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View Full Version : PSA: XM Radio option



Darrell KSR
10-08-2012, 10:51 AM
I've had an XM radio in my wife's van, and a portable XM radio with poor reception for awhile. I pay something like $14.99 for the first radio, and get a discount on the 2nd one to about $10-11? or so per month.

A little over a week ago, I tried the XM satellite app, which gives you internet XM on your smartphone, tablet, computer, etc. I tried it for a week, and it was near-flawless, as long as I had cell service, which is practically everywhere, indoor or outdoors.

My portable radio? Not so much. I like to walk at a track that has some trees that cover it--the radio is near-useless there. Useless indoors. Just didn't like it, didn't use it.

So I call to drop my portable radio, and add internet. First I'm told that I can do it and link it to my account for $3.50 more per month, and dropping the $10 or $11/month I'm currently paying. Great, works better and cheaper.

Then I find out if I sign up for "all access" my monthly rate goes down slightly on my 1st radio, and the internet radio is.....free. Apparently I had something less than "all access" previously, although I had a ton of channels.

So now I'm paying something like $43 every 3 months, have all the channels on my car radio, and have the internet/app XM for free. I'm a happy camper.

TonyRay
10-08-2012, 01:33 PM
Might have to try that.

Darrell KSR
10-08-2012, 01:53 PM
I'm "frugal" (everybody calls me cheap), but that's $30+ I'm saving every 3 months, and getting better coverage in my car, and better for a portable option, too.

I was going to be happy saving about $18 every 3 months, but this is better. The internet isn't all of the channels, but it's a wide variety. I also like the feature where when you scroll the music channels, it tells you which song is playing. Click on it, and it goes to the beginning, so you hear the whole song. Get interrupted with a phone call? It will pick up where it left off. Live radio can be paused on it, too. Really enjoying it.

2nd PSA--go to the SiriusXM website, and you can try internet XM for free for 30 days and see if you like it.

Catfan73
10-08-2012, 02:07 PM
XM came free in my car for 6 months and now I'm hooked. Regular radio sucks in comparison to listening to whatever you want no matter where you are.

Darrell KSR
10-08-2012, 02:12 PM
Me, too, Catfan73. I hated that it happened that way.

But when I learned I could hear UK games clearly in the car in the middle of the day in Birmingham, Alabama, it was a no-brainer. The rest of it is a bonus. I like Broadway channels, 70's music, other type music as the mood hits, CNN and other news stations, sports shows, comedy channels, (George Carlin channel is a pleasant surprise on the internet radio one) and listening to Cardinals baseball, Saints football, and the NBA, well, it's just terrific.

We have listened as a family to shows like the ones on CNN about unsolved murders that go on for an hour, and several hours into that type show, we're at our destination without realizing we've gone 150 miles. That's worth it by itself.

Catonahottinroof
10-08-2012, 02:45 PM
Now that ATT has beefed up the towers around Commonwealth and Rupp, maybe, just maybe that will be my trick on game days. Use the iphone app :)

PedroDaGr8
10-09-2012, 12:53 PM
I've had an XM radio in my wife's van, and a portable XM radio with poor reception for awhile. I pay something like $14.99 for the first radio, and get a discount on the 2nd one to about $10-11? or so per month.

A little over a week ago, I tried the XM satellite app, which gives you internet XM on your smartphone, tablet, computer, etc. I tried it for a week, and it was near-flawless, as long as I had cell service, which is practically everywhere, indoor or outdoors.

My portable radio? Not so much. I like to walk at a track that has some trees that cover it--the radio is near-useless there. Useless indoors. Just didn't like it, didn't use it.

So I call to drop my portable radio, and add internet. First I'm told that I can do it and link it to my account for $3.50 more per month, and dropping the $10 or $11/month I'm currently paying. Great, works better and cheaper.

Then I find out if I sign up for "all access" my monthly rate goes down slightly on my 1st radio, and the internet radio is.....free. Apparently I had something less than "all access" previously, although I had a ton of channels.

So now I'm paying something like $43 every 3 months, have all the channels on my car radio, and have the internet/app XM for free. I'm a happy camper.

For those who aren't too interested in the online part of it. XM regularly has a deal for $25/5mo or 6mo (it varies) and occasionally $55/12mo. I get this deal pretty much ever 5-6mo. You just have to stick to your guns (and get sent to retentions by claiming to want to cancel). I have yet to not get it in the past 1.5yrs.

BigBluePappy
10-09-2012, 11:46 PM
Got a six month free subscription with Grammy's new Fusion and I love it on the road trips; ESPN, Blue Collar and Chanel 18, the Gospel Channel. although I do wake her up singing with the Hoppers, Greater Vision, the Cathedrals and especially Gold City.
Never thought of a second subscription for my truck or the home computer but have considered putting the grandson's subscription on as a second.............

Darrell KSR
10-10-2012, 10:09 AM
Pappy, my wife bought me the portable XM radio last year for our anniversary (at my request), and that's how I ended up with a 2nd radio. Thought I'd use it in my car, at soccer games and trips with my son, volleyball, etc. as UK played football and basketball games I could get on there.

Ladycat92 introduced me to Iheartradio for local broadcasts, which reduced my reliance on the portable radio.
The portable radio's reception was also awful. I know there are antennas and ways to improve it, but that defeats the purpose of it being portable, doesn't it?

Anyway, I was sick of it, so I wanted to just eliminate it and wait until I got a car where the radio would not be worth more than the car itself before putting one in....then came along the offer for a free trial for the internet/app version. It works near-flawlessly; a huge change from the portable radio option. So when I called to rearrange, they first told me I could drop the portable and add the internet/app for only $3.50 a month more than the primary, while dropping the 2nd radio subscription, which was about $9 or 10 a month, IIRC. Then they told me I could reduce the primary radio, get the "all-access" package, and the internet/app came free with it. Perfect solution for me.

It's not the $25 or $55 solution Pedro mentioned, but it works for me. I have often heard Pedro's solution used by many; he's not alone. Just call and say you will cancel, and they will offer very good deals for limited periods. Then repeat the process. Not a bad idea.

Catonahottinroof
10-11-2012, 05:23 AM
NT