satellite radio

[hoser]

2hey, i'm going back on road. i always brought a radio which helped me relax and it made the 14 hour days go by a bit faster. the programming content on the radio sucks a lot more these days, and i'm thinking of buying a satellite radio receiver (for reasons other than the job; in my car and in my house).

so for it to work, i'd have to buy one of those plug & play boom-boxes. problem is, i'm likely leaving my doors open during stops, so to avoid theft, i'd put it in the bulk. i'm curious if anyone else uses satellite radio on the road and if they get adequate reception from the bulk? or does anyone have any ideas on how to secure it/hide it in the front?


and while i'm at it, (assuming anyone else has one), what do you prefer? sirius or xm?

[swing_drv]

What kind of package car are you driving? I bunge cord mine on the ledge above the driver's door. Works great you can control the volume and it's out of site so it's not easy to steal. I use the Dewalt radio.

[hoser]

i'll be covering. everything from the ford econo-line van to the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter through the p1000.

i normally just put the radio on the dash in front of the driver's position between the windshield and steering wheel.

i see a lot of drivers bungee their radios above the door, but i think the boombox would be a bit too big. but i'll bear that in mind, thanks!

[Cementups]

Satellite drains batteries like crazy so you better buy stock in Duracell/Energizer. Management is cracking down right now on people running wires off the trucks power. Thye jsut stripped our trucks of our wires so we can't use it anymore. FVCKERS!!!

[browned out]

No wires anywhere? I have wired into the blower, the marker lights and the best for my truck the bulkhead or other interior lights. Even the battery works. Any of these can be done without altering the integrity of the vehicle. Just disconnect before you punch out. Rock on dude

[Pip]

When A driver comes and ask me about it and is honest and upfront. I tell them, to get me a cigarette lighter female plug, a on/off switch. I'll wire them up correctly. When they leave the car at the end of the day, flip off the switch so there is no draw on the battery's. Haven't had a problem when done right.

The problem comes when drivers start hacking wires and overloading circuits, splicing into wires cause problems. Don't be splicing into the blower motor, marker lights, cargo lights. IE: road calls, drained batteries, corroded connections, overloaded circuits. Thats where you get into trouble. There is a right way to do things and a wrong way. For every driver that knows how to wire it up correctly, there are 10 that don't.

Personally, I think there is no problem with having a radio hooked up, it's a little convienence that makes the job bearable.I'm all for helping a driver, i like having a good working relationship with the drivers. I understand the policy towards radio's in package cars vary center to center. Play it safe and save yourself a possible unwanted problem by checking with the automotive department first.

[NHDRVR]

I tried the satellite radio (XM) about 2 years ago. The problem is that they use 'line-of-site' reception. If your out in the sticks they fade in and out. The best route, no pun intended, is getting a Dewalt with the rechargable pack. It charges fast, lasts all day, and I hook up my MP3 into the auxilary in the back. Bungie it in however you can, my 700 has a nice spot above the heater intake where it isn't in the way.

[BCFan]

In Atlanta hub a few of our feeder guys have the satelite radios and love em.....dont know of any pkg car guys that use em though.....I too am interested in the preferrence between XM and Sirius:confused1 BC

[brownman15]

Originally Posted by Pip

When A driver comes and ask me about it and is honest and upfront. I tell them, to get me a cigarette lighter female plug, a on/off switch. I'll wire them up correctly. When they leave the car at the end of the day, flip off the switch so there is no draw on the battery's. Haven't had a problem when done right.

The problem comes when drivers start hacking wires and overloading circuits, splicing into wires cause problems. Don't be splicing into the blower motor, marker lights, cargo lights. IE: road calls, drained batteries, corroded connections, overloaded circuits. Thats where you get into trouble. There is a right way to do things and a wrong way. For every driver that knows how to wire it up correctly, there are 10 that don't.

Personally, I think there is no problem with having a radio hooked up, it's a little convienence that makes the job bearable.I'm all for helping a driver, i like having a good working relationship with the drivers. I understand the policy towards radio's in package cars vary center to center. Play it safe and save yourself a possible unwanted problem by checking with the automotive department first.

had that done a few years back gave mechanic cig lighter he put it in but then when pmi was done automotive manager made mechanics take out all the lighters and fans in all the pkg cars. now we don't even see our mechanic the car wash collects the dvir sheets and pulls all write-ups out of line-up and brings to the shop mechanics don't do any repairs in the center anymore even minor ones you write anything up your truck gets pulled for a couple of days. used to have a mechanic in the center in the morning to fix minor problems like dead batterys, cracked mirrors now if you have a dead battery it takes them an hour to get it jumped

[eagle1]

I have a car radio w/ tape player straped to the underside of the bracket that holds the rear view monitor.And a XM Skyfi2 mounted to my sunvisor with the cassette adapter kit,also use a duel outlet for the cig. plug for both the radio and xm. Speekers magnets stick to the metal brace that holds the monitor and I used zip ties to make sure they stay put.
All radio controlls are within my reach, and everything is secured.

[big_arrow_up]

We have one driver that has XM in his truck. He has it built into a contraption that looks like a little ice cooler and he bunjee cords it up on the dash. I've never really bothered to look at it much but I know he has to bring all of that crap in each morning and hook mount it and some how taps into the trucks battery or something. Then he has to take it all apart before he leaves in the afternoon. He had to clear it with the our mechanic before trying but he's been doing it for several years now and he's even switched trucks a couple of times and still been able to pull it off.

I had Sirius Radio for about a year and a half in my personal vehicle. It seemed like I was listening to the same two or three stations all of the time so it wasn't worth the yearly fee. I mainly listen to political talk shows and liked listening to Righat Wing and Left Wing because I got a kick out of listening to both sides but once the Left Wing shows started dropping like flys that really only left me with one or two stations that I liked. So now I just listen to free radio.

[Browned out2]

I have had a delphi myfi in my truck for about 2 years and the reception is usually real good. No problems with theft, I wrap the radio in a towel and put it on the dash. I wouldn't recommend wiring into the trucks wires. I have heard that some trucks have cought on fire and of course managment said that it was the drivers fault for wiring the radio. I use duracell rechargable batteries.

[jasar13]

Originally Posted by BCFan

In Atlanta hub a few of our feeder guys have the satelite radios and love em.....dont know of any pkg car guys that use em though.....I too am interested in the preferrence between XM and Sirius:confused1 BC

I , had XM in the past but now have Sirius. the biggest difference is XM has Major League Baseball. Sirius has the NFL and Howard Stern. the rest of the music, comedy and talk channels are similar. There is merger talk between the two for next year. They are in the process of having hearings with the government. The gov is worried about anti-trust issues. they are afraid there will be no competition and the consumer will suffer.

Originally Posted by NHDRVR

I tried the satellite radio (XM) about 2 years ago. The problem is that they use 'line-of-site' reception. If your out in the sticks they fade in and out. The best route, no pun intended, is getting a Dewalt with the rechargable pack. It charges fast, lasts all day, and I hook up my MP3 into the auxilary in the back. Bungie it in however you can, my 700 has a nice spot above the heater intake where it isn't in the way.

XM is line of sight to the SKY so if you can't see the sky there is a good
chance you'll lose signal.
If your in a city, most major cities have repeaters that broadcast in town.

I was just in SLC last week and my satellite in my car worked in my parking garage under the hotel.

Lots of guys use them in package cars, nice thing about the fiberglass
roofs, is the signal transmits right into the car.

Guys with "wires ripped out" guess what its in the contract
get your mechanic to install a "cell phone 12 v access point."

problem solved...

[upsguysavannah]

Originally Posted by BCFan

I too am interested in the preferrence between XM and Sirius:confused1 BC

Sirius has MUCH better programming than xm does. I hope that the gov't doesn't allow them to merge... I don't see how it will ever happen because when the FCC issued the satellite radio licenses, it stipulated that no one company was to ever control both of them. I'm wondering how they plan to get around that. Regardless, I recommend satellite radio to everybody, if not in your package car then in your personal vehicle and your home because it truly is "the best radio on radio."

[hoser]

Originally Posted by BCFan

In Atlanta hub a few of our feeder guys have the satelite radios and love em.....dont know of any pkg car guys that use em though.....I too am interested in the preferrence between XM and Sirius:confused1 BC

Sirius has better jazz, better electronic music, has cbc radio three (alternative canadian content; listen to it before you laugh), cbc radio one (like NPR, but canadian) and best of all, Sirius has NPR. Oh, and Howard Stern.

Sirius wins.

[dammor]

I have XM and love it. I can't however say which is the best because I have never had Sirius. I guess if you like Howard Stern then go with Sirius. I personally don't care for him, but we all have our preferences. I like the Dave Ramsey program. Sirius may carry that also. Don't know for sure.

The only drawback I see in a satellite radio is the lack of local weather. Living in tornado alley can be interesting. If you see one though you won't need the radio to tell you what it is.

[LKLND3380]

Originally Posted by upsguysavannah

Sirius has MUCH better programming than xm does. I hope that the gov't doesn't allow them to merge... I don't see how it will ever happen because when the FCC issued the satellite radio licenses, it stipulated that no one company was to ever control both of them. I'm wondering how they plan to get around that.

Simple... One will go bankrupt and shut the doors if the meger does not happen... Merger or no merger only one satellite radio company will exist in the end... Now this does not prevent someone else from coming along and starting a satellite radio company in the future to compete with...

[LKLND3380]

Originally Posted by dammor

I have XM and love it. I can't however say which is the best because I have never had Sirius. I guess if you like Howard Stern then go with Sirius. I personally don't care for him, but we all have our preferences. I like the Dave Ramsey program. Sirius may carry that also. Don't know for sure.

The only drawback I see in a satellite radio is the lack of local weather. Living in tornado alley can be interesting. If you see one though you won't need the radio to tell you what it is.

Sirius offers 24 hour Traffic and Weather for several cities. I tune into the TPA/ORL channel for traffic and weather updates...

[upsguysavannah]

Originally Posted by LKLND3380

Simple... One will go bankrupt and shut the doors if the meger does not happen... Merger or no merger only one satellite radio company will exist in the end... Now this does not prevent someone else from coming along and starting a satellite radio company in the future to compete with...

Even though both companies are losing money right now, they still are gaining more and more subscribers every day so they're heading for the break-even point. And both companies recently said that neither is going out of business if the merger doesn't happen. I just don't think that a merger is in the public interest... it would leave no competition for the combined company, people would lose their jobs, and Sirius' superior programming would be compromised.

[Dutch Dawg]

In spite of any original FCC intent I suspect a merger of one form or another will take place. It only requires lubing the wheel in the right place.

Both XM and Sirrius are reluctant to loose current subscribers at this time. I suspect their merger end value will in part be based on active subscriber numbers.

I mention all this cause a few at our building have all recently come up for XM renewal. They've all found polite telephone discussions with XM representatives at that time have resulted in deep discount$. The key seems to be you need mention you're disappointed in the recent loss of whatever channel and believe you're ready to walk away from XM at renewal.

[raceanoncr]

Right now, it should be a matter of just personal taste. We had XM for a few yrs while on sleeper and it was a life-saver, BUT still only listened to a few select channels.

Took Brown run a few months ago and he had Sirius. It's got it's good and bad points too but still only listened to a few select channels.

A little humor:

When I first signed up for XM on sleeper, there was a glitch in the on-line procedure. Had to call. Lady went thru the hoops w/me and in the end asked if I would like to pay for Playboy channel. I said, "Maam, if I have to pay for anything related to sex, I want to be a participant!" She laughed so hard she almost had to hand off to supervisor.

[LKLND3380]

Originally Posted by upsguysavannah

Even though both companies are losing money right now, they still are gaining more and more subscribers every day so they're heading for the break-even point. And both companies recently said that neither is going out of business if the merger doesn't happen. I just don't think that a merger is in the public interest... it would leave no competition for the combined company, people would lose their jobs, and Sirius' superior programming would be compromised.

It's already been announced if the merger does not happen one is closing the doors... XM over paid Oprah for her channel and it did not help subscriptions... Oprah will work a total of 58.5 hours total for XM for $55 million?

http://blog.mises.org/archives/006430.asp
http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419...pposes-merger/

Just do a search for "XM" "Merger" "Bankrupt" The articles are out there

[Ms Spoken]

In my truck I have been running the XM radio for almost 3 years. Well here is my new little problem. UPS just moved me out of my high stepper P8 and I'm now in a older/newer 700. I have no signal at all and the radio will flip stations when it wants to on it's own. Could the roof be my problem because this never happened in the old 800. My radio was custom built to fit on the dash but, still low enough to see over. There are two marine speakers on the top with a flex ant, car radio with xm built in, cig plug for cell phone or spot light, and a toggle switch if I need to kill power fast. If anyone has any idea on how to boost the signal I would love any ideas.

[dammor]

Originally Posted by LKLND3380

Sirius offers 24 hour Traffic and Weather for several cities. I tune into the TPA/ORL channel for traffic and weather updates...

So does XM, but the weather in Chicago and other large cities does not help me here.