Category: Geeks r Us
I'm wanting to put an XM satellite radio receiver on my wish list, but I don't know which one to ask for. I know there's one that's pretty accessible, but I don't know which one it is and I don't want to ask for the wrong thing. Can anyone help me out here? Thanks!
Hi there KL, the one you'd probably like is the Airwear (or however you spell it) from Pioneer. The keypad is arranged similarly to that of a phone, so you can tell where all the numbers are when you navigate through the channels. (there's even a little dot on the 5) There are a few other buttons on there but once you know their function (check the manual) they shouldn't be a problem. There's also a decent-sized screen if you have any vision. The only problem you might have is setting up your subscription: you'll be asked to go to a certain channel and copy your subscribr id, which is only displayed on the screen. There's also no way I know of to tell what's currently playing, something that the screen also notifies you about. Other than those minor annoyances, this reciever is the way to go. It's also portable, so you can take your XM with you. Hope this helps!
If u r looking to put one in your home instead and don't want something portable, since the reports I've heard about these portable units are that they don't have good reception, you may want to try the Roadie II from Delphi. I have one sitting here, and it works great, with the same draw-backs noted in the last post. The Roadie II was going for $39.99 earlier, though I'm not sure what it sells for now. As far as the buttons go, the buttons 1 through 0 are on the front of the radio in a row, and there is also a scrol wheel on the side of the unit wich allows you to navigate station by station unless you are in the settings menu. If u push toward the backof the radio once, it will advance by one channel. You then push the wheel streight in once you have the channel u want to go to selected. one of the few things not accessible through this radio is programming the presets, though navigating them once they have been programmed is strait forward. Adjusting the various settings in the settings menu is also doable if u take the time to memorize each menu option. The manual is available in pdf format from xmfan.com, and converted perfectly to text format when I ran it through the kurzweil virtual printer. HTH.
Scott, you're gonna cry when I tell you this. I got the Roadie 2 for $20 from Best Buy last Christmas. I didn't get the AC adapter with it, though.