XM Sat Radio for Road Trip Use Only
Pros:
Least expensive satellite radio receiver. SureConnect is brilliant.
Cons:
Ugly docking base. Too many wires.
The Bottom Line:
For a long boring road trip, satellite radio is the way to go.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I bought this Audiovox XMCK10 Satellite Radio Receiver with car kit from Costco (http://www.costco.com) for my 2000 mile journey from Connecticut to Colorado. Originally, my only expectation out of this device was to spare me from all the jibber jabber of country radio and "Hail to Jesus" campaigns with which I was certain to be saturated. To this extend, it served its purpose, but pleasantly it was much more than that.
Features:
These units now come with SureConnect(TM), which is basically just a wire with a clip that you snap onto your radio antenna (or for window decal antennae there is a separate attachment so you can stick it to the glass). With SureConnect I never got much static, even if there wasn't a huge gap between radio stations. It was amazing! I totally expected the weak built-in FM transmitter to be just as lame as my iPod's iTrip but the sound quality was phenomenal.
The docking base. Personally I think this docking base is butt ugly. It's nearly the same size as the radio unit itself! What the heck? I mounted it onto my dashboard next to the AC vents with the included wipes and stickies. Now the ugly thing is always there, even if I put the radio receiver in the glove compartment. The dock does slide off another smaller bracket that is physically stuck to my dash. So theoretically I could hide the dock too, and all that would be left is the little mounted clip piece. However, there are a bunch of cables that connect to the dock so I'd have to reconnect them every time I wanted to listen to the radio. Instead I just leave the big fat dock there and snap off the receiver unit when I leave the car. Those cables are kind of annoying as well. I tried to tuck them into the seams in my dash, so it looks clean when the receiver is on, but one it's off my car looks like some kind of nerdy electronics shop.
One of the best features about this particular product is that it has a Line In mini jack on the docking base. that means you can buy a $3 audio cable and plug in your iPod as well, if you get sick of the 200 some channels on XM. This is so great for cars with no audio input and no tape deck. I think the FM transmitters are going the way of the dodo soon (unless you have the SureConnect cable) for their poor sound quality.
The remote control: In my car it doesn't really make sense to have a remote control. But they include one for you. I think it's only to appease relatively ignorant technophiles who want MORE or at least have the appearance of getting more. I guess if I had a car load of people crammed in and the back seat wanted to control the radio, then it might be a fun feature. Incentive to have more friends.
Value:
Use this promotional code: OEM001NNA to get three months of free service as a new customer! After that XM is only something like $12.95 per month. If you're sick of the same lame disc jockeys peddling the same lame corporate radio, then listen to a different corporate radio: XM.
The best part of XM satellite radio is that there's hardly any talking, and barely any commercials.
