between a Sirius and XM branded radio though. For example, even though an XM radio might fit on a Sirius radio dock or vice versa they are incompatible with each other and one won't play on the others equipment. Subscriptions are another minor difference with each radio having it's own separate system for subscriptions. Different programming packages at different price points are offered for Sirius and XM radios. This also leads into the third minor difference between the two which is the programing.
Since Sirius and XM merged, most of the channels are the same between the two services (see here for comparison guide). At this point, there are very few differences between the stations you get on Sirius and the stations you get on XM. They've since added 'Premier' subscription levels to give customers even more flexibility. But a general rule of thumb is that an XM radio with a 'Premier' subscription will give you the more stations than a Sirius radio, and a SiriusXM radio with Xtra channels will give you the most available.
Here are some of the radios to choose from. Most of them include a vehicle kit so you can start listening right away.
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| XM xPress RCi | XM Onyx | Lynx Portable Satellite Radio |
XM SkyDock iPhone/iPod Dock |
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| Sirius Starmate 8 |
Sirius Stratus 6 |
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| SiriusXM Edge |
SiriusXM Lynx |
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After you have chosen and received your satellite radio you are ready for installation. Each radio comes with the bare minimum of what you need to install. The instructions included with each radio also give detailed and specific instructions for self-installation.
There are also many other products you can use to upgrade your installation by making it look cleaner and sound better. Below are several products to help you get even more out of your satellite radio.
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Cassette Tape Adapter - An easy way to play the audio from your satellite radio on your car stereo. Connect one end to your satellite radio and pop the cassete tape end into your deck. |  |
Vehicle Specific Mounts install in your vehicle to create a well integrated location to mount your satellite radio. |
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Aux.Input Cable - Many newer cars now come with an aux input to use with iPods or mp3 players. They also work great for satellite radio. | ||
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FM Direct Adapter - A very common way to connect satellite radios to your vehicle. This device turns off your FM antenna when you turn your satellite radio on preventing competing FM stations to interfere with your listening. |  |
Vehicle Power Hardwire Kit - This kit hardwires your satellite radio to your vehicle's power so you don't have to use the cigarette lighter adapter. This also means one less cord on your dash. |
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Aux Input Adapters install into many different types of vehicles that don't already have an auxiliary input. The best sound quality. |
Once everything is installed and your radio is powered up you need to set up your subscription. The quickest and easiest way is to do it online as you can enter exactly the information needed and you won't have to wait on hold!
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 Internet Radios - Connect to your wireless internet or run a cable from your router to this versatile satellite radio listening option. Easily connects to the Sirius Internet Radio stream but operates like a satellite radio. SiriusXM Internet Radios |
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