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Iron Butt
Posts: 742
North Orange County CA | So - lets preface this question with the caveat that "I'm CHEAP". Well, maybe not cheap, just running on empty after almost finishing another in a seemingly endless series of major home improvement projects.
I love satellite radio in my truck and miss it on my bike, but don't really want to spend the $400+ dollars its going to take to upgrade my radio. I do prefer the cleanliness of the OEM install.
Both Sirius and Xm offer universal vehicle tuners. The xm unit is about $110, Sirius is $70.
So here is a multi-part question for you tech savvy guys:
1) Does the OEM xm upgrade require flashing the radio to function?
If the answer to #1 is NO, then:
2) Is there any real reason not to purchase an aftermarket receiver to plug into the stock radio head?
3) Is there any reason to choose an XM unit over a sirius unit?
http://shop.sirius.com/edealinv/servlet/ExecMacro?nurl=control/Stor...
http://shop.xmradio.com/xm/ctl10600/cp48830/si4646542/cl1/xm_direct...
Edited by Tarpits99 2010-09-24 9:31 AM
(xm.jpg)
(sirius.jpg)
Attachments
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 xm.jpg (61KB - 0 downloads)
sirius.jpg (59KB - 0 downloads)
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 38
Prince George, BC, Canada | I am running Sirius on my 2010 Vision. I use the audio out to plug in the aux cable found in the glovebox. Power is obviously a no brainer and I ran my antenna to the top of my clutch fluid reservoir using some velcro to keep in place. The only issue is changing the channels as you have to do it on the Sirius unit itself but then I don't change the station that often. Whole set up was $49.95 plus subscription cost.
Just my $.02
Cheers! |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1117
Northeast Ohio | I have the stock Vic XM unit. You "might" need to flash the radio to get all the components at the same level. The ONLY reason I went this option was to leverage the stock handlebar controls. That being said, I am less than pleased with the sound quality of the vic xm unit. It actually sounds worse than listening to an old cassette tape. Knowing what I know now, I think I would have done the XM option on my StreetPilot. Want to buy my XM tuner?
Edited by ScoreBo 2010-09-24 2:55 PM
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Cruiser
Posts: 102
Parkersburg WV | Hi, I use the xm roady 2 and have it plugged into the aux jack and have the 12 volt power supply plugged in the jack in the glove box. The sound quality for some reason doesnt sound like it does in the car or house.....must be a vic thing. Using the roady 2 I save on monthly subscriptions cause I transfer the unit from bike to home to both my cars and dont need more than 1 subscription. The roady is an older unit and can be found cheap on e-bay. Ive heard complaints on the roady xt and the sirius on motorcycles because of how they dock and the contacts seem to vibrate loose.
Bob |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 619
Southeast Iowa | +1 on the Vic XM unit not sounding great. I have it but rarely use it because my IPOD sounds soooo much clearer and louder. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1484
LaPorte,Tx. | Tarpits99, great idea, I really can't help you on these two receivers. I don't believe they were offered two years ago when I got a Sirius Starmate 5. Looks like they plug right into the radio head unit and not through the aux. port. Hope this works out, let us know. If it doesn't, the Starmate 5 is a good receiver, with good sound quality. It has a higher audio output than some of the units offered, I think that maybe why it has good sound quality when matched up to the bikes radio and speakers. Also, I have reduced the cost of the month charge, by going the Ala Carte menu with Sirius. Choose the programs you want, and you get a bunch, but you don't get everything. It is about 1/2 price of the get everything monthly charge. Good luck.
Edited by VisionTex 2010-09-25 10:00 AM
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Iron Butt
Posts: 742
North Orange County CA | VisionTex - 2010-09-25 7:58 AM
Tarpits99, great idea,................. Good luck.
Oh great - now I'm screwed! Another Tennessee boy, letting a Texan talk him into something.
I wish I were had more technical ability than I do - the advertising hyperbole for these units (esp. the XM head from Audiovox) makes it seem as if you can make this thing work with ANY SAT Ready or XM Ready head unit.
If that is the case then it should be able to utilize the handlebar controls, and display station info on the Vision Radio head, BUT.............OEM manufacturers often change subtle things to mess with our ability to circumvent their monopoly.
Channel Andy Rooney.
"Why is it that, every time I hear the name Audiovox all I think of is that cassette tape adapter I used to play/break tapes in my 8 track player?"
End channeling Andy Rooney.
My guess is that it will either plug and play or there will be a major cable /pin config issue to solve. Since I have little understanding of how to address that issue if it occurs (and knowing my history, it will) I am a little loth to jump into the guinea pig / volunteer roll that I so often seem to choose.
I once made the mistake of agreeing to eat some cholla cactus on a nature walk in the desert. Can your hear it? Yeah, you can, that voice saying, "NO! Don't eat that stuff; at best it's gonna taste like bad baby food and make you gag."
Our guide , apparently not a relative of Kit Carson, although he was dressed like him, failed to burn off all the microscopic spines with his butane torch.
In retrospect I should have know better, right then and there. I'm pretty sure Carson didn't carry a butane torch for a number of reasons. Creme Brulee is way too difficult to make in a camp fire, and crack cocaine hadn't yet been invented.
I ended up with hundreds , maybe thousands of tiny little hairy cactus spines in my tongue, gums, and the room of my mouth. I then spent the rest of that week involuntarily working my tongue like a dog with peanut butter stuck to the room of his mouth. Great laugh for the rest of the company, less so for me.
Did you ever wonder why that dog with the peanut butter always looks embarrassed? It's because he IS embarrassed! He is realizing that he just did something stupid (again), but it's way too late to back out. Like those guys who's last words are "hey ya'll , watch this", or for those of you with historical predilections (or Tennessee roots) , "Let's go to Texas".
Man, why do I keep hearing Neil Armstrong, I know somebody has to be first; I was really hoping, that it was one of you guys.
All right Davy, lets go to Texas , that sounds like a real good idea!
I'll let you know how it turns out.
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Iron Butt
Posts: 741
Central New York | I have a Blackberry that is always with me anyway so I stream that via bluetooth to my helmet. Gives me my phone, mp3's, radio through iheartradio, and GPS turn by turn using the Garmin Blackberry app. $0.00 monthly charge except the phone bill that I get anyway. It may not work everywhere, totally dependent on your cell services coverage. Here in the NE it's no problem. Not for everyone, but a good alternative for some. 
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