Delphi SkyFi XM Satellite Stereo Rocks!

For those of you considering getting XM radio you're probably wondering if it's really worth it to pay to listen to the radio. I was thinking the same thing. But after listening to it on a friend's rental car for a short period of time I decided it was definitely something that I was interested in. After doing some research on the internet I decided that I preferred XM radio over Sirius because they have more subscribers and they appear to be more fiscally viable than Sirius. Both providers have almost the same types of channels available. Although Sirius is totally commercial free about a third of XM radio's channels are commercial free and compared to the local channels the amount of commercials on the other channels is very low. And if you don't like the channel you listening to you can always switch to one of the other 99 channels available. In addition, the variety of channels you get it's really worth it to pay for radio. If you enjoy non-mainstream styles of music such as classic country, oldies, broadway showtunes, jazz, dance/electronica, latin, world, classical, news, sports, talk, and comedy then XM radio is definitely for you. After all it's only $9.99/month. How many times a month could you waste $9.99/month on silly purchases?

For a detailed listing of the channels on XM radio go to www.xmradio.com. As a general overview the service gives you 6 decades channels (40's-90's), 6 Country channels, 11 Hits channels, 2 Christian channels, 12 Rock channels, 8 Urban channels, 7 Jazz & Blues channels, 4 Dance channels, 5 Latin channels, 5 World channels, 3 classical channels, 2 kids channels, 11 News channels, 5 Sports channels, 3 Comedy channels, 10 Talk & Variety channels, and 1 Premium channel (Playboy).

Although this review is for the Delphi SkyFi Satellite Stereo I couldn't separate a review of that unit from the XM service itself. They really do go together and if you don't want the service that XM radio provides then there's really no use in purchasing the Delphi SkyFi unit. As far as the XM Delphi SkyFi unit goes it's excellent. It's very easy to use and is able to store 20 preset channels. The other buttons on the unit are very self explanatory and also easy to use. If you buy the unit I have found the best prices ($94.99 and $99.00) plus the rebate from XM radio ($30) at Circuit City or Best Buy, respectively. In addition to the purchase of the Delphi SkyFi unit you also have to purchase a Delphi Vehicle Kit or a Home Adaptor Kit depending if you want to hear XM radio in your vehicle and/or home. They cost $66.49 each at Circuit City and $69.99 at Best Buy. I purchased both and both are very easy to install and use. It just depends if you want to be able to listen to XM radio in your car, home, or both.

Overall, XM radio is a much better alternative than your local FM radio stations if you're looking for more variety and less commercials. I never thought I'd pay to listen to radio but since purchasing XM radio almost 1 month ago I haven't listened to a local FM radio since.


UPDATE: December 16, 2003

For pictures of the Delphi SkyFi radio and the accessories that you get with the Vehicle and Home Adapter Kits see the following links: SkyFi radio - http://www.xmradio.com/skyfi/index.jsp
Vehicle Adaptor Kit - http://www.xmradio.com/skyfi/ontheroad.jsp
Home Adaptor Kit - http://www.xmradio.com/skyfi/inthehome.jsp

I'm using the cassette adapter in my car which is extremely easy to use and the sound quality is equal to or better than an FM channel.

As far as installation in the car I found some very good instructions and pictures somebody had posted for my car ('95 Thunderbird) at www.xmfan.com. I searched the forums under the XM Installations and Pictures section. The installation took about 1 to 1 1/2 hrs. For my particular car the installation was easy but I guess that would vary for each type of vehicle. The antenna that comes with the kit is a very strong magnet. You put the antenna on the roof and then run the antenna wire inside the car and it plugs into the cradle which holds the SkyFi radio. I believe the antenna wire is 50 ft. which is just enough for an install in a passenger car or truck. However, if you have a very large vehicle such as an SUV you would need to purchase additional wire. In general, you would be able to remove the vehicle kit from the car if needed and install in another vehicle if you traded cars later. There is also plenty of other information available at www.xmfan.com in the other forums.

The ergonomics of the radio are well designed. However, for car use the buttons can be a little small. I've heard of some people using the remote control in the car but I change channels most often by using the preset buttons which are positioned in a row of 10 buttons across the bottom of the unit. Once you get used to using the unit in the car it does get easier as you get familiar with the button locations. When you want to change channels you have the options of selecting one of the 20 preset stations, directly entering the channel number using the number keys, or using the scroll wheel and/or the enter button. You can also use the category search buttons to find the music category and channels in each category. There is also a display button on the unit which gives you three options of what appears on the display screen. You can choose to view the channel number, a larger print scrolling song title/artist, or a smaller print stationary view which shows the channel number, channel name, song title, and artist. I've found that in the car I prefer the stationary view and in the home I like the scrolling view.