anyone have sirius radio? do tell

[faithnotgreed]

i would love to know

1) what makes it worth it

2) do they carry mlb?
they list that they have nba and nfl but do they broadcast the games or is it pre/post game commentary?

3) what type of unit do you recommend for in home or mobile use? i dont have a car so no need there....

thanks for any information. since someone on du posted the discount link a couple weeks ago, im considering replacing my cable tv with this option. actually im cancelling digital cable anyway

[alittlelark]

1. I love my Sirius

But it is used almost exclusively in the car. I stream at home because I cannot get steady reception at home (probably due to the redwoods?)

They seem to carry ALL games. This coming from a non-sports person who HATES it when Air America or Sirius Left are pre-empted by games.

What makes it worth it? Choices, Air America. Random music I would not hear elsewhere.

[faithnotgreed]

2. thats the way it works i know! just the thing you hate and thats

what seems to be on. i realize youre non sports (which i completely respect), but if you are able to recall, could you please tell me what games interrupt the good stuff ? like i said, i see they list nba and nfl but its not clear if it means actual games or not

thanks so much for the information

[ET Awful]

3. They have a license with the NFL, my understanding is that they

carry EVERY game.

Look here for more info:

http://www.sirius.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Sirius/CachedPage&c=SportsSchedule&cid=1091814023531

[Buzz Clik]

10. You've got the wrong idea.

Sirius has roughly 180 channels, and some remain idle except for broadcasting games. None of my favorite stations are interrupted for anything.

Sirius is great. I have a friend who has XM, and he loves that, too.

It's my understanding that XM signed a contract with Major League Baseball. Although Sirius had some games last year, I'm guessing that XM will have an exclusive.

Go to the websites and read like crazy. Then, go to Best Buy or Radio Shack and ask a million questions.

Note on at-home reception: the antenna must be outside. That can be a hassle, but not horrible.

[sbj405]

4. I really like it.

I think it's worth the money for sure.

I am not sure about the baseball. I thought that they did carry all of the games. If not, than most.

Your reception at home will be largely dependent on your location. More than likely you will have to put the antennae outside. So you may need to buy the antennae extension which was another $40-50. It'll stop the signal from dropping out. However, if you are in an urban area with a lot of ground repeaters it may not be necessary.

We have an Audiovox PNP2 which easily goes from the cars to home. The new PNP3 looks nice and much smaller.

Check out www.siriusbackstage.com They are to Sirius, what DU to progressive politics. They have some good info and nice comparison chart of the units.

[DrDan]

5. I have

- a couple of auto units - one for my wife and one for myself

- the home unit

- the boombox

I really enjoy the boombox. It can go camping, to the pool, or just around the house. Just carry the antenna outside, and boom - you got the signal.

The only problem is that it takes 8 D-cells (or plug it in). So need to invest in some rechargeables.

I work from home and used to keep CNN or CSPAN on throughout the day. Now - TV goes off around 7 am - and on comes SIRIUS until 7 or 8 pm.

Best investment I have made in quite a while. I love it and get every penny of my monthly charge out of it.

Expect it to get better - big change at CEO will drive some changes.

[faithnotgreed]

8. can you tell me what the difference is between "home unit" and

boombox... something light and mobile is what im looking for and since ive never owned anything like this i have no idea what the differences are

thanks so much

[Buzz Clik]

11. I don't think Sirius has a hand-held mobile unit yet..

XM does.

I really, really like my Sirius. I'm willing to accept some of the drawbacks for the fantastic advantages.

The Sirius home units must be connected by wire to the outside antenna. If you're even a little wonkie, you can connect your satellite radio to a wireless unit and have reception anywhere in your house. I do that with my wireless headphones.

[Sabriel]

6. Is the signal ever interrupted?

I mean, I lose sat TV all the time with rain or snow, so I was wondering if it's the same with Sirius.

[Buzz Clik]

12. I've never had that problem.

I used to simply toss my antenna outside for reception. I'd open the patio door and put the antenna on the patio. Sometimes it would sink into the snow (about 6 inches deep) and not lose reception.

Interestingly, I get reception in my car inside my garage. I goes away in highway tunnels or in the house, but not the garage. ??? dunno.

[morningglory]

7. You young whippersnappers may not remember that when cable TV

first came out there were no advertisements. You pay by the month, so that revenue insures that the cable companies will not have to rely on ads. It was great for the insomniac, because all night long I could watch Bravo and all the movie channels and good stuff. Now it is all ads all night long, so I am thinking of dropping out and going to Sirius, but the new CEO scares me off a little bit. Also, if we get a couple of units and pay the monthly fee, can my husband and I each have one in our rooms, cars and at our workplaces for the one fee?

[Buzz Clik]

13. Each unit requires a subscription.

You could connect one unit to a wireless setup, but each receiver (radio) would have to listen to the same station.

Keep in mind, that you can listen to Sirius over the 'Net -- so its further transportable in that regard.

[faithnotgreed]

15. there is a discount for additional receivers. 1st unit is 12.95 month

then additional ones are around $7 per month i believe.

[faithnotgreed]

9. sports update:

sirius does not carry mlb - xm does. but sirius has nfl and nba

[Buzz Clik]

14. Final follow-up.

The differences between Sirius and XM aren't great, but they can be important. I chose Sirius because of their programming -- they have exclusives to NPR programs for another 4 or 5 years. Sirius has NFL, XM has baseball.

The hardware is essentially identical.

[faithnotgreed]

17. thank you buzz clik. each has slight programming differences

and xm will come out with ipod like handheld unit in december. but sirius is more democratic friendly, has a "sirius left" channel and someone here shared a discount link if anyones interested....

even though the discount is a good deal, ill probably hold off a few months at least. i dont tend to watch television and i get all my news from du so my emac is really all i will use for now

thanks again for your help

[Maestro]

16. I have it and love it!!!

It has every taste in music imaginable. I also like its news and talk programming. Sirius Left and Air America plus the BBC and several NPR stations.

[faithnotgreed]

18. discount link (posted on du a couple wks ago by dumbyad40)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1346567

looks like a good deal. get a receiver for $49