I am about 75% decided on getting XM satellite radio for my '04 F-150. However, I'm trying to decide between the XM Commander and the XM Roady 2. Here are some pros and cons of each:

XM Commander Pros:
1. True digital quality sound.
2. Wired right to current radio.
3. Looks much nicer than the portable Roady 2.
4. Do not have to disconnect and hide from thieves.
5. Can purchase now.
XM Commander Cons:
1. Someone will be dismantling my dash and I'm sure cutting wires. And dismantling other places to fish the antenna wire.
2. The only place it looks like it can functionally go is where the lighter is. However, the space is not 1.75" high. It's a little smaller. I think Tough Ford has it there. TF, I assume there's a kit for it to go there and it looks seamless and not like *****? When I sell the truck, can I remove it and put the lighter back so it looks like new? Ash tray is not an option for me, because I have cup holders in there.

XM Roady 2 Pros:
1. Can be moved and used from vehicle to vehicle and inside the house.
2. Can change display color screens.
3. No dismantling of anything.
XM Roady 2 Cons:
1. Not as good sound quality as the XM Commander.
2. Not as clean looking as a dash mounted one. Wires strung around the vehicle.
3. Need to constantly hide when parking at public places.
4. Every store in the area and on-line is out of the product.

Any suggestions or additional pros and cons you can think of would be much appreciated.

Thanks

 

I have been really happy with my XM commander. I placed my antenna right in front of the tray in the middle of the dash and have perfect reception. As far as wiring, only 2 wires will be tapped (power and accessory). Quick connects can be used to do this. You can find plenty of chassis grounding points behind the dash. I am not familiar with the column shift design for installation locations, but it sounds like you have a pretty good idea for placement.

 

So is your antenna stuck to the top surface of the dash, the top surface of the flow through console or the face of the dash board? Antenna placement is another concern. I don't want to stick anything on the outside. Does it look like a small computer mouse? Where did you bring the wire through to get your placement.

I would think that a good place for the antenna, if it's the mouse-like one, would be on the top surface of the dash board, between the window and the black tray in the center. Or sticking it to the inside of the windshield at the top where it's tinted.

 

I just noticed this morning that the top of the windshield is not tinted. Weird. Maybe I can stick it at the bottom of the windshield, in the middle.

 

Some people are mounting them just in front of the third brake light. You barely can see it over the top of the hump.


Jeffery

 

I faced the same problem when deciding what to buy (ended up with Roady2). I really like the XM Commander, but I have two vehicles that I wanted to use it in and did not want to pay subscription for two radios.

You can buy aftermarket mounting brackets to mount the radio. I used the bracket that came with the Roady2 and cut it down to fit the curve in the small recessed area where the cig. lighter is (I'll try to put some pics of it in my gallery tonight when I get home). Of course after I did this I found a much better universal bracket for my car. The supplied bracket with the Roady2 is not bad, but there are better ones out there. The main thing is to find one that works for you. You can browse myradiostore.com for more universal and custom fit brackets. I bought my power supplies, antenna's and mounting bracket from them.

The Roady2 also has the wireless FM modulator built in, which makes it easy to swap between vehicles. If you have a lot of radio stations in your area you will probably want to buy an external modulator. Delphi makes one that also has the 6V power needed for the radio. I ended up buying just a 6V power supply and use the wireless modulation in my truck. If I was going to keep the factory unit I would buy the external modulator.

I mounted my antenna just in front of the third brake light. If you aren't specifically looking for it you will never notice it. Do a search for "xm radio" and you will find a post that describes in pretty good detail how to route the antenna wire to the dash (thank you to whoever made that original post - helped a whole lot).

The sound quality of the Roady2 is not bad either. Through the wireless FM it sounds pretty much like a bad radio station. I have it wired in directly through a Pioneer receiver in my car and it actually sounds pretty good. Much better than the modulated sound.

For a limitied time, I think until Sept. 12, you can get a free Roady home kit by mail. It includes a directional antenna, power supply and RCA patch cable.

For anyone that is interested, go to xmfan.com and xm411.com for more XM information. They both have pretty good forums.

 

I gotta vote for the Roady2. You can always hard-wire it like the commander via its 3.5mm headphone jack. That's assuming, of course, you either A. have an aftermarket HU w/ a open input or B. Wait for an aux input converter for your factory HU.

In addition, you can take it anywhere! Traveling with a friend? No problem! House party? No problem! Business trip? No problem!

Once your in the habit of stashin' stuff when you park (ie, radar detector, aftermaket detachable HU, cell phone, piles of money/drugs/booze bottles/etc...) it's really not a pain to do. It become second nature, you don't even think about it.


EDIT: Plus, you get a free home kit! Giddy up~ http://www.xmradio.com/offers/roady_homekit.html

 

So if it's not hard wired, does the Roady 2 sound bad? I don't want a satellite radio that sounds like a bad FM station. I also don't have any aftermarked audio items to plug it into. Boy, this $129.00 item + $9.99/month subscription is turning into a more expensive thing with all the extras. Would you be happy with the sound quality if you were to just use the Roady 2 as intended? Just plug and play?

 

Usually the FM transmitters built into such devices are pretty good, and unless you have very sensitve and accurate hearing, you won't notice much of a difference when set to the correct frequency (one that's clean in your area). Go to your local shop and see if any have demo units. Ask 'em to take it out to your truck and listen for a bit. Or, purchase it and use the return policy.

 

I would also recommend that you go and listen to one and make your own judgement about the sound quality. Here in Nashville we have too many radio stations and maybe that affects it some (well I know it does because of the occasional static). I was probably being a little too critical about the wirless modulator sound. It's not that bad overall. I'm pretty demanding with my stereo systems and the wireless modulation would not be a long term option for me.

I've only had mine a week, and I've noticed that different stations and different songs do affect the sound quality to some degree.

See if you can find one locally that you can try out or find one online with a good return policy.

After adding antenna's and power supplies I have almost $400 tied up in mine. Spent more on add-ons than the unit itself. But I'm happy with it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a portable solution.

 

Boy this decision is getting harder and harder. I live in the Philadelphia area, so there are a ton of stations around. If it's not going to be a crisp sound, I think I should maybe think about the XM Commander or hold off and not get anything at all. Has anybody had sound quality issues with the Commander? I'm becoming more skeptical of the Roady 2.

 

I'd buy a Roady 1 and use either an inline FM modulator from Crutchfield or an aftermarket head unit with AUX input. The Roady 1 can be had very inexpensively and is every bit as good as the 2. I don't like the crappy FM modulator built into the unit..it sounds compressed and tinny...not at all what a good modulator can sound like. I have mine setup to move from my truck to my desk each day and XM plays all day long at work.

 

My vote is for the Commander. I have it and love it.

As far as someone dismantling the dash, don't worry about it. It's really simple. The face of the dash literally snaps off, all you have to do it pull on it a little. The radio is mounted with 4 screws. They come out and the radio is in your hand. The guy that did mine just clamped onto a wire behind the radio. All in all, he was in there for about 2 minutes. There was no cutting, rerouting or rigging involved. Very simple and clean.

My antenna is just in front of the 3rd brake light. I like it there. My buddy has his 'mounted' inside the cab on the dash up at the bottom right of the windshield. It's just lying there loosely but never moves. The antenna is about the size of your key fob, maybe just a little thicker.

I only have one vehicle and don't listen to the radio inside my house, so I never considered the 'mobile' unit. That would just be one more thing to keep up with.

Another big selling point for me was the sleek design. I didn't want something that looked out of place. The flow of the Commander with the dash is really nice IMO. I like the ashtray install too, but since I use mine all the time, the ashtray would be open all the time (I like to change channels). Again, it's just personal preference

 

Love my Commander also, no problems with what so ever.

 

Thanks TF. How does the radio appear to fit in the lighter space? You know how the height of the radio is a little taller than the hieght of the oval space? Is there space between the radio and the black oval plate? Or is there a kit to install it there? Did you have to make any new holes that weren't originally there?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm a big believer in not doing somthing that can't be undone if need be. So if I wanted to remove it, would I be able to restore the dash and everything to it's original state?

I think this radio's color will match perfectly with my FX4 interior.