Satellite Radio Reception Canada

[lsider]

I'm looking to subscribe to satellite radio but I have one question before I do this...does anyone know what the reception is like on Prince Edward Island?

[superstar221]

Hope these can help you...
http://radio.about.com/od/satelliteradio/a/aa070606a.htm
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2005/08/29/sirius_adds_french20050829.html

If you cant find an answer, you can always buy the cheapest receiver and antenna possible and just see if you can get a signal, then if you do...buy the receiver you want.

[Siriusly Bad]

Hi! Before you drop a whole lotta coin on a Sirius Satellite radio and an expensive subscription, you'd better confirm that you even get a decent, uninterrupted signal first.

I bought the whole ball of wax only to discover that the signal constantly drops out for minutes at a time and leaves me with nothing more than a buzz to listen to while the screen reads "acquiring signal". It doesn't matter where I situate my antenna, the problem persists..., has done ever since I bought the damned thing.

Customer service was very friendly. Totally useless, but very friendly nonetheless.

My advice? Pass on Sirius Radio! Their hardware is poorly designed, it doesn't function well, it's noisy (constant buzz in background), and if you're driving at night, the screen brightness will blind you and cannot be reduced, and their docking system sucks.

Don't do it man! Invest in an I-Pod instead.

ps. you might want to peek at my comments concerning Sirius' programming on the thread elsewhere on this site.

Peace.

[superstar221]

It doesnt sound like it is a problem with Sirius if reception is not available in your area, but a coverage issue. An expensive subscription? Giving up one can of soda a day more then pays for the sub. I have one of the original sportster receivers, and have great, uninterrupted sound quality. All the receivers I have seen have the ability to adjust the screen brightness...you may have to look at the menu to find this function tho.
Have fun with ur Ipod.

[Siriusly Bad]

Well DUH..., never thought of reading the menu.

Actually, I read the owner's manual instead. I read it the first night I drove with my new radio on because that's when I realized the glaring brightness was a safety issue, a distraction against safe night driving no different than driving with your car's interior lights on.

I followed the instructions on how to adjust the brightness, and guess what - the instructions do indeed tell you how to adjust the brightness control.

Then, when I adjusted the brightness control (as per instructions) down to its dimmest (221 should know what that means) I discovered the unit's brightness was exactly what I said it was in my post..., it's too damned bright. I did all the above before shooting my mouth off (221 should know what that means too).

My receiver has the blue screen. Did you know that police vehicles use a blue flasher (as well as the red one), because blue is the colour that pierces darkness more effectively than any other colour in the spectrum. I suppose a bright blue light inside a vehicle being driven at night is fine if you think other drivers are impressed with your bling and your taste in pimping out your Civic, but for those of us who want to notice hazards like people in crosswalks or deer about to dash across the road, well we just want to see what's in the headlights, not what's on our radio stuck on the windshield. Call us responsible drivers.

What the braintrust that designed the Starmate model I was sold neglected to do was program the dimmer circuit so that the screen could be faded all the way down to black, which would have made a whole lot more sense than stopping halfway.

On another note. What kind of dork blames the listener for bad reception? According to the Sirius radio coverage map you can link to as recommended in 221's post, it's clear that PEI is in an even weaker reception zone than I am on the other end of the continent in southeastern BC. Perhaps Superstar decrees his wisdom from a location somewhere nearer the reception sweet spot which is slightly north of central US, and forgets that not everyone lives near his favourite soda machine.

Interestingly enough, threads elsewhere on this site confirm beyond any shadow of a doubt that Sirius has been and continues to be vexed by transmission problems and complaints about poor reception from customers all over the place. I am neither alone nor the first to notice and raise this issue both here and with Sirius' "Customer Care" department.

Click around here a bit and you'll quickly see that Sirius Radio is not the second comming as some fanatics would have you believe. Does Sirius pay this site's moderator to spin the truth, or does he do that all by himself? He's makin' me dizzy. He should stop. Meanwhile, I am glad that Supe is enjoying his toy. I just wished mine worked as well as his.

[superstar221]

SBad....I wished your stuff worked better also. Nobody blamed the "listener" for bad reception. If you have a weak signal in your area that is not consistent and are unable to obtain decent coverage, it's not an issue with your hardware... its a problem with coverage. Coverage map links were posted so Isider could look at them. Wow are you negative!

"and if you're driving at night, the screen brightness will blind you and CANNOT BE REDUCED"........"then, when I adjusted the brightness control (as per instructions) down to its dimmest (221 should know what that means) I discovered the unit's brightness was exactly what I said it was in my post..., it's too damned bright. I did all the above before shooting my mouth off"
Well which is it.....you say it cannot be reduced but then add that you adjusted the brightness.??