Delphi SA10101 SKYFi2 XM Satellite Radio Receiver and Remote Control Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I was lucky I found the skyfi 2 this past weekend at a local store.The Skyfi 2 is an improvement in the Skyfi 1 in many ways.The Skyfi 2 has better sound and can be played in your existing car and home boombox cradle.From the beginning you will notice the sound is louder on this one than it is on the skyfi 1.I don't have to cut the volume up as loud now on my boombox as I did with my skyfi 1.The Skyfi 2 also comes with a brighter light for viewing during sunny weather.I can actually see this now when the sun is bright in my car I can still read it.The skyfi 2 has a choice of 2 colors.Black on White which is recommended when driving in bright sunlight or White On Black which looks kind of blue and not as bright but you can still adjust the brightness on both colors in the menu screen.This thing is really bright at night unless you lower the brightness.The Skyfi 2 also has a sport and stock ticker.You can see sports scores or stocks scrolling under the artist and song info.I'm hoping Delphi will add weather as well to this.The skyfi 2 is the first reciever to feature extended titles.If you have the scroll on which is in the menu the song will start out at 16 characters but go to 30 something depending on song.Note the scroll for extended titles isn't the same thing as having the artist and song scroll across in big letters.The scroll for extended titles is in the menu you can cut it on or off it just scrolls the longer titles to extended ones.The song artist big letter scroll is in the display mode you can pick between this and other ways to see the song artist info.This makes the reciever look better similar to Sirius reciever.The skyfi 2 also has a unique feature.It has an Fm modulator inside the unit.When you put it in your car cradle it will turn on.You can cut it off in the menu if you want to but this thing has over 6-12 frequencies.It features the lower frequencies 88-89 and the higher ones 106-107.This thing sounds much better than my wired mod in my car.Also this unit features a record feature.You do nothing it automatically records from the time you cut it on.This is a first for an xmreciever.Also you could put 20 favorite stations in the skyfi 1 you can put 30 in this one.Here is a summery of this unit.Also you can view info 4 ways on the reciever.You can still activate it to scroll in big letters if your at a distance.You can have just the song and artist like the skyfi 1 featured,You can have artist,song and stocks or you can choose artist,song and sports.
Pro's
Extended Titles-This is the only xm reciever to feature this but it will eventually be available in newer models too.XM is just starting to get into listing more than 16 characters for artist and song.
Brighter Light for viewing in bright sunlight.It doesn't get washed out.
Stock Tickers and Sports Scores Note you must go into the menu and pick your favorite stocks and sports teams.
Better Sound
Built In Fm Modulator and it lets you choose over 6 frequencies.Also although xm recommends you buy the new car cradle it works fine with the old car cradle.
30 Presets features A,B and C were you can put at least 10 channels on each.
Pause and Record Feature-The Skyfi 2 automatically starts to record when you cut it on.You don't have to do anything not even pause.If you want to hear a song again that you liked real good or missed when you was away from the reciever you can just hit the reverse arrow.It can hold up to 30 minutes of songs.You can also go foward by hitting the foward arrow.If you want to hear live programming what is playing now just hold the foward arrow it will then beep and display live on the top.Note once you cut it off all memory will be lost.When you cut it back on it starts to record again from the first song.This is a great feature to have if your reciever is in the house and you have to go outside for something.When you come back in you can just push the back arrow and go back to the songs.And the recorded songs sound live you can't tell a difference in sound quality.You can also pause the music if you want to.
The Skyfi 2 features a clock.You can either view it in 12 or 24 hr time.
The Skyfi 2 can also alert you when your favorite artist or song is on.For example if your favorite artist on Sunny channel 24 is Percy Faith if your on another channel you will hear a beep when they play Percy Faith.You can put at least 10 favorite artist or songs in.
The Skyfi 2 is lighter than the Skyfi 1.Even thou their the same size the Skyfi 2 isn't as heavy as the Skyfi 1.
The Skyfi 2 comes with a remote.Note the skyfi 1's remote will also work on the skyfi 2 if you want to cut up or down the volume,change channel or put in numbers.The sky 2's remote has additionel keys and different batteries.
Cons
It doesn't feature a variety of colors for your mood like the roady 2 does.
Even thou it says you can pick it up on any Fm radio inside the house you can't.The Fm mod only works on the car cradle.It's not in the menu when it's on the boombox.
The sky 2 remote is heavier and takes 2 aa battaries instead of a long life lithium like the sky 1 remote.Also the sky 2 remote is slightley larger than the sky 1.
The skyfi 2 is worth the extra money.I highley recommend it.
I also recommend the protective satellite radio reciever case which is cheap to keep this in.It will protect the lcd screen from scratches.
Also Xm has an emergency channel on 247 which monitors tornadoes,hurricanes,volcanos,floods,blizzards etc.It came in handy this past summer with the Florida Hurricanes and this Fall with the eruption of Mount Saint Helens.They give evacuation routes,watches,warnings,school and business closings and other info.This is yet another reason to get xm.


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Sirius SDST5V1 Starmate 5 Dock and Play Radio with PowerConnect Review

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(More customer reviews)This little unit is a great item. I bought it for two reasons, first, it is plug-n-play, and second, it offers ala-carte selections.
What is ala-carte? For a cheaper monthly satellite bill, you can select up to 50 channels (minus the premium channels). I went for it, and actually struggled to find 50 channels I liked. Other channels such as Margaritaville are designated as premium, so they are a small add on cost. But all in all, expect to pay from 60% to 75% for the ala-carte cost than the full package.
Admittedly the ala-carte price has risen over the years, but its still cheaper than the full package.
I use this unit in 4 locations; which required the purchase of a couple of docking stations.
My boat. I have an Alpine iDA-x100 head unit with a compatible satellite interface so I can use this unit on the boat. Since the Starmate 5 is controlled by the head unit, the logical choice was to mount it inside a hanging locker in the rear cabin so it was out of the way. The unit hangs on the locker's wall; safe and secure. And the unit is locked onto the docking station. Depressing the docking station release, and the unit pops off.
My car. I also have a docking station in the car, so it can be plugged into the car's stereo system. You really need an upgraded stereo system for this, as an FM modulator is not a good alternative - regardless of whether you are trying to listen to an iPod, satellite receiver, or any other audio device. The idea is that the FM modulator will play through an unused FM channel. But as you travel along the highway, stations come and go, which constantly interfere with the "unused" channel.
Some FM setups are capable of disabling the antenna for the car stereo, and that is the only solution I see as working. However, even if such as setup is used, the audio quality is suspect. Therefore, I would recommend a "proper" configuration, meaning low level RCA inputs. This may mean replacing your stereo, or buying a 3rd party adapter designed for your factory radio.
Ironically, I already have a factory XM satellite receiver in my car, which I used for awhile. But for billing purposes, Sirius and XM are still considered separate companies, so you do not get a multi-unit discount if you have one Sirius and one XM unit.
And I have found that the car's XM receiver, due to the geosynchronous satellite orbits, is prone to dropouts when you do not have a clear sky, such as driving behind a hill, in a city with nearby large buildings, or even a tree-lined boulevard.
Consequently, Sirius uses 3 polar orbiting satellites, and one of them is always in the neighborhood, which results in fewer dropouts. You can still get a dropout or two with a Sirius system, for instance you are downtown with high buildings, you may lose signal. But it is much less of a problem than XM as one of the satellites is generally at a higher overhead angle.
Perhaps the most difficult decision in the car is where to mount the satellite unit. I use a RAM-Mount cup holder setup which works great. Since the use in the car is temporary (when the unit is not home or in the boat), I simply pop the mount in the cup holder and plug the wires in when needed. This also allows me to easily and quickly remove the system when I park the car so it is not tempting to thieves.
Fortunately, my car has a set of RCA level aux inputs - conveniently hidden in the arm rest, so I can connect the Starmate to those and the cables are not hardly noticeable. But since I remove the whole shebang when not being used, this is not an issue.
Installing the antenna and docking station in the car was not even as hard as installing a car stereo. You do need some basic skills, and may need to figure out how to remove a panel or two along the way. But it is not difficult.
My home. I also have a home docking station that I can use the Starmate to listen to satellite at home. I even bought the remote antenna setup to attach to my house exterior. You'll find that most houses have some trouble with the proper reception of the signal, and the best advice if you want a home system is to buy a external antenna.
All of these solutions require plug-n-play docking stations, which are also available from the manufacturer of the Starmate 5.
Finally, I also have a portable "boom-box" adapter for the Starmate 5.
The best attribute of this unit - other than the ala-carte feature - is that it is portable, and the station ID is part of the unit itself. And with plug-n-play, you can move the unit from docking station to docking station and have satellite in your home, car, and boat without having to pay for multiple receivers.

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