Accessories

Service O.K. But modulator is VERY weak.
I purchased the newer model 'Roady' to replace the earlier model. This one has an extremely weak modulator which I need to find a remedy. The older model broadcast a decent signal that could be picked up within 50 feet on other radios and personal sound devices. This newer model broadcasts a signal about three inches. The plugs have changed and the older modulator cannot be used with the newer model Roady.
Needless to say I am very disappointed in the performance so far.
Pros- XM satellite signal has improved over the last year with out requesting the signal to be re sent to our receiver, which was a real pain.

Not in any way Plug-N-Play
I purchased this because it claimed it was Plug-N-Play and you did not need a cassette player. When I received it I found that to install without using the cassette adapter could take up to 30 minutes and was expected to provide less quality sound. Installation involved routing wires around the car. I ended up paying an experienced installation technician for 2 hours of installation. If you want to use the casette adapter, it is plug-n-play, otherwise, good luck!

Roady Satellite radio receiver
Had to send the first one of these back because it didn't work and couldn't get another one (Target was out of stock) so had to order another from someone else. The second one works fine and also was better priced. Other than the aggravation of having to wait on the new one everything worked out fine. As usual Amazon was very accomadating!

Great Performer
I was cautious about purchasing this XM receiver because it appeared so simple and plain in the photos. Don't let that fool you. It has more functionality than my factory XM unit. I found it easy to install myself. The hardest part is running and concealing the wires for the satellite and transmitter antennas and even that isn't very difficult. The kit is pretty complete. I did not use the direct connect because my older vehicle had no (IPOD) input. The kit also contains a cassette input, which I couldn't use either because my vehicle has no cassette deck. The FM method is pretty foolproof. The input connects to your vehicle antenna. I wish it simply went inline between the cable and radio. An inline connector is available, but is not included with the kit. The XM website links you to a site with suggested empty frequencies for your area, which is very useful. I printed several of them for my frequently traveled areas. It was easy to set up, had great reception and lots of info options. If you have ever installed your own aftermarket radio or add-on player installing it is a cinch. Beware that in traveling between highly populated areas with lots of FM broadcasters finding a blank frequency may be difficult and lead to some interference with the FM input. The best way would be an input jack if you have a newer vehicle. I highly recommend this receiver. I also bought a home kit to use this with my second and third home stereos which are not cable connected. Again reception and installation were great. The range on the remote is somewhat limited, but it works in the car for those who are interested. That option would be great for a motorhome user.

Pretty good satellite radio
This is my second satellite radio. My first one was stolen out of my car and I got this one because the xm radio website was having a replacement special on them. Here are my thoughts on it:

Pros: I like the multitude of buttons on the device. Its pretty easy to navigate through the channels. I like that the color changes on the display so you can get it to match the color of your displays in your car. I like that it is easily transferable to a home kit. I have had better reception with this radio then my previous one(sportscaster).

Cons: I don't like that you have to buy the remote separately. Thats pretty ridiculous. The standard mounts that come with the device are pretty cheap and worthless. I don't like that you have to use the cradle to hold the player. You cannot plug the power directly into the unit. You have to plug it into a cradle and then the device into the cradle.


Notes and tips on installation:

Since i didn't like the mounting options included with the radio, I purchased a vehicle specific mounting plate (available on the satellite radio superstore - run by xm radio) for ~$35. This has allowed me to have it mounted to the dash much more securely. Then i modified the vent clip mounting option to make the device mount flush to the new bracket. This looks really sharp. I ran the antenna to the outside (roof) of my jeep. The reception has been superb. I am using an open AUX rca jack in the back of my stereo to run the audio into the car. This works really well

I also don't like having the power outlets taken up with plugs and such in my car. Thus i did something about it. I took off the dash board and wired another outlet inside of the dash. I wired this to the cigarette lighter power circuit (i dont smoke and dont ever use it anyway). You can get really nice splicing clips at advanced auto parts or the like to make this really easy. Then i ran a cheap power outlet (from one of those splitters you can get to add more plugs to your car). Then all the wires come out of a small slot and only about an inch of cable is visible for each of the three wires.

I did have a significant amount of hissing and static as was indicated by another review. But this is common for pretty much any cigarette lighter powered electronic device. This is caused by a "Ground Loop". Basically it means that you have some mismatched circuits with different currents and one ground. But fortunately this has an easy fix. For $10 online or $20 at radio shack, you can get a "ground loop isolator." this will prevent the hissing and static. I have absolutely none in my system now. It sounds great.



Overall, this is a pretty good product. I wouldn't pay the msrp of 70 dollars for it, but if you can get a 10 to 20 percent discount then i would recommend it. It certainly will work with out the stuff i did to install mine; however, i feel like mine looks pretty professional and didn't cost me more than 60 dollars in parts.