thinking about satellite radio

Well, its come to the decision of satellite radio in the Tacoma. Ive heard alot about sirius Radio and all the chanels they have. My question is, should I go with a Headunit that will incorporate Sirius, or should I buy a seperate unit for satellite radio.Im kinda new to the concept of Sirius and would apreciate any advice

 

I have the Pioneer F90BT head unit in my Tacoma... After they released the new firmware this unit has started to finally be as good as advertised. Nav, Sat, Bluetooth, DVD player... all for $500.00 bucks. Worth every penny

 

how about reception? Is it better witha headunit or the actual unit from sirius?

 

my g/f sister has the sirius unit that had to be custom mounted, you have to use that unit and not the radio and you have 2 different volume controls but its crystal clear
i have a pioneer dvd player that has a 100 dollar unit that i can add to use sirius through my HU. the aftermarket HU's offer alot of adjustment

 

so I would be better off with getting a seperate HU then getting the antenna for Sirius?

 

it all depends on how much u wanna spend and are you happy with your current sound

 

IMO, the seperate Sirus units are much more detailed when searching and displaying your music. The all in one solutions (which I have tired) are a compromise. Hope this helps you.

 

I had XM.. and only listened to 4 stations ona regualr basis.. and then the other 2 was for sports.. which was maybe once a week.. i say Pass.. get an Ipod.. and make playlist

 

well, I mean, i thought it would be nice to get to hear races live insted of being broadcasted through the regular FM radio. If I choose to go through the seperate unit for Sirius, which one should I purchase? they have several, but which one works the Best?

 

I have had sat radio for over 4 years now, and since installing it I have literally not listed to "regular" radio since.

Here's a pic of the radio install in my 08 DC. The Sirius unit is hard wired to the HU using the AUX jack on the back of the HU. Most newer HU's have those now. Back a few years ago when I purchased this HU it was not a common feature. I like this setup because I also have the boom box and can listen to Sirius Radio in my office at work. The mounting bracket and hard wire kit cost me about $75 and I did the install myself. It's very easy.:

 

I have factory installed satelite in my Mazdaspeed 6 and absolutely love it. The only time I loose reception is when i go under a large overhang or into a garage. When I got my Tacoma I looked at installing satalite into it. After many many hours of reseach I found out a couple of things.

It all depends on what you want and what kind of stereo you already have installed in it. If you want to use the OEM satelite receiver it will set you back about $215 and some change but you must have the JBL head unit installed but you dont have to anything else. You will be able to control the satelite from the head unit and the steering wheel controls if you have it.

There is another option where you can get an aftermarket kit that is plug and play but you will still need to purchase the control unit. You will be able to control the satelite from your head unit. It esentially takes over one of the buttons on the head unit. The one that I found will allow you to plug in auxillery stuff into it as well for $89.00.b This will work with any of the head units out there.
http://search.beachaudio.com/search?p=Q&ts=mv2&wc=&w=duel+input+interface+for+2005-2008+toyota

The other option is to just buy a satelite control box that uses an FM modulator to send the signal to an empty channel on your stereo and you control everything through the satelite controler. One word of advice, I live in Central Texas and there are so many radio stations that I cant get an empty one to use the modulator. They have a device that plugs into the antenae plug on your head unit then you plug the vehicle one into that. I suggest going this route so that your signal comes in crystal clear. I am not sure of where to get this but I know that JCWhitney sales them. They are pretty easy to find.

As far as what satelite controler to get. If you want all of the options out there look at getting one that is both XM and sirius. The companies have merged and are now starting to produce units that will get both services for the same amount of money. I pay about $189 for 18 months of service. The more months you buy the cheaper it gets. At the time I got my service that was the best deal.

If you want to go the OEM controller route and dont have a JBL head unit, I have one that I am trying to sale, it was the wrong color. I will let it go for $80 plus $12 for shipping.. Sorry no pictures yet.

 

I installed my Sirius myself. It's in the cubby in front of the cupholder. I hardwired the power & installed a USA SPEC adapter to hardwire the input into the factory HU. I hated the static on the FM modulator.

 

you know guys, this is really helpful. I really Appreciate all of y'alls responses

 

I've had both XM and Sirius.
I liked them both, but like someone else said, I listened to only a handful of channels. For me it was clutch to catch whatever type of news/sports I wanted. I didn't use the music channels much because I have a nice iPod setup and lots of organized music. I don't watch TV that much, so I miss big news sometimes, satellite lets me catchup on pretty much any information whenever I want..

This time, I'm trying HD radio. This also required external device which I installed behind glovebox. HD Radio is "ok". It's just a radio upgrade, txt titles/station info and very very clear sound on hd broadcasts. Also nice is no monthly fee.

If I had a gun to my head right now, and had to choose between satellite and HD radio, i'd select satellite. However, I really don't miss it too much right now because my HU can do so much. IE movies & music.

Personally, I would never buy a satellite gadget that I had to mount on my dash.
I don't like the look of it, and do not want something I "sometimes use" always sitting in my face or taking up space in the cubby holes..
I typically buy satellite radio "ready" receivers and buy the device that lets the HU control it.

Not sure how much you will use it.
If it's not ALL THE TIME, then simply program a handful of your key stations. Then you don't have a gadget in your face, it's hidden, and you can still quickly find your programmed favorites.

depends on what features are most important to you and how you think you will use the device
My hunch tells me you'll use about 5 stations... At first maybe more as you explore, but the novelty will wear off.

 

I was in your shoes a couple of years ago. I have just used the separate SAT radio controller (XM Roady2). I did this because I wasn't sure what I wanted/needed out of SAT radio for me to like it. I found out I don't listen to regular radio much anymore. Great on trips!

I will be getting a HU this time around that will allow me to get rid of the outboard controller.

Could be persuaded into selling my roady2 to you so you can get into the SAT radio on the cheap to find out if you like it or not. PM me if interested.

 

:EEK: Thats where I installed mine. mounted it inside of the cubby in front(or behind---Anyway you want to think of it) the cupholders

 

Can you use the hardwire kit with a 2005 since the OEM radio does not have the AUX port setting?

 

I always had a aftermarket deck and installed a Sirius tuner box and routed the antenna via 3rd brake light. Much cleaner and all the controls is on my deck as well as the display.

 

Amen to that!!
My husband has XM and he only pays like $70 a year for it (some promotional deal he got when he first signed up). Every year when his renewal is up, he refuses to pay their regular rates and is more than willing to drop it. They always end up kissing his ass before they go through dropping him. He's been paying $70 for years.

He said it ain't worth paying anymore than that for it.

I personally have my ipod in the truck.

 

Im talking about a stock OEM headunit, not aftermarket.