XM - Sirius Satellite Radio in Syracuse, NY?

Question

I am considering Satellite Radio services and leaning toward XM over Sirius, but am interested in hearing from people in the Greater Syracuse, NY area about the signal. Is the signal strong? Which signal is better? Which receivers are the best/strongest? I would love to get a portable unit, but hear they are not really ready for prime time, is that true? How about having it installed in your auto, is the signal good? Any suggestions, comments relating to the services from people in Syracuse or Upstate NY would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Both XM and Sirius have terrestrial repeaters in Syracuse so this helps the signal downtown and indoors. They really help out the portable units so they might just work out for you.

Minus the repeaters, Sirius' signal generally fairs better the further north you go. XM's satellites are parked above the Equator while Sirius' satellites float overtop of North America. This means that they're much higher above the horizon allowing the signal to get over top of more objects. You go much further north, even a semitruck parked next to you is high enough to block XM's signal. Some will say that XM's signal penetrates trees better (as at times it can be a bit stronger) but since Sirius is higher in the sky, less things block the signal.... unless you're indoors.

Indoor reception in areas without repeaters usually requires the antenna to be outdoors for best reception although many get good reception near windows.

The new Sirius Stiletto 100 portable unit has WiFi built into it so if you're indoors and can't get a good signal, it can stream the Sirius channels over the internet via WiFi. No XM receivers have this capability.

I find that Sirius radios have very similar reception as although the facade may look different, most modern ones have the same guts to them receiver wise. The main difference is in antennas. Some are better than others. The SIR6 is the best home antenna, and most say the round flat Sirius antenna is the best car antenna.

I drive all over with my Sirius and I get a good signal 99.9% of the times. There are drop outs parked underneath overpasses or gas bar overhangs or really heavily treed canopied roads. I find its well worth the money and enjoy every minute of it.

Answer 2

I don't live in your area, but I've been there in my travels. I have XM Satellite Radio in my car, I had it installed myself. It's the SkyFi2, with the antenna on the roof. When I was there I got perfect signal strength in the car at all times, and there may even be ground repeaters in Syracuse to help with reception in bad areas, just like in all bigger cities. I also have a portable XM unit, the inno, and I love it. I think they are ready for "prime time". I got full strength with that as well, even indoors, so all I can say is that you won't be dissapointed with your XM quality, should you choose to get XM. I don't have Sirius, so I don't know how it would be for you, but I know someone who does have Sirius, and their signal isn't as good as XM's... it cuts out in places where my XM doesn't while driving, so I would think it could possibly be the same where you are with Sirius, but I can't say for sure. But like I said, I don't live there in NY, but I've been in Syracuse and upstate NY and even farther north in my car and with my portable XM inno, and they both worked great the whole time for me with no drops or anything. Hope this helps you. Oh, and if you get it installed in your car, the signal will only be as good as your antenna... not the unit itself, but the antenna comes with the unit and you can have it professionally installed with insurance to make sure it's done right, or you can just do it yourself, but I've never had a problem with mine.

Answer 3

As mind-blowing because the iPod is, it receives uninteresting after a lengthy vehicle journey. I took a street vacation from Austin, TX to San Diego, CA and had to close off the iPod. fairly, I grew to grow to be on my Sirius because it has a variety of of sorts of music, information radio, comedy, and so on. once you're driving, Sirius wins fingers down. You mine to boot say XM to boot when you consider that they merged.