XM Radio Subscription

[seventyss]

Thinking about XM radio + NavWeather for $16.94. Being a noob I can use all the advice I can get. What do LD riders get?

 

[Tree Doc]

Thinking about XM radio + NavWeather for $16.94. Being a noob I can use all the advice I can get. What do LD riders get?

Well, can't say that I'm a big time LD rider yet but I do have the XM. As far as bang for buck, I've got the Radio/Traffic/NavWx and it's $19 and some change. I've considered dumping the radio aspect of it but it won't save me enough money to dump any one of the 3 options I have so I just live with it and use it occasionally.

 

[Bounce]

I like my lifetime $500 Sirius subscription. At the end of 3 years you've broken even and everything else is gravy.

 

[rcpd807]

I used Google and found a promo for $79 for one year of XM service. This does not include traffic, but sometimes depending on where I am in the country, I will get weather information on my 550.

Just search Google for XM promo.....this offer price was for 1 year....as that one year approaches, I will call them back with another promotion.

 

[johndaub]

I like my lifetime $500 Sirius subscription. At the end of 3 years you've broken even and everything else is gravy.

Right after the merger was approved, they offered the lifetime for XM at $400. Shortly after, they announced the "royalty fee" but it was not (?) a price increase per the merger rules since the money went to the music industry. Fortunately, they did not go after us with the lifetime membership.

 

[tmc]

I find that calling them and bitching about the price, then getting "retention" to put you on a 5mo/$20 contract is the way to roll.

Of course, you have to subscribe first at full price for a little bit.

$4/mo for XM Everything, for the price of me calling and complaining works for me.

My problem with the lifer packages is it follows the RADIO, not the user. At least that is the way I am informed it works, and I asked them that specific question just last week when I was calling to bitch my way into the $4/mo deal.

 

[johndaub]

My problem with the lifer packages is it follows the RADIO, not the user. At least that is the way I am informed it works, and I asked them that specific question just last week when I was calling to bitch my way into the $4/mo deal.

When I went with the lifetime package, I discussed things like if my radio breaks, etc. The explanation I got was:

For manufacturor installed XM radios in automobiles, it follows the car and if it breaks, that is that.

For stand alone radios, it goes with the radio but can be transferred up to 3 (?) times to other radios for $75 each transfer (naturally this is mainly for when a radio breaks).

 

[blkredlinedrvr]

I use my iPhone for all of that stuff. I've got Pandora and it works great for music outside of what you have on the phone and I also have an app called Co-Pilot which provides traffic avoidance and weather radar on the map and what not. Only cost 5 dollars for the Co-Pilot app and Pandora is free so no money there. Depends on if you have an iPhone (or other smartphone) with data plan.

The Co-Pilot ap is a standalone program when it comes to mapping and navigation. Even without a cell signal as long as you have GPS reception on the phone it will navigate as it's a 1.2GB ap which has the maps with it. As long as you have cell signal you can get real-time traffic and weather.

 

[Bounce]

My problem with the lifer packages is it follows the RADIO, not the user. At least that is the way I am informed it works, and I asked them that specific question just last week when I was calling to bitch my way into the $4/mo deal.

When I went with the lifetime package, I discussed things like if my radio breaks, etc. The explanation I got was:

For manufacturor installed XM radios in automobiles, it follows the car and if it breaks, that is that.

For stand alone radios, it goes with the radio but can be transferred up to 3 (?) times to other radios for $75 each transfer (naturally this is mainly for when a radio breaks).

here's the straight scoop.

i got the lifetime on a portable... 4 transfers (5 radios). if one breaks under warranty (my first did) then it's not counted against the total. i xfered my sub to the receiver in my new car. (that was 3 radios but 1 transfer) after about 5 years. i still have 4 radios to go (even though this is in the car, it's still part of the xfer process). at the rate i'm going (1 actual xfer in 6 years) i still have between 18 and 24 years to go.

some of this may have changed over the years but this is my experience.

phones, in my experience, don't work when there aren't towers nearby. if there are towers there's usually also a radio station selection off of broadcast radio. a lot of places out west are sorta remote.

 

[blkredlinedrvr]

Newer smartphones have built in GPS antennas and even without a cell signal can still perform GPS navigation duties as long as your phone has a mapping program with maps loaded on the phone and not one of the ones that downloads maps as you go. Anywhere that has traffic problems and traffic broadcasts is going to have a cell signal.

The only advantage I can see to having XM radio services is for weather and music even if you are out of cell signal range. Traffic isn't going to be an issue where you don't have cell signal pretty much all the time. And if you have enough music on your smartphone it becomes even less of an issue with music.

Granted if you don't already have a smartphone with GPS antenna and data plan then it becomes a very viable option but if you are already paying for a data plan and smartphone I don't see the need to have another bill on top of your phone bill.