Is Sirius worth the subscription?

[Skylinerider]

Is it worth the subscription for Sirius? My JK is capable of it, and I'm thinking of doing a subscription. Pros/cons, how's the reception? I'm new to the world of satellite radio.

 

[moab_cj5]

I had it for a while. It is nice to have if you travel a lot, but I decided I could do without. Personal preference really.
Reception should be fine as long as you aren't in a covered area. It needs a direct view of the sky.

 

[rholbrook]

As stated, its nice for when you are on a road trip by yourself. If I have the family, DVDs are always playing through the stereo. I always renew when I can get it for $60/year and then I cancel just prior to my year being up and the fee raising to normal pricing. I have had to wait up to 6 months before to get it cheap again and to me, its only worth it if I can get it cheap.

 

[Rot Box]

I like Sirius for the most part. The music is a little repetitive and I could gripe about the 90's alternative being too broad but overall I'd say even with the $70 fee it's much better than local FM if you drive a lot.. Local FM around my neck of the woods is pathetic.. free I know.. but pathetic just the same.

I replaced Sirius with Pandora (which I really enjoy) but reception is very limited in comparison. Keep your eyes open sometimes they will do promotions for half price unless things have changed.. it's been years since I had it.

 

[Kevin B.]

Josh had his going last weekend, and it reminded me how much I hate listening to what some bureaucratic hive mind thinks I should listen to - Pandora gives me a little more control over what I listen to, and I've got enough MP3s loaded on my phone to get me by when I leave cell range. One of these days I'll join the 21st century and get a stereo that can read a USB stick, and then I won't need Pandora either, but for now I like it better than satellite or local radio.

 

[TRD270]

Reception is good unless you have a lot of overhead cover, as previously stated a lot of the stations seem to be on a 10 song loop. I love Pandora but with my new assignment I'm in the canyons 10+ hours a day with little to no cell coverage so going back to satellite made sense

 

[Skylinerider]

This helps a lot. Most of my exploring is in Southern Utah where radio is pretty much non existent, and cell service is spotty. Right now I'm getting it on the stereo, I don't know if they have a free promo going on right now, or if it will be shut off when the previous owner realizes he's still paying for it or what.

 

[Kiel]

I have had it for 8 years. I was always in bfe with my old buggies, so I loved it. It was pricey back then. I now pay 25 bucks every 5 months and used to cancel etc to get the good price, and hated the haggling, get super pissed on the phone until they caved. The last 2 years I call up before the price jump tell them very calmly I have no problem canceling and waiting for the 25 dollar deal in the mail. They talk to the supervisor, come bak at 35 for 5 months etc. I tell them very nicely again I will wait for the 25 buck deal and they usually say ok. I have a customer service job and I realize they people must go through hell, so I 'm happy the last couple years I have been nice and everybody gets what they want. For 5 bucks a month who cares if I don't use it that much

 

[carsonc1974]

Im also interested in getting Siriusxm radio. If someone notices a that these deals everyone is talking about is happening please post up! I've been putting getting the service because of the monthly price.

 

[sawtooth4x4]

Just stream pandora off your phone. costs nothing other then using your data plan. i have a 10 gig plan and stream when I'm driving. I have never gotten over 5 gigs of use in a month. Even when tethering my laptop.

 

[anderson750]

Is the service worth the price? A lot of it depends on how finicky you are with what you want to listen to an how often you want to hear it. Satellite radio offers a lot of channels and many of them are very niche audience channels. I own radio stations and can look at this from both sides as a competitor and a listener when I am on long trips to races in pretty rural areas of the state. Many people complain about how repetitive terrestrial radio can be and they are correct depending on what format they listen to and who is programming it. There are a lot of programming philosophies out there. This is no different for satellite radio and you will find that the channels are as repetitive as anything else if not more sometimes. The biggest difference is that you have more channels to choose from at your finger tips. When I am on long trips, I find myself listening to the news/talk channels more than music channels for this reason.

If you are looking for something to have to listen to no matter where you go as long as you have pretty clear view of the sky, then it will probably suit what you want. If you get tired of repetitive music channels or programming that puts bands like U2 on an Alternative rock channel, then you may want to fill an iPod with a bunch of music.

As far as Pandoro goes, it will eat your data plan alive really quickly.

 

[DAA]

I have it in all my rigs, mostly for sports and news on long trips (which I do a lot of).

Music is what my iPod is for. Or Pandora where I can get a signal to my phone - I have an old Verizon plan with unlimited data.

- DAA

 

[nnnnnate]

First off if you bought the vehicle used and it has a sirius tuner built in you can call them and give them some info and they will give you a free trial period. I bought my JK last november and it already had the one year free thing going. I called in June and asked when it was going to stop and told them I had bought it used. They set me up until August 1 for free. After my trial expired I had gotten a few mailers with special offers trying to get me to sign up. When I got my trial I didn't need to give them my CC so they couldn't just roll me into a plan. I paid $15 to cover me until January 1 and plan to cancel it until I get another good offer.

I really like it when I'm out exploring. I listed to a lot of different things so I can always find something I'll enjoy. I've put on 18k miles since I got my rig and feel like something is missing when I'm in another vehicle on a road trip and they don't have radio.

As for streaming from Pandora or GMusic or Spotify. Those are great options if you are within data coverage. I pay for sat radio for programming when I'm off the grid. I listened to tunes on the whole trip from Moab to Tooele for Cruiserfest two weeks ago. In June when I was in beef basin with Moody and the other WC guys I listened to all of the World Cup games and was giving periodic updates when we stopped. If I never left cell data coverage areas I wouldn't pay for sat radio. I'm guessing that about 7k of my miles in the last year were out of the coverage area.

Going back to the beginning of my comment though, give them a call and ask for a trial of the radio to see if it is something that you would enjoy. Or check this link for a 30 day trial.

 

[UFAB]

Definitely worth it.

 

[Jesser04]

I'd say it's worth I've had it a little over I year now. I hardly ever listen to anything else anymore.

 

[Cody]

I also do the 5 month for 25 bucks routine. I have to call and "cancel" mine on saturday, but I'm expecting they'll just give me another 5 months for $25 bucks.

I love it. I love Jason Ellis, which is really all I listen to if I'm driving around during the day. On camp trips it's super nice to be able to listen to Utah football games. Two weekends ago we were listing to the Utah game, then the RSL game while up in the Uintas. Pandora is ok, but it's only useful if you have cell service.

I remember 10 years ago or so, sitting out in the middle of nowhere by horseshoe canyon. Having a steak and beer, watching the sun set, with deer grazing through our camp all while listening to the presidential debate. I think that is cool

So for me, its worth it even for the one or twice a month that I use it when I can't get any other music. I'll agree that each station is pretty repetitive though.

 

[gorillaxj]

I think it's worth it. I have had it for 4-5 years now and love it. I listen to it for 8-9 hours a day while I am at work, and throw it in my truck for long drives. If I didn't use it every day at work I probably wouldn't renew every year.

 

[Cascadia]

Worth it for us. Especially with all the races out in the desert. We have music all the time. And on the Saturday and Sunday drives home we have all the college and nfl games. I can even listen to my Tampa Bay Rays play.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

...I remember 10 years ago or so, sitting out in the middle of nowhere by horseshoe canyon. Having a steak and beer, watching the sun set, with deer grazing through our camp all while listening to the presidential debate. I think that is cool...

We need hope... and we need change... and I believe in hope and change and I hope I can change, and I want to change your hope.

I do recall that debate. What liberal were we with?

 

[Cody]

We need hope... and we need change... and I believe in hope and change and I hope I can change, and I want to change your hope.

I do recall that debate. What liberal were we with?

I believe one with hiking boots that were falling apart.