XM Commander XMRVRFM001
By: Terk Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 13
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 On: 2008-04-18
I had my commander installed professionally at Curcuit City. However I lost reception of some of my favorite AM and FM stations. I had the older model Commander and the module was more powerful, per Curcuit City, and I did not have this problem. I am going to attempt to return it. It is going to cost me additional money for installation approximatelty $100.00. I am very disappointed with this commander.
 On: 2007-02-12
I installed this unit in a 2001 Porsche Cabriolet. Unfortunately, the head unit was DOA, but Audiovox replaced it w/o incident. I have the antenna mounted on my dash and it works fine. I had to use the modulator sysem, which turned out to be just fine also. I wish it had three lines on the head unit so it could show Artist, Song and Channel (station?) all at the same time. Other than that, no complaints.
 On: 2007-01-12
Depending on your application, the Trek XM Commander is a slick way to do a custom install of an XM head unit. I previously had the XM Roady 2 and didnt like all the wires hanging out the side or the FM modulation mode - didnt seem as clear as the cassette input - which was even more unsightly. The XM Commander in my current vehicle - Acura MDX looks like a factory install and the direct connect into the FM antenna line produces very clean sound. However, I may purchase the direct connect feed and use the RCA jacks off the Trek main module (which you can hide away anywhere to connect all the wires). Like I said, its a very clean and professional looking application. Oh, and the remote is great too. Especially for scanning XM or selecting stations without taking your eyes off the road.
On: 2007-01-10
I own two of the XM Commanders, and I couldnt be happier. They are the size of the actual remote (appx. 1.5" x 4"), so they are very compact and will fit in places the other XM units wont. The sleekness of the unit also makes it look more like a factory install, and its less likely to get in the way of any knobs or controls in the vehicle. Its also hard wired, which is nice since the wire can be hidden during install giving it a clean look to your interior. On the record, I also own the XM unit that fits in the XM boombox, and the Commander is easily the best looking and easiest to use. However its up to your personal tastes and style, although you wont go wrong with this purchase.
On: 2006-06-30
I had the XM Commander professionally installed. At this time for my car the only option was with the FM Mod. The sound quality is good, as any FM station is. A unit worth installing.
Only a few intems could be improved.
First, the display unit could have a scrolling option so that in some cases you can see the entire group or song name. Maybe a smaller size font could be used.
Second, the buttons on the display unit are so small that it is hard for full size fingers to find the correct one. The remote works wonders in this area.
Third, the tune select could be set up so that you could select the artist or the song. As it is if you select a tune it is that artist and that tune.
Overall I would certainly purchase the unit again. Well worth the money.
 On: 2005-02-24
I purchased this receiver after quite a lot of research. I was looking for a way to listen to better music than is played in my small Arizona town. Satellite radio seemed to be the best alternative. Although servicewise, Sirius plays slightly better music (I have Sirius free through my Dish Satellite at home) their equipment is terrible (very basic). With that said I chose XM.
I installed this receiver after about 1 hour. The reason it took so long was simply the power hook up instructions were not very clear (this was solved by hooking into the radio power).
This unit uses a wired FM Modulator. In other words, your antenna cable goes into the modulator and there is an output from the modulator that goes into the back of your stereo. This modulator was the root of the problem. When hooked up properly it completely degraded the incoming signal from the antenna. In other words, the few FM stereo stations that were quite strong using the antenna alone were mostly garbled and full of static with the modulator hooked up. The only way I was able to fix the static issue was by unplugging the modulator and antenna. I wired the antenna back into the stereo and taped the modulator cable next to the antenna. This gave me the same quality output but got rid of the static issue. In either configuration, the output volume was also grossly inadequate. Even with the FM signal at max level the volume was very quiet. Because of this you would get a huge volume difference when switching from XM fed FM stations to CD.
Based on all these reason I finally took the XM Commander back to Best Buy and bought a Delphis XM SKYFi2 receiver which I highly recommend. On a side note, XM was able to switch my membership between the old to new receiver in about 5 min.
On: 2004-12-23
Okay, XM is really, really cool. But this review is not about XM, the concept/service. It is about the XM commander.
1) This unit, when hooked with the FM antenna connector, sounds horrible. Somewhere between an strong AM radio station and a weak FM one. This is not related to reception, it is just the dymanic range of the output. Reception was always consistant no matter where I drove.
2) The face light on this unit is very bright and cannot be dimmed. It is distracting and unsafe. It literally is as bright as a small flashlight. What a huge oversight!
3) The output level of this unit is so low, you must turn up the level of your head unit a lot to hear it. That causes the following problems:
a) Distortion - even with a good head unit, distortion is higher the louder you turn it.
b) Loud Blast of Static when you turn on the car. The XM commander comes up a few second after the radio - since you have the FM radio turned to a blank station, you get a LOUD blast of static for a few seconds until XM comes on. This is worse than it might at first seem. And no, you will not remember to turn off the unit every time you turn off the car.
c) Switching from XM commander to FM etc. causes a HUGE volume difference. This requires lots of blasts of loudness all around, and is incredibly annoying.
(And yes, I am aware of the XM commander audio adjustment, but it does little to mitigate this problem)
A great concept (XM) but a horrible solution (XM commander)
Do yourself a favor and change your head unit to an all-inclusive system such as those from Clarion. Yes it costs more but you will be thrilled with XM when it works right.
Im having my installer take this unit out of my car and putting in a head unit. I learned the hard way... I dont want you to.
On: 2004-11-16
I have installed this product in each of my cars - a Honda Accord and a Honda Pilot and it works terrific. The reception is fantastic! The sound is terrific - extremely clear. It also includes a very handy, comfortable, intuitive remote. It makes it very easy to change channels while keeping your eye on the road. XM service is great! I can not stand traditional radio, constant ads, and having to listen to a bunch of bad music to hear a song or two that I actually like. XM solves that problem.
On: 2004-07-26
Installed XM Commander myself. Install was clean and easy. Wasnt necessary to drill any holes. Had it up and running in a couple of hours. Sound quality is great. Variety of channels also great. This is our 2nd XM receiver. High recommended
On: 2004-07-25
Installed XM Commander myself. Install was clean and easy. Wasnt necessary to drill any holes. Had it up and running in a couple of hours. Sound quality is great. Variety of channels also great. This is our 2nd XM receiver. High recommended
On: 2004-07-25
I just purchased the unit a couple days ago and am thoroughly pleased with the features. Face it, most people wouldnt need any more features than the XM offers unless you just like throwing your money at things you never use. Sound quality is great but could use improvement. I notice a slight volume disparity when switching from FM to XM. My unit is mounted in my Ford Explorer with velcro so I can remove if needed. All wires are hidden. I watched the car audio place install everything within 15 minutes. If you have any idea about installing regular car stereos than Im sure you could do it yourself.
Setup was very easy, one phone call to XM and within 5 minutes I was downloading stations. One thing you do need to know is that when you pull your car into a garage (loose direct line with the satellites) then you loose reception. Within the next 5 years they should improve that.
Bottom Line: I would highly recommend buying the unit, especially if you live in a place where you cant get any radio stations. Look to Ebay for the best price ($40 cheaper than Best Buy and Circuit City) and installing the unit yourself. If you dont feel comfortable about self-install then stop by a place like Best Buy and they will do it for you for around $70. Good Luck.
On: 2004-07-24
I just purchased the unit a couple days ago and am thoroughly pleased with the features. Face it, most people wouldnt need any more features than the XM offers unless you just like throwing your money at things you never use. Sound quality is great but could use improvement. I notice a slight volume disparity when switching from FM to XM. My unit is mounted in my Ford Explorer with velcro so I can remove if needed. All wires are hidden. I watched the car audio place install everything within 15 minutes. If you have any idea about installing regular car stereos than Im sure you could do it yourself.
Setup was very easy, one phone call to XM and within 5 minutes I was downloading stations. One thing you do need to know is that when you pull your car into a garage (loose direct line with the satellites) then you loose reception. Within the next 5 years they should improve that.
Bottom Line: I would highly recommend buying the unit, especially if you live in a place where you cant get any radio stations. Look to Ebay for the best price ($40 cheaper than Best Buy and Circuit City) and installing the unit yourself. If you dont feel comfortable about self-install then stop by a place like Best Buy and they will do it for you for around $70. Good Luck.
On: 2004-07-01
Ease of installation, value, and superb sound quality makes this unit a great buy for any one with a cd player already installed in their vehicle. Other units require buying the tuner, then a car kit with a cassette adapter, which I had no use for, then the FM modulator, and the antenna, almost doubling the price of what this unit cost. Very nice, sleek design... not bulky like the Delphi. It has an excellent two line display, with a cool indigo blue backlite at night, and even direct sun does not impair visibility of the LCD display during the day. Doing a custom in-dash install is the only way to go with this unit. Just wish I had a aux input in my receiver to take advantage of the direct connection ability of the Commander for superior sound quality. (...)
by: zenderman On: 2004-03-14
...is obviously an employee of Sirius, all of his 8 reviews are designed to run down XM radio and promote Sirius. What a pitiful, brainlessly-obvious fake. Surely Amazon can do a better job of screening out paid hacks like this, otherwise the credibility of its users reviews will continue to plummet.Me, I own nor use neither system, just wanted to post this as a heads-up for unsuspecting Amazon users, so Im giving it 3 stars as a neutral rating.
by: zenderman On: 2004-03-14
PAID HACK: "Roy Givens III"...is obviously an employee of Sirius, all of his 8 reviews are designed to run down XM radio and promote Sirius. What a pitiful, brainlessly-obvious fake. Surely Amazon can do a better job of screening out goons like this, otherwise the credibility of its users reviews will continue to plummet. Me, I own nor use neither system, just wanted to post this as a heads-up for unsuspecting Amazon users, so Im giving it 3 stars as a neutral rating.
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