XM Satelit Radio - on sailboat?

[CREX]

I have a boom box type radio. You can pop out the control like a walkman or keep plugged in unit and use the speakers. I added the 20' antenna for roof, mast in our cases, and was happy. But underway even in the states I think the signal still gets off because of heeling. Loses sight of satalite at times. Can get annoying.

For all the satellite watchers you can download free from play store the ISS app, free, but I splurged for the full package. You'll be notified when an assortment of things are visible.Very accurate. Check it out you'll love it. Also the ISS on live. You get to see from the station. Very cool. Merry Christmas all.

[secondhand Rose]

Have great SiriusXM reception in PR, all the Virgins, Antigua, and most likely on further south though I have not been south of Antigua since rigging up with an external marine Sirius antenna available from West Marine (looks like a Garmin GPS antenna). It comes with the attachments to connect to a Sirius or SiriusXM receiver which you run through a SiriusXM capable audio system. Or some such arrangement. Seems the Sirius satellite gives coverage on the Caribbean area and the XM sati lite gives coverage on the west coast and Mexico. We got XM as far south as Zwat in west coast of Mexico using a stainless sat-dish shaped bowl with the little automobile antenna in it, placed on deck. Did the same in windwards though it was a bit finicky, but that improved dramatically with the West Marine antenna. I know it works well in the Leewards. Great news of any political preference and all the Sirius XM music channels so that we rarely played any recorded music on the boat. Never felt need of a TV with the good SiriusXM. The necessary thing is a good marine antenna, but the bowl will work in many areas until you get that antenna. But on the east side, less the farther south you go. So don't give up on satellite radio, no matter what they say!


Secondhand Rose

[svJasmine]

Sirius uses different satellites than Xm. Sirius works great all down the exumas.

[CREX]

Correction. Meant to say Sirius boom box with removable unit for personality wear. Older but still works great, just let my subscription expire. Landlocked these days.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Sidney777

Look at Siriusxm marine. Web site says it has offshore weather package for $54.99 month and a coastal weather $30mo and inland for $12.99. BUT need more detail about the Offshore..

Wow!, $55 per month could pay for an SSB rig pretty quickly....and then no cost weather info for many years to come.

[sailjumanji]

I have an older Fusion radio, and purchased the XM module add-on prior to our trip this year. It has the small 2 inch wide, square-shaped antenna. Worked well all the way from Texas, thru Florida, across into the Bahamas, as far south as Georgetown. That is as far south as we got. Satellite coverage was 100% in all of those areas. Loved it especially for the overnight crossings for something to listen to while the other crew slept.

[sailjumanji]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Wow!, $55 per month could pay for an SSB rig pretty quickly....and then no cost weather info for many years to come.

When we were in the Bahamas earlier this year, a buddy boat had the coastal weather package which was $30-something per month. THe module costs around $500 to purchase, and weather displays on the chartplotter. If you only need the weather service for several months per year, its a lot cheaper than an SSB transceiver, takes up no space, and you don't have to be an expert in interpreting GRIB files. They liked it because weather info came across like its being reported by the Weather Channel!

[chouliha]

Originally Posted by newhaul

OK here is the sirius websites statement about coverage
Quoted: ) Thanks to those satellites high in the sky, you can enjoy SiriusXM Satellite Radio almost anywhere - within the 48 contiguous United States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico (with some limitations), hundreds of miles out into the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and the Great Lakes . (:end quote
The xm site says the exact same thing.

A number of years ago we were trying to make the same decision between sirius and XM. They had not joined forces at that time. Looking at the Satellite maps it was obvious the Sirius coverage was much broader as there satellites did figure "8" versus a straight line path. But both claimed coverage only in the lower 48!

We chose Sirius and were able to get excellent coverage all thru Mexico and it started to get spotty in El Salvador.

Know this does not pertain to your area but suggest you look at the Actual satellite tracks of both XM and Sirius. Our experience is at least 5 years old

Chuck
Jacaranda
Tahiti

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by sailjumanji

When we were in the Bahamas earlier this year, a buddy boat had the coastal weather package which was $30-something per month. THe module costs around $500 to purchase, and weather displays on the chartplotter. If you only need the weather service for several months per year, its a lot cheaper than an SSB transceiver, takes up no space, and you don't have to be an expert in interpreting GRIB files. They liked it because weather info came across like its being reported by the Weather Channel!

Oh well, to each his own.

Personally, I wouldnt be comfortable with Weather Channel level of detail for sailing...fine for a family picnic.

I also dislike monthly bills and buddy boating.

An SSB receiver + RadioFAX hardware/software is only a few hundred bucks all total.

[newhaul]

Here is an even cheaper way to get your weather when out offshore Receiving weather fax at sea (without SSB transceiver))

[sailjumanji]

We used an Inreach with a $10 per month unlimited subscription to OCENS weather forecasting. And an SSB receiver to get morning Chris Parker forecasts. I didn't go cruising to mess around with laptop, software links to radio, etc.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by newhaul

Here is an even cheaper way to get your weather when out offshore Receiving weather fax at sea (without SSB transceiver))

Yes, thats essentially what Im refering to.

Tried out a RadioFAX app on my tablet recently that was surprisingly good.

[kingwoodie]

I have Garmin 741xs with a Garmin xm 52 antenna for coastal weather and xm radio. Both work as advertised. The antenna comes with one cable for weather and one for xm. I plug my xm cable into my Alpine marine radio and received music as I traveled Florida and gulf of Mexico. The Garmin xm52 really does the job of pulling in weather and music. The antenna is expensive but does the job. How far down south I will be able to receive weather and radio, is unknown. I tried to talk to a live person in the marine weather dept but have not been able to get them to answer.
Kingwoodie
s/v Margaret Ann