SIRIUS SV3-TK1 Stratus Plug-and-Play Satellite Radio Receiver with Car Kit by Sirius Satellite Radio
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List Price: Our Price: $39.97 You Save: $10.02 (20%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of SIRIUS SV3-TK1 Stratus Plug-and-Play Satellite Radio Receiver with Car Kit
Digital camera Review: Ease of use to get cruisin with no bruisin
Summary: 4 Stars
I had an original receiver from like 5 years ago that hung sloppily from my window shade. After taking it on a couple of trips with me to use in my rental car, it finally broke.(me thinks from a poor soldering job at the Chinese factory.) And with a lifetime subscription, they only allow you 4 radios over the life of your subscription. So I got one of these simple, small ones without the bells n whistles. Less connections to break. Something small enough to carry carefully and easy to move from car to truck to plane, etc. It IS a pain in the butt to get excellent reception using the fm transmitter if you do not have an "auxillary Jack" on your stereo. You can usually find a good station to use, however, if you take 10-15 minutes to play around once and save them so you can switch back and forth as need be. But if you have one, this solves almost all the reception problems I've seen listed here. If you do not have one, (my 2006 tundra does not have one. My 2008 tundra does!), get one installed for $30-40 bucks and you're set. No static, no lost songs, etc. This unit is simply for those who want to to set up and go. There are ten presets; enough for my needs.
I just took this new unit on a ski trip and its size made it easier to keep from getting knocked around in transit. It was easy to set up in the rental car, and took literally 60 seconds to reinstall when I got home. So I just got another one for my dump truck and can use he extra antenna and power cord from my old unit to put in another truck so I can move the unit around from truck to truck. The buttons ARE mushy, but you get used to it and it works fine. My first unit of this type is now 18 months old. I ordered my new one from ebay as the newest, similar replacement models have a different configuration and more bells and whistles. I wanted the exact same unit so they are the same in all vehicles.
It really seems like the people who have had trouble either do not understand that all they need to do is to plug it into the aux jack or get one, because they've not read the instructions, (which clearly states this is the best method), or maybe they're calling while they're upset. I've called to change over, and while the people have not been geniuses, they don't need to be. I gave them the corresponding unit # and I was on-line in ten seconds after no more than a minute on hold.
All in all, a simple, cheap unit for those who don't need the extra junk, (that you don't need!; Howard, traffic & weather and a few fave music stations), and is small enough to not block your view while driving and easy to take out and use in the house, a rental car, etc. For the price, it's better than many other things I've spent $40 on. I'd buy another one in a second.
Digital camera Review: Few little quirks I wish I had known about...
Summary: 4 Stars
Pros:
1. I get the CBC and BBC programs I like!
2. Most stations don't have too many break-ins (commecial or otherwise) but some do.
3. I like that the song artist and title are displayed on the screen. That way if I really like the song, I can download it later.
Cons:
1. On some of the channels there ARE COMMERCIALS! I thought this was commercial free radio! I don't need ads for "male enhancement" playing through my speakers. I want to hear the comedy and the music.
2. I strongly reccommend having this professionally installed. Have them hard wire everything in so you don't have to use the wireless transmitter. The car power plug (the cig lighter plug--for the old school syles) is somewht loose in my Focus SE. Every once in a while, it will jar loose enough to cut the power to the reciever. Again, hard wiring will eliminate this.
3. You can still use the wireless transmitter but I would go to the Sirius website first, look up the recommended FM Frequencies and test them out in your area first. Sure this is a lot of listening to static but I was on one of the recommended frequencies and in a "hole in the ground" and *still* got a low-power station from somewhere. ANY interference will be heard while listening to the sat radio. The radio FM Transmitter itself only goes down to the 89 range while the best frequency for my area (not one listed on the website) is in the 88 range.
Digital camera Review: Flexible
Summary: 4 Stars
The receiver kit added flexibility to go from car to the home. Easily moved and small. The only drawback is that the FM transmitter needed to use in the car is weaker than another model that I have used.Digital camera Review: Good basic unit - Easy to use
Summary: 4 Stars
Item is just as described. Very easy to set up and use. I use the audio out to hook it up to my car stereo's audio input jack. Sounds good, and no drop-out with the Sirius antenna sitting on the dashboard. I haven't tried the FM antenna, because I already have the input jack on my stereo. Only thing I wish it had was the ability to record. In any event, this has to be the cheapest way to begin using satellite radio. I'm very happy with it. We'll see how long it stays in working condition.Digital camera Review: Good overall, but
Summary: 4 Stars
The kit itself is simple to install and setup took only a few minutes. However, the FM transmitter on the unit is not as good as previous units I've had as it only goes down to 88.1. I live near D.C. and it is almost impossible to find a frequency without something being transmitted on it. My old unit transmitted down to the low 87's and I had no trouble tuning in. It also seems like the transmitter is too week to transmit over even partial signals (a guess a compromise for the small size of it). So I ordered the FM Direct Adapter to see if that helps. It would have been nice if Sirius had included this in their car kit as anybody that lives near a city is likely to need it.