Your comments were great, but let me add just a few additional comments that really impressed me over the 4 months that I have been using XM.
I baught the little Rodio cheapy just before Christmas at Best Buy and also got the home kit. I payed a whole $18 for the radio with the car kit, and I wondered how well it would really work. Well, I work in a 1 story building with a metal roof. When I first got the radio I took it to work and hooked it up in my cube, which was a good 25 feet from the closest window. After a little experimentation I found that I could use the radio with no problems by laying the little magnetic car antenna on top of the flipper in my cube. Reception was usually fair to good. In late February my cube was moved to where the wall of my cube is right next to a window, and now reception is absolutely wonderful. The last week of February my wife and I drove all the way from Minnesota (Twin Cities) to Orlando Florida. We had very little problem loosing signal. We had some problems in southern Georgia heading north on the way back, but after a bit of moving the antenna around we finally found a place inside the van where we could put the antenna and get a signal with very little interuption. Also, going through the mountains in Tennesee we had a few problems, but we figured that was to be expected. Otherwise, it was absolutely wonderful to have uninterupted access to the stations that we had gotten use to listening to without having to constantly having to search the dial to see if there was a station within range that was worth listening to as we traveled. Using it while traveling it was also nice to check in with the weather channel once in awhile to see how the weather was in the areas we were going to be going through in the next few hours. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Wes Derby" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "PC audio discussion list. " <Pc-audio@pc-audio.org> Sent: Saturday, April 29, 2006 1:06 AM Subject: Re: Debating on whether to get XM, some info needed : Hi Kevin. : : Okay, let's see if I can help you...Others may have already, but here's my : opinion. : : I'm on the bottom floor of a 3-story apartment building in Everett, : Washington. With my home stereo, I have a MyFi hooked up, and my antenna on : top of the stereo speaker which is on a wall next to a window...I have NO : clue what direction it's facing, and I have a perfect signal. They say to : point it south...I'll admit, I couldn't tell you what direction it's pointed : in if my life depended on it. : : In my bedroom, I have the SkyFi with the SkyFi boombox...The antenna's kind : of up against a wall, and my signal is great. The boombox I have (the : DelPhi one) does have a headphone jack. Before I got the MyFi, this one was : hooked up to my home stereo with an RCA plug plugged into the headphone jack : of the boombox, and the two plugs plugged into the back of my stereo, and I : had a great signal. : : We also have the car kit for the SkyFi installed in our van, and my wife and : I get a great signal no matter where we are, even in the Cascades, heading : to central Washington. The ONLY place I lose my signal is northbound on I-5 : near Fort Lewis, and even that loss is only a few seconds. We travel this : route between Portland Oregon and Seattle quite a bit. For some reason, I : have no signal issues going from Seattle TO Portland though. : : As far as the repeaters go, check out the message boards at www.xm411.com. : I'm sure someone there would be happy to check the map for you and let you : know abought the Raleigh-Durham area...In fact, there are plenty of : subscribers on the boards from that area. Registration is free, and unlike : xmfans.com, they don't have one of those "Copy the text in the graphic" : annoyances from what I recall. And if they do, they'll be willing to help : you around that. Unfortunately, calling XM's customer service might not be : a great idea...Most of the reps I've talked to have tended to be in Canada : or one of the Island nations, are not XM subscribers, and are not very : helpful...Although, now that XM is available legally in Canada, this may : have changed. You can call them at 800-967-2346. : : Hope that helps. : : : Visit my Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/wesderby : : : ----- Original Message ----- : From: "Kevin Minor" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> : To: "PC audio discussion list." <Pc-audio@pc-audio.org> : Sent: Thursday, April 27, 2006 7:47 PM : Subject: Debating on whether to get XM, some info needed : : : > Hi. : > : > With the recent discussion about XM on the list, I am seriously : > considering : > getting subscribed to it. I do have some questions that will influence my : > decision. : > : > First, how well do the repeaters work? I am in a basement apartment, and : > I'm not sure if my unit faces the right way. Assuming there is a repeater : > in my location, Raleigh, North Carolina, how good a signal should I : > expect? : > Could I leave the antenna inside the apartment and still receive a signal? : > Speaking of repeaters, is there a site where I can learn of repeater : > locations? I have looked with a search engine, but all I find are maps of : > locations, which doesn't do me a lot of good. : > : > My second main question deals with the boom box XM receiver. Does it have : > a : > headphone jack? If it doesn't, I may look at buying the home receiver : > model, and take it with me to use in other locations. : > : > Just curious. I've heard some XM channels before, and I like the mix of : > music on them. : > : > Thanks in advance for any info. : > : > Kevin Minor : > [EMAIL PROTECTED] : > : > : > _______________________________________________ : > PC-Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... : > http://www.pc-audio.org : > : > To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: : > [EMAIL PROTECTED] : > : > This list is a service of MosenExplosion.com. To see what other lists we : > offer, visit us on the web at http://www.MosenExplosion.com : : : : _______________________________________________ : PC-Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... : http://www.pc-audio.org : : To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: : [EMAIL PROTECTED] : : This list is a service of MosenExplosion.com. To see what other lists we offer, visit us on the web at http://www.MosenExplosion.com : : : -- : No virus found in this incoming message. : Checked by AVG Free Edition. : Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.5.1/327 - Release Date: 4/28/2006 : : _______________________________________________ PC-Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... http://www.pc-audio.org To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This list is a service of MosenExplosion.com. To see what other lists we offer, visit us on the web at http://www.MosenExplosion.com
