Good cheap radio and XM is GREAT
Pros:
Radio is easy to use, cheap, and gets the job done.
Cons:
Buttons are tiny. Don't hold down too long or it resets.
The Bottom Line:
For the money (on sale, that is), it is a great simple radio. XM is terrific too, even their customer service.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
First, the radio. We bought this very inexpensively when it was on sale at Walmart for only $35. There have been no problems with it whatsoever. If you want recording ability, then it isn't for you, of course. The buttons are a little small on both the receiver and the remote. Also, if you hold down a button too long when trying to change a station, it returns all the pre-sets back to default. Once my hubby figured out just to push it and let it go, we didn't have this problem anymore.
We then purchased another one on sale in order to have the second installation car-kit, because it was cheaper than to buy the installation kit by itself. Later, if we want both cars to have it all the time, then we can activate the second radio. We also bought a home-kit on eBay, so we could listen at home.
Now, about XM Radio:
When we thought about whether to buy XM or Sirius or neither, I did tons of research on opinions on this site and others. We almost didn't even try satellite radio due to all the horrible comments about their service and trying to deal with the company.
Well, since a lot of the bad press was a couple of years old, we decided to try XM. It has been a great experience. We have had to call the company on 2 or 3 different occasions (not because of service failure or anything). Each time, we could understand them (I think they outsource in South America instead of India) and they were able to help us solve our problems and answer our questions. I have nothing at all bad to say about XM's customer service. Probably the first couple of years they were in business, they had to go through growing pains and probably had a lot of trouble with outsourcing staff. But apparently, they don't have those problems anymore.
We love the selection of stations. There is a great variety. I haven't tried Sirius since there is no reason to do so. It probably depends on the particular programs offered as to which one you go with.
We live rurally, by the way, with lots of trees and have no problem at all with getting the signal, even during our commuting.
Hope this was informative.
StreetSideAuto. com
