Delphi XM Roady XT Satellite Radio Receiver
By: Delphi Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 65
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 On: 2008-07-08
My title is kind of hard to understand, but hopefully I can make sense of it for you here. I love my Roady XT! I dont know how Ive lived in rural America for all of these years without it. This little unit is easy to navigate, has some really neat features for the price and seems to work flawlessly when it has good satelite signal. My complaints are minor, but frustrating. The unit puts out tremendous heat when it is on. Almost to the point of being too hot to touch at times. Also, if you are planning on using this to transmit to your FM radio... forget it! If there is *any* interference from other things around you will be hard pressed to get a clear signal without using the "direct connect" (included) antennae. I have many friends that use different brands of Satellite radio recievers (most of them Sirius) that if you pull up beside them in your car and tune in to the same station they are using you will get a nice clear signal. Thats impossible with this unit. If you plan to hook this directly to your car stereo or home stereo, its awesome, but look elsewhere if you are going to use it as an FM broadcaster.
 On: 2008-05-17
I purchased this because it claimed it was Plug-N-Play and you did not need a cassette player. When I received it I found that to install without using the cassette adapter could take up to 30 minutes and was expected to provide less quality sound. Installation involved routing wires around the car. I ended up paying an experienced installation technician for 2 hours of installation. If you want to use the casette adapter, it is plug-n-play, otherwise, good luck!
On: 2007-11-21
Had to send the first one of these back because it didnt work and couldnt get another one (Target was out of stock) so had to order another from someone else. The second one works fine and also was better priced. Other than the aggravation of having to wait on the new one everything worked out fine. As usual Amazon was very accomadating!
 On: 2007-09-30
I was cautious about purchasing this XM receiver because it appeared so simple and plain in the photos. Dont let that fool you. It has more functionality than my factory XM unit. I found it easy to install myself. The hardest part is running and concealing the wires for the satellite and transmitter antennas and even that isnt very difficult. The kit is pretty complete. I did not use the direct connect because my older vehicle had no (IPOD) input. The kit also contains a cassette input, which I couldnt use either because my vehicle has no cassette deck. The FM method is pretty foolproof. The input connects to your vehicle antenna. I wish it simply went inline between the cable and radio. An inline connector is available, but is not included with the kit. The XM website links you to a site with suggested empty frequencies for your area, which is very useful. I printed several of them for my frequently traveled areas. It was easy to set up, had great reception and lots of info options. If you have ever installed your own aftermarket radio or add-on player installing it is a cinch. Beware that in traveling between highly populated areas with lots of FM broadcasters finding a blank frequency may be difficult and lead to some interference with the FM input. The best way would be an input jack if you have a newer vehicle. I highly recommend this receiver. I also bought a home kit to use this with my second and third home stereos which are not cable connected. Again reception and installation were great. The range on the remote is somewhat limited, but it works in the car for those who are interested. That option would be great for a motorhome user.
On: 2007-08-09
This is my second satellite radio. My first one was stolen out of my car and I got this one because the xm radio website was having a replacement special on them. Here are my thoughts on it:
Pros: I like the multitude of buttons on the device. Its pretty easy to navigate through the channels. I like that the color changes on the display so you can get it to match the color of your displays in your car. I like that it is easily transferable to a home kit. I have had better reception with this radio then my previous one(sportscaster).
Cons: I dont like that you have to buy the remote separately. Thats pretty ridiculous. The standard mounts that come with the device are pretty cheap and worthless. I dont like that you have to use the cradle to hold the player. You cannot plug the power directly into the unit. You have to plug it into a cradle and then the device into the cradle.
Notes and tips on installation:
Since i didnt like the mounting options included with the radio, I purchased a vehicle specific mounting plate (available on the satellite radio superstore - run by xm radio) for ~$35. This has allowed me to have it mounted to the dash much more securely. Then i modified the vent clip mounting option to make the device mount flush to the new bracket. This looks really sharp. I ran the antenna to the outside (roof) of my jeep. The reception has been superb. I am using an open AUX rca jack in the back of my stereo to run the audio into the car. This works really well
I also dont like having the power outlets taken up with plugs and such in my car. Thus i did something about it. I took off the dash board and wired another outlet inside of the dash. I wired this to the cigarette lighter power circuit (i dont smoke and dont ever use it anyway). You can get really nice splicing clips at advanced auto parts or the like to make this really easy. Then i ran a cheap power outlet (from one of those splitters you can get to add more plugs to your car). Then all the wires come out of a small slot and only about an inch of cable is visible for each of the three wires.
I did have a significant amount of hissing and static as was indicated by another review. But this is common for pretty much any cigarette lighter powered electronic device. This is caused by a "Ground Loop". Basically it means that you have some mismatched circuits with different currents and one ground. But fortunately this has an easy fix. For $10 online or $20 at radio shack, you can get a "ground loop isolator." this will prevent the hissing and static. I have absolutely none in my system now. It sounds great.
Overall, this is a pretty good product. I wouldnt pay the msrp of 70 dollars for it, but if you can get a 10 to 20 percent discount then i would recommend it. It certainly will work with out the stuff i did to install mine; however, i feel like mine looks pretty professional and didnt cost me more than 60 dollars in parts.
On: 2007-07-14
I had read this earlier on posts regarding XMs billing practices but thought it was just that persons problem or misunderstanding. Unfortunatley, I was wrong.
When you sign up for XM online you give over your credit card # which is then in their greedy little paws. After trying one of their radios for a few weeks I decided there were some good features but nothing worth keeping. I returned the radio to an area big box store w/o any issues.
I had only paid for a 30 day subscription with my credit card but they continued to bill me.
Links on the web site for unsubscribing lead to another page of links w/o telling you how to unsubscribe! When I called to find out why they were continuing to bill me one representative gave me a runaround saying that even though they could cease billing me they had to bill me as the radio had still been running (this is well over a month after returning it)!. Eventually they agreed to a partial refund even though I do not trust them to not bill again.
For those who might say this is not about the equipment listed on Amazon, I believe its impossible with satellite radio to unlink the radio programming or the billing issues from the equipment. This is not Amazons fault, but I think consumers need to be warned.
If you must try XM, I would highly recommend using a credit card that you add money to for any individual purchases not your usual purchases. I do not, however, think theyre a very honest company.
 On: 2007-07-12
HA! We misplaced our Roady 2 somewhere at the hospital and no one returned it to lost and found. Our car has the Roady 2 Car kit installed by CarToys which cost $320 for installation. Unfortuantely, the Roady XT is not compatible with the prior car kits, which means we would have to pay for Roady 2 car kit removal and new Roady XT car kit installation, meaning a whole nother $320 or more. Something so trivial as this. Therefore we cannot use new technology... Our only economical choice is to be stuck in the past replacing the lost Roady 2 with another Roady 2.
On: 2007-07-04
I have two of these and have no complaints. Big things in a little case. I was surprised to see how small this radio is. Smaller than the remote.
Works best in car that has a cassette player.If you dont want to hard wire it.Lots of wires and things, power supply, antennae,and airvent holder. Never tried any other setup other than boom box.
On: 2007-06-26
My wife bought this Roady XT for me last Christmas. If she had not bought it, I probably would never had bought one myself. There just seemed like there was something wrong with paying for radio. Boy, was I wrong! The XM subscription is worth it just for the sixties channel. Guess that shows my age. I cant imagine being without it.
On: 2007-05-27
Great little unit. Built-in FM transmitter works great. Great reception. Easy to operate.
On: 2007-05-17
I got my XM Roady XT radio approx a year ago. I LOVE it and my family enjoys listening to commercial-free stations all the time. We like the Sports channels too, but the Music choices are outstanding! Even though this radio is mainly for auto use, I bought a Belkin Boombox Belkin F5X007 XM Audio System & keep my XM at home, for both inside and outdoor use. Its fun to jam in your yard while doing chores or relaxing. Its great for parties or winding down (depending on what type of music you prefer). The Belkin Boombox has quality speakers that make XMs reception sound clear & sharp. An XM Roady Radio is a definite must-have for music lovers! Very pleased with both items....LOVE IT!
On: 2007-05-11
Ive had my Roady XT for about three months- it worked fine for about a week but then I started having problems getting a continuous signal. Finally, the receiver stopped working completely. When you call the poorly trained workers in India or Pakistan or wherever XT hides out at, they all have one script they read asking you irrelevant questions about your radio. If you call again, the next person asks you the same questions over again, as they have no procedure of creating a "case" to review each time you call. They are a complete joke of a company.
On: 2007-04-25
I have been a subscriber for 4 years. Back in November my account was turned off due to a billing issue. The week prior to it being turned off I started receiving 3 calls a day for payment. I advised one of the reps to wait a week for the payment, payment was made. Calls stopped for another week. The radio was then turned off and the 3 calls a day started up again. I explained to the bill collectors I owed nothing and when offered to reactivate the radio I told them not to bother, at this point I wanted nothing more to do with XM. They offered me 3 months of free service to come back, anyone who cancels can get this by the way, and I refused. The 3 calls a day continued for the next week, I was informed that it simply takes a week for your name to fall out of their automated system....
2 more months go by and then I start receiving a bill saying that I reactivated my radio and owe for 2 months of service and all the late fees that go with that. 40 dollars. I call in and state I never reactivated my radio, thus I dont owe for reactivating my radio and the 2 months of service that would have followed. The customer service rep told me that it would be taken cared of, 2 weeks later I get another bill. I call back and the rep tells me the same thing and apologizes for my inconveniences. I even called back the next day just to make sure it was finally resolved, and that rep confirmed that I no longer owed anything. So then last month I start receiving COLLECTIONS NOTICES. YOU HAVE ONE MONTH TO PAY THIS BEFORE IT GOES TO COLLECTIONS. I called in and was promised they would look into it and call me back. This apparently has taken care of the issue, though I never received the call back. This week I called 6 times, 3 of which I was promptly hung up on for no reason, and was told each time that it had been resolved. So hopefully this time it really is... To anyone considering XM I suggest you just get an MP3 player.
On: 2007-04-05
I am completely satisfied with the Roady XT, and I have had no problems or issues with it at all. I think there are several important reasons for this. I did a lot of research prior to my purchase and install, and this saved me from having a bad experience.
After doing my research, I decided that I didnt want to do the install myself, didnt want to use the enclosed FM modulator, didnt want to attach the receiver onto an air vent or have it flopping around on one of those hideous suction cups, didnt want to plug it in to the cigarette-lighter jack and have wires hanging out all over the place, etc.
I had my unit professionally installed with the optional FM Direct Connect, which would solve most if not all reception problems.
The install at a big box electronics retailer along with the FM Direct Connect cost $100, and has been worth every penny. I drive all over the place, and have great reception in all areas because of the FM Direct Connect. And there are no wires dangling. I couldnt be more pleased.
On: 2007-03-09
easy to use and mounted better than the roady2. there are more "dead" stations to choose from to tune the unit for the fm modular feature of this tuner. still am unable to hook it up to my motorcycle because there is no volume control unless the remote is used with it. overall, good little unit for the price.
On: 2007-02-27
Its small, its inexpensive (the price keeps dropping), it works, and I installed it in 10 minutes. Its in my wifes company car, and she loves it.
The sound quality is really quite good for running the output through the FM receiver. And I love being able to listen to XM selections on my computer by virtue of an XM subscription.
If you want, you can also buy a home adapter so that you can play it through your stereo or home theater. But Ive heard tell that you have to get the antenna really close to a window to ensure decent reception. It works fine in a car, though.
Me likee.
On: 2007-02-25
My wife bought me my Roady XT radio receiver for Christmas, and I love it. When installing it in my car it was quite easy and painless. With the docking station it is easy to place receiver pretty much any where in your car. The reciever itself is easy to use and i love the fact that you set artist or song to tell you when they are on a station. They have different color background you could set. I love the stations on the service, you could always find someone to listen to. I never had any problem with reciption, but occasionally it goes out. But nothing major. I heard that XM and Sirus emmerged together, hopefully the service wont change that much. Love Xm radio.
 On: 2007-02-21
This receiver (the only model Ive owned) is a nifty little gadget. Nice display, very good reception, nice array of features. And I love the XM service itself.
My gripe is I had my first xt die a warranty death (replacement from Delphi quick and painless!), my second was stolen. Now working on my third. I also purchased the Belkin boombox. After a year, it died. I bought a used replacement on EBay that doesnt work. Hopefully the seller will replace as Belkin has discontinued this item.
Sorry for the rant - good little receiver, Delphi gets mad props, and I love XM radio. But my personal experience with XM (dont get me started on their customer service) has been challenging. With this merger, not sure Id invest in newhardware right now...
On: 2007-02-10
I have bought the Roady xt before, about 4-5 months ago. A power surge killed it, so I just bought another. The old one would broadcast on fm in the house or car. The new one will not do it at all in the house, and needs a special adapter to do it properly in the car. I like to listen while working in the basement, so the new Roady is not very useful.You can hook speakers directly to it, so I am trying to figure out some way to wire my house. The changes they made to this product are not for the better.
On: 2007-02-07
We bought an XM radio for ourselves and then bought two more for our parents. Sick of all the commercials and not enough good tunes, or variety, on regular radio. Great device. Very simple to use, not a whole lot of programming, buttons, etc. Our parents have their favorite channels, and can tune it easily and remember/learn the name of the singer, or song quickly at a glance.
On: 2007-02-06
Usually when I buy something, it typically ends up being much harder to install than I thought and the quality is usually worse than I expected. Interestingly, it had taken me much time to hide the wires. THIS PRODUCT IS GREAT! I was expecting that since I was going to be using the FM transmitter - and not hard wiring it, that it would cut out (like maybe under bridges or on cloudy, rainy days). My wife had one of those things that you hook to an MP3 player that allows it to play through the radio and the quality was terrible. With this product, if you go to the FM frequency locator sight and enter your zip, it sounds excellent. My radio had the "Sure Connect" stuff with it (meaning that in addition to putting the xm radio on the top of your car, that you had to attach it to your FM antenna - which in my case was sticking something to the back window of my new Honda Accord where the FM antenna wires run inside the window).
The sound was way better than I thought it would - sounded like FM just maybe a tad quieter, but when I adjusted the car volume it was perfectly clear. I have driven all around the Kansas City area (metro and rural) - the thing has not cut out once! The XM service is good - I wanted monthly service but I didnt realize that for the first three months that you have to pay for those in advance in addition to an activation fee ($10 online or $15 by phone) thus expect to pay $50 at first (in addition to the cost of your radio). But other than that, I love xm and the Roady XT.
Cool features: memorizes your favorite artists or songs (up to 20), has a ticker option for your favorite sports teams or stocks, changeable colors for the display.
On: 2007-02-01
I have no problems with the sound quality or the quality of XM overall, although I am a bit ticked off that they have started adding commercials to some of the stations. I do have a problem with what seems like a major design flaw in the XT, as compared to the Roady2. With the Roady2, you can scroll through your presets with either the scroll wheel on the unit, or the remote control. You cannot do this with the Roady XT - when you try to go up or down while in one of the preset bands, it behaves as if it is in the direct select mode and goes to the next station up or down from the presets station number - not the next preset button. This is incredibly frustrating to me, as Im very used to using this feature on the Roady2. While I like the look of this model, I much prefer my Roady2 over this one. Other than this problem, the receiver works fine - I got the boombox that goes with this model, and have no problems with reception in my home.
On: 2007-01-16
I am so glad my wife bought this for my X-mas gift! I had been on the fence about it but now that I have it I wish I got it sooner. I have yet to mount the antenna permanently in our truck but with it simply sitting on the dash the reception is quite good (it cuts out when under lots of trees but on the open road no problem, once mounted properly any issues will be resolved). I have since purchase the "home kit" & I now can listen to anything I want instead of the 1 or 2 local stations which is all we could get before on our home stereo even with a quality (CCRANE) FM antenna. There are LOTS of channels & shows to listen to so you wont get bored with the content any time soon. Enjoy!
On: 2007-01-12
I have been pleased with this purchase. The unit came promptly, was easily installed and activated. Everything has been as promised and expected.
On: 2007-01-09
This radio receiver has been great. It was simple to install and we just love it!
On: 2007-01-05
I am a stickler for sound quality... Here is a tip...
* Use the cassette tape adapter. (not FM transmitter)
* In the Roady Menu turn the Audio level all the way up to 6.
* Turn the treble on your car radio all the way up.
If you do those three things youll hardly notice a difference and even if you do... believe me, its worth it to not have to listen to FM ever again. I was skeptical about the item for at least a year now and then I finally bought it. My stress level has gone so far down since I dont have to listen to the nonsense commercials and talk on FM.
You wont be disappointed!
On: 2007-01-05
After suffering with the lousy radio in Las Vegas, I finally decided to give up and go to XM radio. Best move I ever made. The radio works great and can be transferred between cars (and your home) with little or no problems. I have to travel many rural roads in Nevada where normal radio does not exist. Now I can pick from over 100 stations! If you crave the oldies that normal stations dont play or enjoy old country music, it is about the only way to hear it. Wolfman Jack, Chicken Man, top 15 countdowns from the 60s (complete with news) - They are all there. I love the old time radio shows. Wish I would have picked up this item 5 years ago. Radio is well built and is easy to use and setup was simple. (Note: There is a charge for the radio service, but it is WELL worth it.)
On: 2006-12-30
Changed from Sirius to XM. Bought this unit and the sound quality is terrible. Sounds like the Treble and Mid is turned all the way down. Almost like listening to a sound system w/o tweeters. Of course I checked my equalizer settings and all is good. Tested inside the house on the home stereo, my stereo in the garage and my wifes vehicle as well. Same results. Very confused as I have the Delphi Boombox at work wired into a cheap stereo and the sound quality is great. I bought a new Roady and tried it.... Same thing. Very muffled w/ almost a hiss sound. If you are looking just for the signal and sound, its not bad. If you expect a quality sound, this is not the unit to buy. As a pro dj for over 10 years and a car stereo installation tech of over 20 years, I have a decent idea of how wiring works as well as how sound quality should be. If you are not picky about sound quality, this is for you. Want to hear every detail a song has to offer, this is not for you.
On: 2006-12-24
Bought a new car for my wife that was XM ready and subscribed to the service since FM radio has become mindless, obnoxious talk (thanks Howard - reason to stay away from Sirius) and too many commercials. Once you hear non-commercial radio with a great selection of stations, there is no going back. Taking long drives is great since there is no station fade out. I got this Delphi reciever free for my car during a recent XM promotion for an additional subscription (discounted). This Delphi was easy to install and works perfect. Worked so well also bought the home kit to dock the the Delph to my home receiver, which was also easy to install. Now I can broadcast XM all over the home using my wireless speakers.
On: 2006-12-17
Dont get me wrong - country music helped build this country and remains one of the finest genres of music. Its just that where we live, thats pretty much all there is to listen to. My wife was pining away for her international programming. I had the blues for the blues. The kids have outgrown Barney but they wanted to hear something besides songs about dead dogs, lost wives and hangovers.
And along comes the RoadyXT to save us all.
I plugged the power cord into the cigarette lighter, ran the antenna wire back through the car and stuck the magnetic pad antenna on the roof. I stuck the cassette adapter into the casette player and the mounting clip into one of the vents. I went into the house and subscribed to XM-Radio online (the talking program couldnt figure out a "B" from a "V" from an "E" from a "C" ( my unit ID had all four). I got the holiday enrollment deal and within 10 minutes I was surfing the large selections of satellite radio programming. And if I get nostalgic, I can even listen to country music!
On: 2006-12-14
[...]No annoying DJs or commercials or the same crappy six songs played every hour like on most commercial airwaves radio stations. XM brings deeper cuts and much longer playlists. Were discovering songs and artists wed never hear in the marketing driven soulless commercial world monopolized by Cox and Clearchannel owning most the markets ramming the same stupid songs only a troglodyte would enjoy.
But hey, this is a review of the actual Delphi roady. First Amazons end of things was seemless and perfect as ever, thats why Amazon is far and away the best shopping experience of any online store, hands down. When we got the unit we couldnt believe something so small (easily fits in my hand) could be that feature packed. Setting it up, as others have mentioned, is a bit frustrating through XMs automated system but 15 minutes later we were activated and listening to many channels of great varied music.
It should be noted we bought the home kit for the stereo, which was the first experience, that sounds great and made our tuner obsolete instantly, other than NPR theres nothing to listen to on conventional radio anyways. The car set up was rather effortless but like others point out mouting the antenna is a pain. Its not as big a deal as some reviewers made out though. We simply ran the wire down to the floorboards, under the seats to the back, up the rear piller and put the little manget end on the roof closing the wire in the rubber gasket to the liftgate to the RAV4. Viola. Music to go!
At first its a bit intoxicating with all the channels making it hard to drive trying to see "oh, whos this, wow theyre good" but over time you get better at glancing from the road to the display. Its a small unit so the buttons are a bit small but very easy to press and use even with bigger fingers. The only gripe, and its not worth removing a star at all, is the display cant show you the station, the artist, and the song all at the same time. Your only options are artist and song, station and song, or station and artist. So if youre on a station and want to find out what great song youre listening to you have to reach over and hit the "Disp"(lay) button, its an extra step. Other than that its a very readable display with a bunch of choices in color illumination.
This is a great unit, highly recommended, as is XM. Ditch your normal radio and open your ears, XM rules!
On: 2006-11-24
I bought this unit to use with a boombox and it functioned well but after a few minutes it just went blank. I tried batteries in the boombox, AC power and two boomboxes because they thought the boombox was the problem
But after two boomboxes I guess the problem is the Roady.
Anyone else have this problem?
I use the XM only at home with the boombox.
Currently waiting for response from Crutchfield and Delphi.
I will post again when (if) this is resolved.
On: 2006-11-17
I read alot of reviews before i perchased my roadyxt and i must say it was worth the reserch.I installed it in less than an hour.I mounted it right in front of my existing radio and it fit perfect!I went on line turned the roady on and the sound was the bomb!!! i have no problems with this hot little item. Took me a cople of days to learn the functions and i love it!! the receptoin is great!! i have all my stations preset and im good to go, luv the different color display....well worth the buy
On: 2006-11-11
I am very pleased with my RoadyXT. Its plug-n-play feature was a snap. It has performed very nicely, although I did have a problem getting the XM service set up correctly. My wife wants one for her van. I definitely would recommend it.
On: 2006-11-10
Easy set-up, effortless uplink to establish service.
Installation was a breeze.
Since Sept. 17th I have not listened to regular radio and probably never will.
Totally recommend this product as a Christmas or Hanukkah gift.
Once you listen to XM for a few days, youll know exactly how I feel.
On: 2006-11-08
My husband gave me this Roady for a Christmas present last year, and I have enjoyed it so much that Im buying one for my mother-in-law for Christmas this year!
Id say the set-up is easy. Heres how it works ... the Roady has an antenna (flat, rectangular, magnetic) that receives the XM signal. You place it physically close in proximity to your car antenna on the body of your car and the XM signal is transmitted to the car antenna and through your FM radio. All you have to do is coordinate the receiver and your radio to the same station. Setup this way takes 5 minutes or less. Another option is to have the Roady professionally installed (hardwired) into your car. Next, you call XM to set up your subscription, and about an hour later the receiver is picking up the XM signal and youre good to go.
Reception is super, even in the rural south where cell phone signals are poor! I drive 2 hours a day between home and work and always run out of a stations coverage area. It is so great to be able to listen to a station or show for the entire commute. And there is wide variety of programming ... something for everyone ... pop, alternative, country, christian, latin, classical, jazz, broadway, oldies, tons of news/sports/weather channels, even comedy.
I would definitely recommend this product! Theres just a couple of reasons I rated the Roady 4 stars instead of 5. All the wires connecting to the receiver are messy, cumbersome, and tend to tangle. And I didnt like the mounting options either. You can clip the receiver to the cars air vents, but it totally blocks the flow of air. The alternative is mounting with double-sided tape. The performance more than makes up for these minor irritants; I love my Roady and am sure you will too!
On: 2006-11-04
i just cancelled my subscription of XM because for 2 months that ive tried XM, it seems to me that the normal radios have more interesting songs than XM.
Another reason of the camcellation of XM is the receiver. I used XM in my car and therere some problems;
1. the signal was too bad even the places that the normal radio have a signal, XM didnt.
2. I have to set up the receiver everytime i want to listen to XM. If you want to have a sattellite radio in your car, I recommend using the one that comes with a navigator so you dont have to set up everytime that you want to listen. Accoring to the manual, to get the best signal, it said that i should put the antenna (signal detector) outside the car which is impossible for me. I have to go through a door and put it above of the roof. Moreover, i tried and i couldnt shut the door very close or it will destroy the cable that coome with the antenna.
My conclusion;
For Delphi XM Roady : bad signal...better get the one that comes with the navigator and install in your car console.
For XM Radio : nothing really different from the ordinary radio (XM is more boring in my opinion).
On: 2006-10-29
My XM Roady XT has proven an excellent choice. I use in my boat, SUV and in the home. It is light and easy to move from place to place. Since most of my use is out in the open, I seldom lose the signal. Easy to read display. I do wish XM carried NPR in addition to IPR.
On: 2006-10-15
I installed the roady in my car a few days ago.my wife has a xm radio in her new vehile so i was some what familiar with the xm radio.the only reason i didnt give the roady 5 stars was that the signal to the indash radio is poor.on the front of my in dash stereo there is a aux. input which i plugged my roady into and the roady plays crystal clear,however this connected is not mentioned in the roady instruction manual.i have three vehicles and all three have an aux. input on the front of the cd player that i plug my mp3 player into.xm radio was running a special and i got the unit and the car kit for 40.00.all in all the roady is awesome.
On: 2006-10-14
This review is more about my several months experience with XM satellite radio and the not-so-good quality using the wireless FM frequencies through our cars radios. I live in Los Angeles.
I got this little Roady XT for me, and the XM2GO radio receiver for my wife. I was excited about getting these new satellite receivers in our cars. The Idea of having all these "no ads" radio stations playing through my cars FM frequency seemed cool.
Setting up the unit and getting it to work was easy. Changing FM frequencies for the wireless transmitter is easy as well. It really is a neat little receiver.
However, after setting up this unit in my car and the XM2GO in my wifes car, I was really disappointed in the music sound quality. The music sounds flat and with a hissy quality, almost monaural at times, and the volume seems a lot lower than the cars radio at the same volume setting. I had to turn the volume dial up quite a bit when playing satellite radio. The cars regular radio sounds much better than satellite radio if using wireless reception with any of the radio receivers, IMO. Besides, there are plenty of annoying ads and interruptions on XM radio as someone mentioned in another review.
I thought about having the units professionally installed so that my wife and I wouldnt have to use the poor sounding wireless FM technology, but realized that both family cars have very expensive navigation systems and I didnt want the vehicles factory warranty voided if some installer got inside our cars dash and accidentally messed something up.
So about two months ago, after several months of off-and-on use of XM radio service, I called to cancel my subscriptions. I had paid for a six month subscription for both receivers when I joined. As I expected would happen, when I called them to cancel, I was on the phone for allloooooonnnng time waiting for a customer service rep. Finally, I got to tell the rep all my relevant account information so I could cancel the service only to be put on hold and transferred to their "special" customer service department for cancellations where I was "accidentally" disconnected and had to call back and start all over again.
Finally, after another long call to them, I was able to cancel my service.....or, so I thought. Yesterday, I was looking at my September credit card bill and saw that XM radio had charged my credit card for the next six months despite the fact that they assured me that my two accounts would be closed.
I called my bank and had them reverse the charges and I may have the bank issue me a new credit card with different numbers in case XM tries to charge me again six months from now.
On: 2006-09-24
I guess early adopter from Denver is one of those that cant do a little research or bother to read the manual. Installing the antenna OUTSIDE the car - what a concept! Where did EA think the antenna would go? You do need to have a clear view off the sky for best reception (the antenna has to see the satellite). For example, dont expect to sit in the car in your garage/basement and listen to the radio. You CAN select direct channels (unlike mentioned by EA). If you want to go from channel 100 to 200, you just enter 200 with the number keys. It does take a second or two for the radio to switch, unlike conventional radio, but thats a minor annoyance. Take the dash out to install? - I dont want EA doing any work around my house. This receiver is VERY easy to install. Just mount it somewhere on the dash - I used velcro - run the power cord from a 12V source, run/mount the antenna, and youre done. (Come on EA, do you work for a terrrestial radio station losing market share to satellite radio?) EA is correct in that the built-in FM re-transmitter is not that great. I use the cassette adapter and play it through my built-in cassette deck. Luckily my car has one, and the fidelity is very good.
So, if unlike EA, you understand what you have and how it works, you should enjoy your Roady XT radio. (And no, I have no connection to XM or Delphi, just enjoy my XM radio.
On: 2006-09-05
The RoadyXT was very easy to install, is easy to use and has greatly improved the daily commute. I installed the magnetic antenna on the roof near the passenger side front corner so that it would be as close as possible to my antenna. It took a few hours to get the antenna wired (through the door seal, along the dashboard) but is well worth the effort.
A quick way to find a good station to use for the built-in FM transmitter is your stereos scan function; watch for the biggest gap and choose a frequency in the middle of that gap. The sound quality is as good as FM.
On: 2006-08-31
Ive had this xm reciever for a little over 6 months and Im suprised at how well it performs. I have had very few problems with reception using it around Chicago or on trips away from the city. The programming on XM is excellent. I find it nice to be able to listen to the online version on my computer at work or at home as it has even more stations than the broadcast version. The wife and kids love the XMKids station. Im very happy I bought one and will probably buy an additional unit for her car through the friends and family offer.
On: 2006-08-25
Even though someone at Best Buy told me it wouldnt work in Mexico, I still bought it from amazon and guess what? IT DOES work!!!!! and almost perfectly, (just make sure you have a clear view of the sky, since there are no repeating antennas around), but I can tell you that I get a clear signal 99% of the time while Im driving... so dont be afraid, and bring it over! Ive had this for 8 months and I dont think I have ever listened to the local stations since...
On: 2006-08-20
I switched from the Roady reciever to the Roady XT and in my opinion it works much better. I was having what I thought was antenna issues with the previous version. I hooked up the new receiver (using the same antenna) and it works great. I also got the "boom box" in the same package and the sound and signal are excellent.
On: 2006-08-09
The product was delivered as soon as I expected it and it appears to be in excellent condition. I am well satisfied.
On: 2006-08-08
Ok, I dont have the RoadyXT "yet", but I do have the Roady2 and originally had the first Roady model. And I have to say that I was most satisfied with both units, and with the XM service in general. There are some people that will NEVER be happy with anything - give em $100 and theyll complain that gas costs 1/3 of it. :| So, dont believe the negativity you hear in reviews of this product (e.g., Early Adopter (Denver, CO USA)). From everything Ive experienced (I dont own one, but Ive used one quite often and will be purchasing one in the next few days), this unit is great. Yes, there are things that are less-than-stellar about it - for example, using the FM transmitter is irritating sometimes, especially if youre travelling interstate and going through town after town. Frequencies will change, thus making you switch the transmitter station. But that isnt uncommon to ANY device using an FM transmitter; so again, dont believe the negativity. The buttons on this unit are small, yes, so having a remote will work much better than trying to use the buttons on the unit itself. But is that so crazy? Your eyes should be on the road, not on the unit for more than 2 secs to see a song title or something to that effect. And the whole notion of having to do some "difficult installation" in your car...you dont. I performed an "installation" in my car, just b/c I didnt want wires hanging about all around the radio. But if you dont mind it, dont think twice about an installation. And if you DO decide to "install" it, there are NUMEROUS places to find out how to remove the radio dash cover long enough to slide wires behind it - www.xmfan.com, www.xm411.com to name a couple; there are countless numbers of people more than happy to help give you advice about using the radio and "installing" it.
So again - if youre just looking for the next gadget to let you down b/c nothing seems to satisfy you, then dont waste your time with the RoadyXT, or waste XMs service reps time trying to appease or convince you of its worth. If, however, you want a great product and a great service (especially considering the inane garbage free radio offers), then consider this product. I dont think youll regret it.
On: 2006-08-02
Youve read the hype, here are the facts from someone who has been through it.
1) To work well the unit must be installed in your car. Not placed in your car, installed. The antenna, which comes with a very long wire, must be outside the car, on the roof ideally. Otherwise you will not get good reception. That means either doing a serious installation effort yourself (think: pulling the dashboard off) or paying someone to do it. Otherwise youll have a lot of wires and a loose radio to deal with. Putting the antenna outside the car advertises what is inside the car, so dont bother hiding the radio when you leave the car because you cant hide the antenna: everyone knows its worth the effort to break into your car.
2) Regardless of where you put the antenna, in some cases you will not get good reception anyway. If you live in a city, even one with ground repeaters, expect a good deal of static and to miss portions of songs.
3) If you, like me, consider "ads" to be any interruption to what you are trying to listen to, then XM is far from "ad free". The music channels have frequent "You are listening to Fred, XM radio channel 20" type interruptions. All non-music channels have "ads", both in the form of promotions like the ones on the music channels, and real ads for products.
4) Dont believe the channel lineup you see on the XM website. It doesnt exist. For example, they show sports channels covering the 140s, but in reality the only two you get are 142 and 146. The others never appear.
5) Cancelling is a real bummer, so sign up for the monthly payment plan (if you want try it out for yourself), and, if you decide to keep it, only then go for the longer term deals.
6) Cancelling takes about an hour of phone time. They transfer you from person to person, across static filled lines that make conversations difficult or impossible (I had to call back because there was so much static he couldnt understand me at one point). You cant do it from the web, and it doesnt tell you anywhere on their site how to do it. You have to call the Customer Service number and be persistent.
7) The FM radio transmitter built into the Roady XT is worthless when on a long drive. Whatever station you tuned into in your car radio that didnt have signal where you were will suddenly get signal as you drive, and then youll have to retune your radio and reset the Roady XT frequency to match. Then drive a little further, and do it again. On a 2 hour drive I had to do this maybe a dozen times: not a safe thing to do while the vehicle is in motion, given the difficulty in manipulating the tiny Roady XT buttons and how hard it is to read the screen during the daytime.
8) With that background, I tried several XM radios, and the the Roady XT worked as well as any of them except for the following problems where it performed particularly poorly:
* The buttons are small and unlit, making it difficult to change channels when the ads come on; it is quite hard to hit the station change buttons with any confidence
* The buttons also dont reliably click, so you can hit it several times and still not change the channel
* The display is very hard to read in the daytime
* Setting the channel buttons is annoying, because it doesnt work like every other car radio ever made. You tune into the channel you want to save, and then have to remember to hit the Select button before you hit the button you want to assign to that station. Failure to do so will require you to find the station all over again.
* Tuning is slow. There are a lot of channels spread between 1 and 250 or so, and it takes time to scan between them. There is no way to jump to channel 200 from 100 without going through all the ones in between, one click at a time.
* They advertise that you can select the color of the screen, which is true, if you are very good at differentiating light blue from slightly greenish light blue from slightly grayish light blue, etc.
I cancelled the service and gave the Roady XT away. It wasnt worth $12 a month, even after investing $50 in the Roady and paying the Activation Fee. Overall, this is an exciting technology let down by implementation flaws. If you dont care if you get what you are told you will get for your money, go for this now. Otherwise, I suggest waiting until they get more satellites in the sky and more ground repeaters (they only have about 1000 right now, they need a LOT more) and actually offer the ad-free services they claim. Overall, the technology is promising, but this implementation is not ready for prime time.
On: 2006-07-20
I got my XT as a cheap add-on when I activated my Roady2 and overall XM account, and I havent been disappointed. If youre looking for a solid intro unit, this is the one to get. The buttons are easier to read, especially at night, and its a tidy little package.
The main issue with any satellite radio is the antenna. If you want a clean install, youre really going to want to go for an in car unit. This is especially true if you use all your seats. I mostly drive myself, so the wire leading out the back window to the roof of the car is annoying only because it offends my generally tidy sensibilities. But if you have actual passengers in your back seat, the wire will very likely get in someones way.
The best feature is the artist select. You can tell the receiver to remember certain artists, and when any station plays a song by that artist, you are notified, and given the option to jump right to that station. The roady2 only lets you select on specific songs, which is much less useful. Helpful hints: dont select the Beatles or Dave Matthews Band. They play *all the time*.
On: 2006-06-30
Since this receiver only receives XM, the quality of the product depends on the quality of both the XM service and the receiver itself. Therefore, Im going to have to give this unit a much lower rating than the hardware itself deserves, because of the affrontery of XMs charging $140 a year for commercial-infested content.
The receiver itself is fine, with a couple of minor caveats. Installation took me about two hours, mostly to run the cables and go out to buy wire ties and cable anchors, which werent included. I tried the tape player interface, but got a lot of AC hum, so went back to FM. (My car radio doesnt have an audio input jack, so I couldnt connect it directly.)
The unit functions fine, though wet leaves overhead block the satellite signal. (The same thing will happen with any satellite radio.) Im told that there are aftermarket antennas with higher gain, but I didnt want to run the antenna twice.
XMs customer service was, IMHO, pretty mediocre. I tried to use their "Caitlin" automated voice response system to sign up, and got almost all the way through before the system gave up and handed me off to a Cheapistani help desk agent. Neither "Caitlin" nor XMs Cheapistanis have ever failed to try to sell me on stuff I didnt need. The time wasted is just annoying.
Be sure to specify that you want a "non-renewing" contract at the outset.
I bought a one-year contract, but at the end of that time I might give Sirius a try. Maybe theyre not so commercial-infested.
Since the service costs a lot more than the receiver, check that the service is what you want before you buy.
On: 2006-06-19
I have wanted to get an XM Radio system since the service was first offered, but the pricing of the receivers always put me off. Recently I decided to start looking around again and was pleasantly surprised to see there are now a number of affordable options. I settled on this receiver because it has an FM transmitter, the reviews were decent and the price made me comfortable - if I didnt like the service I wouldnt regret spending several hundred dollars on a receiver.
From the moment I plugged this in, it worked flawlessly. It was simple to mount on an air vent in the car. I didnt bother to mount the antenna, but just threw it in my back window. It still gets a full signal. It is a little disappointing that it has to run off the cigarette lighter, because the wire hanging down doesnt look great, but eventually I will try to figure out a neater option. An internal battery would have been a nice feature, but for the price, I dont feel that I am missing out on much.
It is very useful to have the name of the song and artist displayed, and the stock ticker and sports scores are useful. 30 presets is nice, as there are quite a few good stations. It is also nice to be able to choose 20 different artists, and to be notified if one of those artists is playing on another station. Some of the button labels have unintutitive names, but one read through the users manual set me straight. And, despite what some other users have said, I like the backlight color choices.
The worst thing about this unit is the FM broadcasting, but that has a lot to do with the area I live in; there are very few spots without a signal, but I managed to find a few that work well. Being able to adjust the output volume was a great help, and was something I was unaware of until I read the user manual. It works better than the FM transmitter I have for my iPod, and is much easier to set up.
I suppose the best measure of how much I like this unit it the fact that later in the day I went back to the store and bought a second one plus a home kit. I used to love radio, but the commercials and inane DJs have become almost unbearable. This receiver and the XM subscription have brought back my radio-listening enjoyment.
On: 2006-06-02
I own a Delphi SkiFi2 in my personal car and have purchased a Roady XT for my wife and sister-in-law.
The quality of the RoadyXT is excellent! The ease of installation and features it provides the user make it a great bargain. The only critique I have is that I got used to the larger display offered on the Delphi SkiFi2 which makes browsing channels easier to do. Other than that, Id recommend a RoadyXT to anyone looking for a cheap, good quality sat radio for the car and home.
On: 2006-05-17
Unit hasnt worked since it was bought. If you want to return it, be prepared to suffer. Youll have to call their returns department (no information on returns online-SURPRISE!). Theyll have you in queue for 45 minutes THEN tell you that you need the ID number from the unit. Complain to the service representative and be prepared to be abused. They have the MEANEST customer service agents Ive ever talked to. DONT SUPPORT THIS COMPANY BY BUYING THIS PRODUCT!
On: 2006-04-29
This is the radio I bought as my entry into the satellite radio world and it cost me about $49 at WalMart. The home kit cost me another $50. The radio itself is great, with good features, but the push buttons are just too small for my adult fingertips. This is particularly true of the numbered buttons and can be a big problem on the road. I use the remote control (available only in the home kit) when in the car. I think that the knob you can turn, such as found on other radios, is preferable to having everything depend on pushing buttons. However I realize that some things were sacrificed for small size. Overall, the Roady XT is a good little radio, it fits in my shirt pocket easily for transfer from car to home, and so far is great. The only thing I would change would be to modify the display to have smaller characters and more info...you have to find and push a button to see the song title along with the station name and artists name. Anyway, in north central Oklahoma, I have one antenna on my dashboard and the other inside on a windowsill, and reception is fine. There are some dropouts, particularly when driving to the north, but I can live with that. An outside antenna would likely get creamed by large hail out here!
On: 2006-04-18
The antenna, at least in Wichita, KS, has to be mounted atop the roof of the car! Or, at least, the antenna will not work with double-walled steel when placed underneath the headliner.
So- this is a great radio for you el cheapo automobile with single wall steel panels.
Oh well... it is the el cheapo satellite radio receiver... what should I have expected?
XM satellite service is great! (Unless it is their signal that is just too weak?)
On: 2006-04-18
XM radio is awesome. I spend about 10 hours per day in my work car and in my personal car and XM makes it a lot more bearable. I use the Delphi Roady XT in my work car and it works decent. The buttons can be a little sticky... sometimes you have to press them REALLY hard to get it to change stations. Also, the available background colors are... worthless. They dont match any factory OEM colors. The only decent one is Arctic.
Overall, for the price it is a great little unit.
On: 2006-04-16
The Delphi hardware is a bit Rube Goldbergish but it works well. Watch out when you activate with XM. The XMer lied when I asked if I could buy just 3 months service. His reply was that a 1 year contract was the minimum.
On: 2006-04-13
Excellent product- solid reception where I live in the mountains in the Northeast. Features & controls are easy to learn & use. We now have two.
On: 2006-03-16
The Roady XT performs great considering that I now have five accounts with company for me and family members. Once you buy your intital XM Radio the company usually has a free one to get people listening, or a very inexpensive nicer model. I have the free one that I bought after buying this product for a family member for Christmas.
This radio is extremely easy to use, gives great reception, is very small and provides hours of entertainment every where I have gone. Whether I am in the city, in the mountains or driving across the state of California I think XM radio provides an excellent value and is really a device that is going to change your life. Because of all of the programming opitions on XM I have stopped watching TV for the past seven months and just listen to the XM instead, including taking it to work and listening there.
Every single time I take it to work I get questions about how it works, the programing, the sound quality and I always have postive things to say. So much in fact, I bought the XM Direct components and a new car stereo to have the best sound quality available. Worth every dime. One of the great features are the traffic channels that I have personally found to be updated within minutes of some thing happening on the freeway. Very helpful when you are stuck in traffic.
Also, after listening just for a couple of days you realize that the 70s music kicks the crap out of every other decade in American music history. Thanks to the 70s on 7. Siruis can have Stern as long as XM has MLB, and if you are an MLB fan you need this service. XM covers MLB basically 24/7 during the season, but maybe you are tired of MLB, switch over to XM 140 and listen to ESPN radio for a little while. And no more AM lost of signal, and all of that crappy static that free-radio has, who would miss that?
I bought the antenna and the remote control package for indoor use and it works great any where that I put it. Regaurdless of whether the room has windows, if it is in the middle of a huge building or a house some how this little XM radio picks up great reception. I have faced the home antenna straight at a wall, inside an office with no windows in the middle of a building and sure enough, three full bars. They also have great programing. Since they are so many channels to choose from you never get tired of listening. Another strength of the XM radio is that it is exposes you to music and talk shows that you would never hear on free-radio. And for people that have more than one radio you can sign up for radios two thru five for the low-price of $[...] per month. Go on one road trip with your XM and you will be sold, I was and continue to be.
On: 2006-01-07
Got one free from link at air america radio with a 3month subscription. Works very well and blends in with truck interior well. Does not have remote, but that comes with home kit. Nice radio.
On: 2006-01-02
Just bought this incredible little gem during the Boxing day sales.What can I say , other than completely outstanding!I live in Miramichi, New Brunswick Canada and the selection of decent radio is non existent. I originally drove to the city Moncton to get to the closest retail store that sells satellite radio...150 Kms away. I installed the unit in my car in the parking lot immediately after purchasing it,(10 mins total) wrote down the activation # and went back into Future Shop to use their computer to activate my service at XM online( I really didnt want to be subjected to the garbage on the radio for the drive home ...all 5 stations worth!. The XM subscription was 12.99 per month which you can buy in quarterly installments if you wish ,so only 40$ for 3 months to start.Normally there is a 15$ one time activation fee,but due to the promotion XM had for its service being available now in Canada finally, it was waived if you activated before Dec 31st.
Regardless, a real pittance compared to what you get!.My service was activated within 10 mins of leaving the store. Well let me tell you ,I was completely blown away by the scope and quality of selection available.I went from Jazz to Rock to Classic radio and BBC news with pristine reception the entire drive home,which I might add seemed more like 30 mins than 90 that it actually takes. I was quite honestly disappointed when I got home that I couldnt continue to explore the stations more ...so of course I sat in my driveway for at least another hour when i pulled in, my neighbours already consider me odd so this wasnt out of the ordinary I guess.
Anyway after getting inside and reading the instruction manual I only then noticed that there was a home docking kit for the Roady as well. Needless to say I phoned Future Shop back and asked if there were any in stock, the salesperson said there were only 2 left til mid Jan, he was instructed to hold onto 1 until the next morning under penalty of death.I drove back again the next morning to pick it up. The built in FM transmitter is incredible!!! I just plug the Roady onto its cradle, tune in the antenna, set the roady freq to 88.3 or whatever unused freq there might be and bang, perfect reception and clarity coming from every stereo in the house! At first I assumed the Roady would have to be within inches or feet of the receiver for it to pick up, I then went to the kitchen and turned on the stereo there, voila again perfect. The bedroom , the basement gym and then the unattached garage all perfect. By this time I was beyond impressed ,but of course I am always curious to see the limitations of my toys.Next experiment was to get in my car and tune the car stereo to 88.3 ,about a block away I finally lost the reception.I even screwed with my uncles head who lives 5 houses over, I told him to turn on and tune in his stereo to the same, then asked him to pick whatever genre of music he wanted and I would make it play from his stereo..It was pretty funny after I switched through 4 different satellite stations to his exact requests. Anyway in closing it is fantastic, dont even consider buying without the home kit as it is pretty dumb to pay 13$ a month only to have in the car. Anyone who writes in saying they are unsatisfied with it is probably fairly dim to begin with and is not calibrating the antenna or unit properly. P.s I realize on the website that the home antenna should be placed in a window with a southern exposure for optimal reception , but oddly enough out here at least it appears to be west for me..it has a signal strength bar level built in that shows you how good your signal is as you move the antenna around.. so it really is idiot proof...just be patient with getting the signal for a minute or 2 then no problem.
On: 2005-12-04
The Roady XT is a well needed update to the previous model because it seamlessly goes back and forth between satellite and conventional AM/FM settings with a simple push of your preset button. The antenna is strong enough that I have mine inside my car and I seem to be enjoying strong enough reception. You may want your antenna outside your car as prescribed by the owners manual, but I was concerned that the antenna would be too easy to steal or simply vandalize, so based on my installers recommendation I had my antenna placed on the upper right windshield, inside the car.
The radios interface is easy to use. You can scan, digitally enter desired station or use presets. The ticker feature is nice and easy to read. Also my professional installer (I recommend professional installation even though this is supposedly a "plug-and-play") said he has installed many satellite radios and he thought this one was the best he has seen.
Bear in mind all satellite radio is not a perfect technology. Its got great content but remember its vulnerable to reception glitches in the same way that a cell phone is. Going under tunnels, bridges, for example; or driving up in the mountains or by the beach with lots of overhanging structures; even heavy cloud cover can compromise your signal. But even with its similar cell phone weaknesses, I think on balance satellite radio is a good buy, especially for long drives when you dont want to be faced with "cow pasture" radio stations.
In conclusion, the XM Roady XT, with its effortless transition between satellite and FM/AM radio, represents the best technology for this type of radio.
Post Script: Contrary to my installers advice, the radio works better with the antenna mounted on the dash than it does in the upper right window.
Update 8/20/06: If I could do it over again, Id only get satellite radio if it was pre-installed in the car because my installer, as a result of moving a car panel, has made a rattling sound in the side car panel, which he removed to put in the radio. Dont get one installed, only pre-installed.
Final Update on 12-15-07: I did not renew my XM subscription. As I said, the installation resulted in car rattles and vibration noise. The actual satellite sound was unacceptable: loud hissing, static, sometimes outright lack of reception, compromised fidelity even in best conditions. Living in LA, I have so many terrestial radio choices plus "radio" websites such as Pandora leave me with no desire for satellite radio.
On: 2005-12-03
The Roady XT is a well needed update to the previous model because it seamlessly goes back and forth between satellite and conventional AM/FM settings with a simple push of your preset button. The antenna is strong enough that I have mine inside my car and I seem to be enjoying strong enough reception. You may want your antenna outside your car as prescribed by the owners manual, but I was concerned that the antenna would be too easy to steal or simply vandalize, so based on my installers recommendation I had my antenna placed on the upper right windshield, inside the car.
The radios interface is easy to use. You can scan, digitally enter desired station or use presets. The ticker feature is nice and easy to read. Also my professional installer (I recommend professional installation even though this is supposedly a "plug-and-play") said he has installed many satellite radios and he thought this one was the best he has seen.
Bear in mind all satellite radio is not a perfect technology. Its got great content but remember its vulnerable to reception glitches in the same way that a cell phone is. Going under tunnels, bridges, for example; or driving up in the mountains or by the beach with lots of overhanging structures; even heavy cloud cover can compromise your signal. But even with its similar cell phone weaknesses, I think on balance satellite radio is a good buy, especially for long drives when you dont want to be faced with "cow pasture" radio stations.
In conclusion, the XM Roady XT, with its effortless transition between satellite and FM/AM radio, represents the best technology for this type of radio.
Post Script: Contrary to my installers advice, the radio works better with the antenna mounted on the dash than it does in the upper right window.
Update 8/20/06: If I could do it over again, Id only get satellite radio if it was pre-installed in the car because my installer, as a result of moving a car panel, has made a rattling sound in the side car panel, which he removed to put in the radio. Dont get one installed, only pre-installed.
Final Update on 12-15-07: I did not renew my XM subscription. As I said, the installation resulted in car rattles and vibration noise. The actual satellite sound was unacceptable: loud hissing, static, sometimes outright lack of reception, compromised fidelity even in best conditions. Living in LA, I have so many terrestial radio choices plus "radio" websites such as Pandora leave me with no desire for satellite radio.
On: 2005-11-26
The sound quality and reception of my Roady XT using the built-in FM transmitter is tremendous at home as well as in my car using the car antenna on my dash and on my couch. It may have something to do with living in the San Jose area though. Pretty slick little radio. I am impressed. Good job Delphi!
On: 2005-10-25
The Roady XT has made some major improvements over the Roady2. First and foremost, artist names and song titles will now scroll if they are longer than 16 characters. Each will scroll twice at the beginning of a song. If you need the complete name/title further into the piece, the best way to trigger the scroll again is to to hit the "display" button five times. This takes you back to the same display mode you were using, and it will begin to scroll again within a few seconds.
The sports ticker is great also. I was able to set it up for every NFL team, so there doesnt appear to be any limit on its size. Its not instantaneous, however; it takes about 2-3 minutes for an actual change in the score to be reflected in the ticker.
There is also a "Jump" button which allows you to flip to the previous channel.
The "Tuneselect" feature now allows you to search for songs not only by the song title, but by the artist name as well. This is accessed through the menu screen. You do, however, have to pick one or the other.
Another big plus: The Roady XT now gives you access to virtually the entire FM spectrum (88.1-107.9) if you want to listen via the FM modulator. The "Jump" button also comes into play here as well. If you hold it in for a few seconds, it will bring up a screen showing the last 6 FM frequencies you used. You can then use the arrow buttons to go to the one you want, then hit "Select." And by setting your in-dash radios presets to the corresponding FM frequencies, it makes it much easier to adjust the modulator if you start running into interference as you drive.
Tip: The XM antenna also serves as the FM transmitter. If possible, place it close to your regular car antenna.
On: 2005-10-11
Great improvement over the Roady 2 and it is amazingly lightweight. I bought the Roady XT after trying to get a home kit for the Roady 2, only to find out the A/C adapter in the Roady 2 home kit didnt want to power up/stay in the Roady 2 (after trying 2 different kits - same thing). Certainly worth $99.
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