Portable XM radio

[yzf6]

has anyone used the portable xm radios in flight? how well do they stay locked on to the signal without an external antenna? i just got a delphi myfi, but haven't got to try it out yet.

and if anyones thinking about getting one, best buy and all the other stores want $299. print the ad from compuplus.com ($210), take it to best buy, and ask them to price match it. saved me some money.

 

[Flechas]

Thanks for the info man, I was gonna go to Best Buy today and maybe buy one. I had a captain that used one and it seemed to work well, he had the antenna that he plugged to the window though.
My roomate just got a new one on Ebay for $200, not a bad deal.

 

[yzf6]

no problem! when you goto xm's website to activate it, it'll want you to select where you bought it. just remember that you bought it from an infiniti auto dealer, and the promotion code that the infiniti dealer gave you was OEM001NNA. you'll get your free activation and 3 months of service free, for being a valued infiniti customer.

 

[Flechas]

sweet!! What kind of flying you do? Let me know if it works without the antenna.

 

[yzf6]

instructing for 2 more days then going to FL to haul freight

 

[Flechas]

instructing for 2 more days then going to FL to haul freight

Congrats, what company?

 

[yzf6]

flight express out of ORL

 

[Flechas]

Awesome, best of lck there, seems to be a good company. Let me know when you use the radio, I'm getting tired of all the AM stations.

 

[Diesel]

yeah i have one. Works great. I really enjoy oppie and anthony for those long ass flights. Also the ability to record and then play back later without having to worry about a signal is a great function.

 

[Flechas]

yeah i have one. Works great. I really enjoy oppie and anthony for those long ass flights. Also the ability to record and then play back later without having to worry about a signal is a great function.

Hey Diesel, what do you have, Sirus? (Spelling?)

 

[I.P. Freley]

Hey Diesel, what do you have, Sirus? (Spelling?)

You're thinking of Sirius, the less popular of the two satellite services. And no, Diesel has XM, which he must if he's listening to Opie and Anthony.

The fact that Diesel is an O&A listener reflects very well on the content of his character, by the way.

The Delphi MyFi mentioned at the top of the thread is an XM unit, not compatible with Sirius. Sirius now has a "portable" unit, but once you attach the battery pack(s) and all that stuff, it is noticeably larger and heavier than the MyFi. Keep in mind with every portable unit you have to deal with the antenna in some fashion, it's not like an AM/FM unit you may be used to.

 

[Flechas]

You're thinking of Sirius, the less popular of the two satellite services. And no, Diesel has XM, which he must if he's listening to Opie and Anthony.

The fact that Diesel is an O&A listener reflects very well on the content of his character, by the way.

The Delphi MyFi mentioned at the top of the thread is an XM unit, not compatible with Sirius. Sirius now has a "portable" unit, but once you attach the battery pack(s) and all that stuff, it is noticeably larger and heavier than the MyFi. Keep in mind with every portable unit you have to deal with the antenna in some fashion, it's not like an AM/FM unit you may be used to.

That's what I meant to ask, if it was a Delphi. Thanks for clarifying that.
Do you use XM? Whe you say that I have to deal with the antenna, how bad is it?

 

[I.P. Freley]

The antenna in a satellite radio must be able to get a good signal, and it's not as easy as you're used to with terrestrial radio. Basically, it's more or less line-of-sight most of the time, though XM (and probably Sirius, but I don't know for sure) have ground repeaters in major metro areas to improve the signal.

Think of the problem in a place like NYC, where the tall buildings all around you make a mess of even "regular" radio, and you can see the need for the repeaters. Problem is that you won't have them in less urban areas, but most of the time it's not a problem.

In car applications, the antenna is usu. on the roof or the trunk, and uses the steel in the car as a supplement to the antenna. Don't know how much a non-steel car would have reduced reception, but the usual aftermarket magnet-mount antennas obviously need another way to be attached to those surfaces (probably drill through the material)... Though in MY car I don't want the antenna on the outside and it's just sitting at the base of the windshield on the dashboard. MOST of the time, the reception is fine.

At home, you'll have a home antenna. If I move my unit around the house, the reception comes and goes... I have one more or less permanently mounted (in the sense that I don't move it around) with my home stereo and the reception is rock-solid (kind of at odds with the concept of "line of sight", as the antenna has a wall between it and the satellite). The second one I move around with my XM boombox, and the reception can be quite bad depending upon where you have it. The satellites are nearer the equator than we are, and the antennas need to face south... Supposedly. Mostly it's just what is in between the antenna and the satellite.

Now for the portables. You still need an antenna, of course. I don't know all about the MyFi since I don't own one, but I think the antenna is built into the headband of the headphones (if you use the headphones) and there are outboard antennas identical to the ones I use at home and in the car for times when you're not using it as a "walkman". Perhaps someone who owns one can help out here.

I have read, however, that some owners of MyFi's are extremely disappointed with their reception when using them in this last fashion... Turn the wrong way, walk in a wooded area, go inside, etc. and the reception drops out entirely. I think you might want to do a little research before you buy if this is what you envision your primary use to be... And it's not going to be specific only the MyFi, it's a limitation of the technology. The MyFi unit is probably the best XM unit available and better certainly than any Sirius unit... I'd buy one if I wasn't pretty well set up with other equipment purchased before the MyFi hit the market.

 

[Flechas]

Thanks a lot freley, very good info. I've heard that some people use it in the plane and sometimes works good, I'm headed to best buy in a couple hours to see what they offer.

 

[FracCapt]

yeah i have one. Works great. I really enjoy oppie and anthony for those long ass flights. Also the ability to record and then play back later without having to worry about a signal is a great function.

Does yours work in the X? How about in the hotels? I've seriously considered getting one of these, but wasn't sure how well it would work while out on the road. I have a Skyfi that I currently use at home and in a couple cars, and I love the thing....but would LOVE to have one that I can listen to on those long transcons.