I let my subscription expire and have no intention to restart.

I use my smartphone these days. For music, I stream Pandora in high quality mode wired or via bluetooth into my Sync...and it's interactive to boot.

For traffic conditions, Google Traffic is far more real time and accurate than Travel Link.

For gas prices, I access GasBuddy. The fuel prices from the travel link thing is only as good as MapQuest, and sometimes those things are 2-3days out-of-date!!

I consider not subscribing to Sirius a discount on my phone's dataplan!! Secondly, I pay for my dataplan once, not a separate subscription for each car I have. My phone goes wherever I go, my dataplan follows me, not the car.

The only downside of course, is content is not displayed on the headunit, so looking at the phone is a major distraction. But aftermarket guys such as Pioneer is introducing their AppRadio this month; it controls an iPhone via headunit as a tethered modem via app, and I'm sure others including Ford MyTouch will follow soon.

On rare occasions where I don't get cell coverage, I switch over to either of my Sync's USB ports; one has a USB flash hanging on it, the other has my IPod. Or I can continue to stream music from my phone's memory. I definitely have no shortage of content.

 

Sirius aint goin away.. Its a paid service that is successful. I have a phone and resort to satellite the most

 

Your point is valid. One way around this is to not activate the built-in Sirius receiver in the vehicle, but to buy one of the portable Sirius receivers (e.g. StarMate) instead and pipe it in through the Line In jack. When I get out of my truck, I take the receiver with me and plop it in the docking station by wherever I happen to be, for example by the stereo system in the house. Plus, the display on the portable unit is WAY better than the built-in one in the vehicle, unless you happen to have one of the really snazzy computer systems in the vehicle.

Given the percentage of time the average person spends in their vehicle, activating the built-in unit isn't maximizing the value they're getting for the subscription price.

 

I have noticed a severe decline in their already dismal customer service since the merger with XM. I also canceled mine with no intention to re-up. I enjoyed satellite radio but hate Sirius.

 

I tried to stream Pandora via bluetooth to my radio yesterday, the connection was made, but there was no volume, the volume on my Droid was maxed out, anyone have an idea as to what I'm doing wrong? Thanks.

Paul

 

how does it sound when you are playing music off the phone via bluetooth. How about via the 3.5mm hookup with phone music and Pandora?

 

My iPhone stays connected through the 3.5 jack 85% of the time I'm in the truck, and it sounds excellent to me, whether Pandora/Sirius or stored music. Now, I have the stock non-Audiophile HU, but if I want Hi-Fidelity, I listen to my turntable at home

 

After over 10 years, I finally dropped my Sirius subscription last month. I was tired of having to fight them every year for the promo rate, and their customer service is awful. All based on keeping you hooked into the service and paying as much as you can.

I had a Starmate for a few years, and it was OK. I even had the boombox so I could take my radio out of the car. However, compared to the sound quality of my fathers built in sat radio, I became very frustrated with the line-in option. I've had both the built in, and the standalone radios, and I found the built in ones sounded much better.

I use my iphone via the bluetooth connection in my pioneer radio now, and I have no complaints. Since it's a digital connection, the quality of the music is the same as when I use the ipod cable, and better than the line-in connection. Plus, I have Siri to be my DJ ("Siri, shuffle play all Aerosmith").

Someday, maybe I'll look to go back. I was on long before Howard, and since Artie left, I have not been listening as much to him any more.

 

Sirius will be around and their customer service base will continue to grow in terms of baby steps as the years go on. Especially w/ cell providers now rolling out the family data plans they are trying to steer everyone into. (And spare me the "my provider doesn't do that".. Because trust me they will, they just might be the last to do it). And since all the newer vehicles are coming w/ Sirius SAT Radios installed and 60/90 day subscripts as well it is a very enticing market to a newbie consumer.

Also lets look at the concepts that normal radio is beginning to show how expensive it is with continued increase in ads, also the music that many of us like that would fall under a certain station's "genre" is now falling out and aware for the more secular music and big one hits that get a crowd pop.

Finally for those who are not happy w/ Sirius and their customer service I totally hear ya and think that just staying away is the best medicine. However they will continually offer more and more discounted rates, I think in my mail I am still being offered 6 mos for 24.99*. And the * equals to an auto renew if not caught within like 30 days of the special offer expiring. So as long as one is diligent and cancels in time, then you get something fairly cheap.

 

I will let it die due to it's horrific audio quality. Can't stand it !

 

I tried it for a week but cancelled today. I do like it and want it but I cannot get good reception in my truck. It cuts out constantly, the sound quality is like AM radio, and i am always getting interference. I tried every FM frequency and moved my antenna To different spots on my roof but no difference.

 

I really like my sirius for long trips. I don't get cell coverage everywhere, so Pandora isn't always an option.

 

I'm still considering getting it plus travel link....really liked it when I got it on their free week they had at the begining of summer....

 

I'm in the same boat. I've had XM for 6 or 7 years and loved it. Recently bought my F-150 with factory sirius, so I switched. The sound quality is so much worse.

I've still got my XM SkyFi2 unit and tested it in the truck. I can confirm that XM standalone unit has much better sound quality than the built-in Sirius tuner. I don't really want to use a standalone unit when I've got a tuner behind the dash though. Think I'll just cancel it all and use online streaming.

Pandora is nice, but I strongly prefer Slacker Radio. They have an app for Android, iPhone and BlackBerry. Slacker has actual channels that you can customize to your liking. Highly recommend the "Great Songs You Forgot" channel - plays some great deep tracks from the 90s and 2000s.

 

X2 pretty much ...

I do same with my two (my 2002 original and my wife's newer by a couple years) two Delphi SkyFi recievers using XM. Using ebay, I have bought enough wired in modulators and docking stations (plus a spare boombox and accumulated several spare SkyFis including one this year for $5 that appears to have it's own life sub? .... giveng me three subed recievers now) that I have them in all my 4 wheel vehicles and wireless on the two GW bikes.

On the '07 FX4, I disconnected the roof mounted Sirius antenna from built in and used an extension to hook to the cradle after changing the yellow thingy.

Yeah, XM / Sirius are here to stay I think.