Not Xpress and Not EZ

The days of FM radio seem to be practically gone with the current availability of satellite radio. I was lucky enough to have XM Radio factory installed in my Chevrolet Trailblazer when I purchased it. With over 170 commercial free channels I was and still am satisfied with this added feature.

My husband was not so lucky. He has a Toyota and just had AM/FM radio. He commutes for work and many times he told me how much easier being able to listen to the XM Radio was on his drive home. I knew that he could possibly get the system installed in his vehicle, but the cost was way over what we were willing to pay for.

Being a current XM customer, I receive daily emails on specials they may have. I received such an advertisement for what was called an Audiovox XpressEZ Satellite Radio Receiver. I knew what it was because my husband and I had seen them at many electronic stores including Best Buy and Circuit City. XM was offering the receiver $6.99 with a year contract with XM. (You can also purchase online as well as in-store from electronic stores for approximately $49.99.) At that time I thought this would be great for my husband. He can self install it, which will save us money. On top of that who could beat the cost? It seemed cheap and easy. I later found out it may be cheap but it's definitely not easy.

What Is Included

- Audiovox Plug and Play Receiver with Three-Line Display
- Car Power Adapter
- Car Cradle
- XM Antenna
- Vent Mount
- Instruction Manual

What The Box States

On the box is a sticker that states Professional Installation Recommended or Self Installation Options.

My Thoughts: I laughed at this. The whole point really to this receiver is for a customer to hook it up themselves. Why would someone purchase this inexpensive receiver to pay all that extra money to have it installed? If I were to have something installed by a professional I would make sure I purchased a receiver worth all of that extra money. That is just my opinion.

On the back of the box there is a breakdown of all the available channels you should have once you hook up your receiver. This is so you get excited and think, "Wow this is going to be great!"

My Thoughts: Yes, it would be if you were able to set it up and have it actually work correctly.

On the side of the box there are four other options to assist you in connecting the receiver which include:

- Cassette Adapter (do-it-yourself when your car has a cassette player)
- Mini-AUX Cable (do-it-yourself when your car has an aux-in jack)
- FM Direct (professionally installed by your retailer)
- XM SureConnect (do-it-yourself or professionally installed connection to your vehicle's FM antenna)

*Note that all of these items are sold separately - just another way to have you spend more money on trying to connect this receiver.

Upon purchasing the receiver, I went with the XM SureConnect option. This seemed to be the easiest. According to the instruction booklet: You can listen to your XpressEZ through your car stereo by using XpressEZ's built-in FM modulator and the XM SureConnect. Simply (or so they say) find an unused FM frequency on the stereo and set your XpressEZ to transmit on that same frequency.

The SureConnect was approximately $19.99 and I purchased at the XM Radio site when I purchased the receiver.

The Receiver

The receiver weights about 5 ounces and is 3 1/2 inches in length and about 1 1/12 inches in width. It is black with the exception of the 3 buttons which are: Menu/Favorites/Display. On the left side of those buttons is the XM symbol. There is a screen which is 2 1/2 inches in length and almost 1 inch in width. The words that show up on the screen are black in color and a fairly good size which makes them easy to read. To the right of screen is a dial which changes the stations. To select a station you press the button in the middle of the dial.

On the box of the receiver is your XM Radio ID which is what you need in order to activate your account. There is also a serial number for the XpressEZ.

Background Information

Before we get to the instructions I must note that my husband is a very handy person. He is in the Telecommunications field and something like connecting this receiver should have been a simple task for him. Not only did he attempt doing this but he also had his co-workers assist him.

Also, I can confirm everything that is negative in regard to actually receiving the required signal to operate the receiver has been confirmed by one of his co-workers, who also has the same receiver.

"EZ" Instructions? I Think Not!

There are four steps in the vehicle installation for the Audiovox XpressEZ Satellite Radio Receiver.

Step 1 - Mount the XM antenna to the roof of the vehicle.

Seems easy enough, right? Not quite. The instructions go as far as illustrating the best place for the antenna to go on your car. You will have excess cable from the antenna that is suggested to either keep it behind or under the dashboard. You can either put the antenna on the front hood of the car in the middle or on the back hood of the car in the middle.

Step followed? Yes.

Step 2 - Installing the Vent Mount.

The vent mount is what is going to hold the receiver and the car cradle. The instructions state to find a horizontal vent in your vehicle strong enough to do this. To remove the mount all you have to do is push it into the vent and lift upwards.

Step followed? Yes.

Step 3 - How to Receive XM Through Your Car Stereo

These are the options I explained before. Like I stated, I purchased the XM SureConnect. With this option you are supposed to be able to use a vacant FM channel or one that is not used regularly to have your receiver get the signal and work.

Step followed? Yes.

Step 4 - Making Your Vehicle's FM Radio an XM Radio

This last step you are told to turn on your car stereo and find a suitable FM frequency in order to get the best sound. There is actually a website which is www.radio-locator.com which gives you exactly what you need. It shows you vacant channels (which are the best to use for the signal), then next best channels, and third best channels.

When I tell you we tried them all - we tried them all.

You are able to program into your receiver the FM frequencies so that if at the time one is not working, you can tune to another to get the signal.

At this point you should be able to turn the receiver on to the preview channel (which is channel 1). You then match the frequency on your receiver to the frequency you chose on your FM radio.

And away you go! Or not.

Many Days of Frustration

My husband has since referred to this receiver as a "piece of junk". I am glad I did not spend more than I did - except I am stuck now with an additional year contract on XM Radio. I fiddled around with the receiver and was able to temporarily connect it for my husband. This lasted all of let's see......two days? The signal kept going out, he kept getting static, anything that could go wrong did. It turned out to be a waste of time and big hassle.

I am not against XM Radio. I have it and thoroughly enjoy it. However, I would only recommend it under 2 conditions: you already have the XM Radio factory installed or if you purchase a receiver you have it professionally installed.

Everything about this kit makes it seem so easy. It seems like it will work perfectly. Even if you are able to connect the receiver (like my husband's co-worker) you too will experience frequent signal outages and static. It depends on where you are driving. I can understand this with an FM radio. You are not paying extra for a service on that. However, I do not see paying extra for a service with something that is not going to work 100% of the time.

*If you are to purchase I would recommend finding out about the exchange or return policy. Through XM Radio there are no returns on this product. Just be careful because you may be stuck paying for an item you cannot even use properly.