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xm radio

camarotoolman

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Mar 12, 2011
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2,372
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cocoa Fl.
Can I power the xm radio with a car battery,and play it through a 120v stereo in my garage or house? I don't want to buy the xm boom box and play theextra fees.
 
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hockey88fan

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May 25, 2011
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428
Sounds like it might work, what extra fees are you talking about though? I have the boombox in my garage and love it, no extra fees.
 

jdaallen

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Mar 22, 2009
Messages
178
Location
Castle Rock, Colorado
Sounds like it might work, what extra fees are you talking about though? I have the boombox in my garage and love it, no extra fees.

I thought you had to pay a fee for each reciever that you activate?? Just like Dish or Direct TV, you pay a fee for each reciever box in the house. Isn't SirusXm the same way?? :headscrat I'm paying a seperate fee for each of my vehicles that have SirusXm so how would a garage reciever differ??
 

brownbagg

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Mar 20, 2006
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5,208
it was my understand, the head unit in your car plugs into the boom box, so its still just one receiver
 

Oggy

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Jan 2, 2011
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Location
Central New York
XM radio a bunch of unknown songs by unknown artists, I don't buy it.

Unknown artists? apparently you haven't listened to the radio in 80 years... I've heard of every artist on the stations I listen to with few exceptions.

As far as powering the radio outside of the car, it's going to depend on the unit you have.
 

jabberwoki

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May 1, 2009
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6,465
Location
puyallup wa usa
If i park my car with my reciver in it close enough say 20ft to my shop, the shop radio will pick up the signel if i tune it to 88.1, Give that a try.
 

gahrajmahal

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Dec 12, 2008
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Location
Cincinnati, Ohio
Back in the day I worked at a shop that installed stereo equipment. We used a takeout radio and 12volt supply. There were just two 6 x 9s mounted into cardboard boxes sitting on the office roof (inside the shop). It was loud enough you had to talk loud to hear each other if you wanted. No big amps, just an old factory radio. A car battery will run it too. You just need to charge it every night.
 

hockey88fan

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May 25, 2011
Messages
428
it was my understand, the head unit in your car plugs into the boom box, so its still just one receiver

That's how I do it, take the receiver out of my car and use it in my boombox at work, and then when I get home I use it in the boombox in the garage. Just one receiver, multiple places to plug it into. Also, in my case, I bought the lifetime membership so no monthly bill.
 

sbhockey

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Feb 26, 2010
Messages
222
Location
Chattanooga, TN
What receiver do you have? Do you have a factory stereo with tuner built in or separate add on tuner with a docking station? if you have one that plugs into a docking station just pick up a spare dock and antenna and hook it up to any garage stereo. You will also need a power source for it, but any universal adapter should work.
 
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camarotoolman

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Mar 12, 2011
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Location
cocoa Fl.
Yes, you have to pay for each. I want to use it in my truck and house with 1 fee. I can't afford another bill. I want to just move the xm reciever back and forth. I have extra antenna, cradle, etc. I don't drive the truck that much, so its not a problem.
 

exjeeper

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Feb 5, 2010
Messages
67
Location
S.W. Colorado
I have XM and I use it in my pickup and my garage.
I just bought a "docking station" for the garage.
I just plug the XM in the top of it and that's all.
It's about 10x4x4. 2 speakers. Works great!
Only 1 subscription.
 

Ric in Richmond

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Oct 17, 2009
Messages
388
Location
Richmond...duh
I took a ram mount with a suction cup and built a plate to mount the antenna and XM unit. Switch from car to car to bike to house real easy. I use a wall wart with the proper size plug to power in house. Used to use a battery charger and a sigarette plug conversion I fabbed up.

Unknown artists? Crazy XM is the best!!! best talk (Andrew Wilkow rocks politics) best country, best rock, best alternative.

You have no idea what you are talking about.
 

little jimmy

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Dec 17, 2008
Messages
45
Location
S.D.
Not sure if there is a extra fee or not since I did the lifetime membership when they first started but I use the online listening at work and at home, in the shop I have the boom box and a receiver that can be moved from a vehicle. Im sure your plan would work just fine. Its great to have good tunes to keep you going.
 

Polarisxcho

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Nov 7, 2011
Messages
3
I used to move my unit from the truck to the garage. When i got a new truck the xm was included in the in dash radio. I am too cheap to pay for two subscriptions. I added the Internet radio option for $4 a month and got the app for my cell phone.

The cell phone connects to my dewalt boom box via the headphone jack. There are two problems with this setup. You have to have wifi or the cell data charges will be high . Also, It's kind of a pain when the phone rings.

The benefits are that I can listen to xm on my work computer, home computer, at the gym, airport, etc. Just about anywhere there is free wifi.
 
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camarotoolman

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Mar 12, 2011
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cocoa Fl.
My big complain about is the cost, and some channels start over about every 2 days, which ***** when I live in my truck on the road going to the swap meets. Some channels have the commercailsas tv that real *****, but still better than regular radio.
 

2chipped

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Aug 14, 2009
Messages
641
Location
Jesup Ga USA
I threw away my xm boombox last week. I thought it was old technology, in my case I live in a rural area wi many trees =poor service .

Sent from my Milestone PLUS using Tapatalk
 

Nick DL

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Oct 23, 2011
Messages
165
Location
Souderton, Pa.
I got lots of trees too, never thought of that. Unless I can get an extra long antenna wire, it wouldn't work.

They do have a roof mount antenna that uses rg6 I think. If you need over a hundred feet you need an amplifier. I bought this for my old house & never installed it, just waiting to install it here at the new house.

Sent from my Droid
 

weadjust

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Jul 19, 2010
Messages
2,953
Location
Tupelo, MS
You can get XM to lower the annual rate by half or $77 plus fees. Call and tell them you want to cancel. They will say sure but can you tell me why you want to cancel? Say it cost to much and they will offer you like $35 for 6 months. Ask them whats the best deal for a year and they will offer $77 but renews to regular rate at end of the deal. Repeat every year. I got the $77 rate a couple of weeks ago.
 

bowtie1972

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Jan 10, 2008
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71
Location
yuba city
I have ONE xm radio unit, its wired in my house, pick-up, hotrod, camero, and if I go back to work, I'll have it in my big truck. for the home kit I had with the radio, I went to ebay to find anthor home kit for my shop, I just tune the radio to a station 107.1 and play through anything i listine too.(my weif get a little tart with me when I need a power cord and an antenna) but I can't live or go without my XM
 

clkimmel

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Aug 17, 2010
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91
Location
Suffolk, VA
I have an older Serius radio with a dock in the garage, a suction cup mounted dock that I can put in any car, and a boombox that will take the radio. I move the radio as needed and I only have 1 subscription. Serius came in my truck, but I bought the portable setup I have off craiglist so I can move it around and only have to pay for 1 radio. Now that I have been listening to sattelite, I can't stand to listen to regular radio. I found one station that I am partial to and I listen to it all the time (Outlaw Country channel 60).
 

jawdoc

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Jul 28, 2010
Messages
39
I took a ram mount with a suction cup and built a plate to mount the antenna and XM unit. Switch from car to car to bike to house real easy. I use a wall wart with the proper size plug to power in house. Used to use a battery charger and a sigarette plug conversion I fabbed up.

Unknown artists? Crazy XM is the best!!! best talk (Andrew Wilkow rocks politics) best country, best rock, best alternative.

You have no idea what you are talking about.

Wilkow is awesome!!!
 

Cheap5.0

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Oct 19, 2011
Messages
487
Location
The thumb (Michigan)
You can get XM to lower the annual rate by half or $77 plus fees. Call and tell them you want to cancel. They will say sure but can you tell me why you want to cancel? Say it cost to much and they will offer you like $35 for 6 months. Ask them whats the best deal for a year and they will offer $77 but renews to regular rate at end of the deal. Repeat every year. I got the $77 rate a couple of weeks ago.

Great idea. I currently have 3 subs with XM. Thanks man!

I seen someone mention that XM=a bunch of unknown tracks, by unknown bands. That is true, but its also true for every b track you hear there is atleast 1 top track playing somewhere.

For me, i surf between channels:

34 90's alt rock <---Nothing but radio hits
36 new age alt <---50/50 radio hits & b tracks
37 new metal <----50/50 radio hits & b tracks
39 Hair bands/70's/80's <---80/20 radio hits & b tracks
41 action sports music <----random stuff

And to be honest, i have started listening to a lot of stuff i would have otherwise never heard. Im 26, and just this year heard a b track from Lou Reed on XM 39. I cant believe i lived my whole life without listening to his album Transformer. Amazing.

There are a pile of other bands i was completly clueless about, until XM. If you cant tell, im a big music guy and XM fills that need quite well for me.

I always catch either opie & anthony in the am or Ron & Fez in the PM because thats my cup of tea.

If im feeling frisky i might move into the news channels (bloomberg, CNBC, Fox, etc...) but i usually get too pissed and have to go back to music.
 

cajunfirehawk

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Nov 29, 2011
Messages
2,566
Location
Ms Gulf Coast
I get XM by the month for $9 and change in case I want to bail but I've been listening to the holiday music lately and I have to say their are some old classic christmas songs that are wonderful that I have NEVER heard and I figured I had heard just about all of the christmas classic songs out there, of course that was on pop radio stations.
 

CARS

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Jan 19, 2011
Messages
535
Location
New Ulm, MN
I have hard wired docks in each vehicle and a dock hooked to my 4 channel amp here in the shop. I just take my receiver with me when I go home and bring it back to work with me in the morning. Only paying for one subscription.
 
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camarotoolman

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Joined
Mar 12, 2011
Messages
2,372
Location
cocoa Fl.
Yes thats what I want! Can I run the radio through an old sterio? Like you run the radio through the car sterio, like before they they had the pick up wire? Or I guess I could use an extra car deck with speakers with xm in my garage off a car battery. thanks for all the help guys.
 

jay8s

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Mar 5, 2007
Messages
653
Location
St. Louis
You could always stream it through the iPhone/droid app. If you have wifi in the garage, you will not take any phone data.
 

CARS

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Jan 19, 2011
Messages
535
Location
New Ulm, MN
Yes thats what I want! Can I run the radio through an old sterio? Like you run the radio through the car sterio, like before they they had the pick up wire? Or I guess I could use an extra car deck with speakers with xm in my garage off a car battery. thanks for all the help guys.

I know my sirius runs through a FM signal on one of the cars.
 

matty d

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Aug 27, 2010
Messages
608
Location
Yolo County, California
XM is good if you drive and have it in your car, but man...if you have WiFi, check out Pandora which I think may be better if you have specific listening needs. I have XM in my car and it is a savior for my 35-40 minute commute every day. I also have XM and Pandora in my house....I must say...I listen to Pandora more right now. If cost is your main concern and you use it in the home, Pandora hands down I swear.
 

oldtractors

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Nov 19, 2007
Messages
374
Location
Iowa
You can get XM to lower the annual rate by half or $77 plus fees. Call and tell them you want to cancel. They will say sure but can you tell me why you want to cancel? Say it cost to much and they will offer you like $35 for 6 months. Ask them whats the best deal for a year and they will offer $77 but renews to regular rate at end of the deal. Repeat every year. I got the $77 rate a couple of weeks ago.

Yep. I have been doing it for about 3 years that way. They will set you up for auto renewal so you have to keep track of when to call and cancel. You also have to sit on hold for awhile - they don't make it easy to cancel. But you save about $10/month that way.

5 months ago my antenna cable fatigued and broke so I told them it was too expensive and also my reciever was broken anyway. Guess what? They sent me a brand new radio kit, waived the activation, and gave me 6 months for $35.
 

Stargeezer

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Jan 12, 2009
Messages
347
Location
Central Nevada, USA
Does anyone have the scoop on the new XM/Sirius signal change coming up in a few short years? I read somewhere where all of the radios currently in service will no longer be able to talk to the new Satallite code? The newer upcoming radios will read both codes as they change over to the new signal. The radios right now are doomed-even the OEM radios in new cars-since they have older chip. Hopefully they will have some sort of inline module that will fix the older radios. This is serious. I've got a lifetime subscription that my wife bought me when I bought a Rubicon in 2005 & have two more subscriptions tied to this LTA at $9.00 a month..so what will happen to these three cars when they flip the switch??

Anyone in the know?
 
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