Audiovox SIR-PNP3 SIRIUS Radio Receiver
- Usage: Car Home
- Design: Compact
- FM Transmitter: 35 Frequencies
- Service: SIRIUS
Available From
Why are these offers here?
Lowest Price!
- Overview
-
Reviews
- Compare Prices
User ReviewRead All Reviews »
A nice multi-featured Sirius Radio Receiver.
Pros
Very easy to use and install. Very nice features. Very durable so far.
Cons
Slow to display from time to time. The "encoder knob" is hard to control.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
This is a very good multi-function receiver for Sirius Radio. After 9 months it is still working perfectly with everyday use. I highly recommend it.
A nice multi-featured Sirius Radio Receiver.
I do admit to being a bit of a pessimist about the whole satellite radio thing. Even after Howard Stern announced that he was moving, I still waited to make sure that this whole thing was not a fad. It seems that I may have made the right decision from an equipment standpoint. One of my friend bought his Sirius receiver early in the days of Sirius and has had nothing but problems with his unit that is about twice to three times the size of mine. My receiver is the Audiovox SIR-PNP3 . I have owned this unit since March of 2005 and have not had a bit of a problem with it. Sometimes good things come to those who wait.
What is Sirius and how does this work?
Sirius is radio beamed from a satellite to your car, home, or anywhere that you can receive the signal. For a fee of $12.95, you get over 125 channels of entertainment including 65 music channels with no commercials. Also you can listen to all of the NFL games, and some NHL and NBA games. There is also plenty of talk radio that will suit about anyone's fancy, and let's not forget the comedy. My favorites include Raw Dog Comedy, Howard 100, Buzzsaw, The Vault, Hair Nation, Classic Vinyl, and Classic rewind. The last five being classic rock stations.
It is easy to install and get Sirius Radio. I have mounts in my car, work truck and home. My Audiovox SIR-PNP3 is what is called "Plug and Play" which means you can simply unplug the unit and take it to another location without any setup. You just push the unit into the mount and lock it in place. The mounts are easy to install with the car mounts plugging into your cigarette lighter and the mount being attached with double sided tape. The antenna is magnetic and can be stuck to most any metal outside of the vehicle. The signal is played over my FM radio on any of 35 FM frequencies. Installation took me less than 5 minutes on my pickup and work truck. I also have the Audiovox Boombox for home use. The Boombox plays much like any other Boombox except you need to find a good location for the satellite antenna. I activated service through the website and that was very quick and painless.
Many Features.
The Audiovox SIR-PNP3 looks much like a walkman with the overall size being around 4.5" wide by 3" high by 1.5" deep. It weighs about 1 pound and is silver and black with amber LED graphics. The viewing screen is about 2 ?" wide by 1 1/3" high and displays song name, artist, music category, channel name and number and the current time. With this receiver, you also receive a handy remote control that allows you to control every aspect of the receiver without taking you're eyes completely off of the road. It also is a nice addition for the Audiovox BoomBox.
Features and Controls
Starting at the top left of the receiver, the first button is the on/off or power button. Next is the "Memo" button which allows you to store up to 24 of your favorite songs. This feature also seeks all of the Sirius channels for these stored songs, and gives a beep just before one of them is played. Next button to the right is the "band" button, which works with the preset buttons at the bottom of the receiver. This button changes the band for your presets allow you to preset up to 30 stations. Pressing this button will take you from A to B to C set of 10 presets each. The next button is a multi-functional "menu" button. The "menu" button allows you to control such things as: Jump settings, Display Settings, FM Settings, Add or Skip, Lock controls, Audio Levels, Antenna Aiming, Memory Options, Time Features, and Resetting the Factory Defaults. The button is more or less the system setup button and is controlled by the next control, which is the "Encoder Knob". There are several functions for this control. The biggest of which is the ability to change channels by just tuning the knob. It also acts much like an enter button on a computer. Meaning when a selection is made, you will confirm it by pushing in the knob. Below the "Encoder Knob" are two buttons with arrows on them. These buttons change categories of music or entertainment. All of the Sirius channels are grouped categories according to their type of music or entertainment. This allows you to change to a specific category and choose a channel for there with the "Encoder Knob". Along the bottom of the receiver are the "preset" buttons. These buttons are used to preset your favorite channels for one button switching to any of 30 preset channels. There is also a "Jump" button in the middle that is used to jump to a channel by pressing it once and jump back to the original channel by pressing it again. This button is designed for weather and traffic use mainly, but can be used for any channel. More functions include: Alarm and Sleep Timer, Automatic Shutdown, several different display options including size, brightness, and content, and the preview feature. The preview feature allows you to preview what is playing on other channels without leaving the one that you are currently on. This feature uses the category button and encoder knob as controls.
I do like this receiver.
There are several things that made me recommend this receiver to one of my friends, or to anyone looking for a Sirius receiver. This product is very easy to install, setup and use. The controls are easy to understand and for the most part easy to use. While the receiver is not the smallest that I've seen, its size makes it easy to carry for vehicle to vehicle and to my home unit. The LCD readout is very easy to read and the display is large enough to display most song and artist information. Even though the preview feature is a bit slow displaying at times, it is a great feature that allows me to see what is playing on other channels before making a final selection. Also the 30 preset buttons makes storing my favorite channels easy. The ability to store and search for my favorite songs is a great feature which I use all of the time. I currently have about 15 songs stored and can't wait to hear that "beep" so I can hear one of my favorite songs. I mentioned durability in the beginning of this review. This receiver has never failed to impress me in the department. I carry it with me everyday at work and use it very heavily mounting it in at least three different places in a day's time. This receiver looks and works as good as the day that I bought it over 9 months ago. The remote control is an absolute must for me. The ability to change channels or any other control feature without looking directly at the screen is a big safety feature in my opinion.
What's not to like?
There are only a few minor problems that I have with this receiver. The first is the speed of the display from time to time. About ? of the time the display is either wrong or very slow to show up. I believe that this is related to a few things: temperature of the vehicle, signal, and Sirius programming. Either way it's hard to blame the receiver for being a bit slow under these conditions. The other minor problem involves the "Encoder Knob". This knob is impossible to tune even when you are not driving. Forget about changing channels this way if you are moving. The remote control is a much better way to control on the receiver either way you look at it.
All in all: This Sirius receiver has already proven itself to me. After about 9 months of heavy use and more than a few hundred trips to and from my pickup, work truck, and home, this unit is still allowing me to enjoy Sirius my way. There are so many useful features that I probably forgot one or two, but storing my favorite channels and songs is totally awesome and I couldn't do without a remote control. I do recommend this receiver to anyone in the market for a good carry around unit. This receiver has never failed to perform and has plenty of great features. Isn't that what is important?
My Sirius Review:
http://www.epinions.com/content_190073769604
Thanks for checking out my reviews!!!
Steelfan
I do admit to being a bit of a pessimist about the whole satellite radio thing. Even after Howard Stern announced that he was moving, I still waited to make sure that this whole thing was not a fad. It seems that I may have made the right decision from an equipment standpoint. One of my friend bought his Sirius receiver early in the days of Sirius and has had nothing but problems with his unit that is about twice to three times the size of mine. My receiver is the Audiovox SIR-PNP3 . I have owned this unit since March of 2005 and have not had a bit of a problem with it. Sometimes good things come to those who wait.
What is Sirius and how does this work?
Sirius is radio beamed from a satellite to your car, home, or anywhere that you can receive the signal. For a fee of $12.95, you get over 125 channels of entertainment including 65 music channels with no commercials. Also you can listen to all of the NFL games, and some NHL and NBA games. There is also plenty of talk radio that will suit about anyone's fancy, and let's not forget the comedy. My favorites include Raw Dog Comedy, Howard 100, Buzzsaw, The Vault, Hair Nation, Classic Vinyl, and Classic rewind. The last five being classic rock stations.
It is easy to install and get Sirius Radio. I have mounts in my car, work truck and home. My Audiovox SIR-PNP3 is what is called "Plug and Play" which means you can simply unplug the unit and take it to another location without any setup. You just push the unit into the mount and lock it in place. The mounts are easy to install with the car mounts plugging into your cigarette lighter and the mount being attached with double sided tape. The antenna is magnetic and can be stuck to most any metal outside of the vehicle. The signal is played over my FM radio on any of 35 FM frequencies. Installation took me less than 5 minutes on my pickup and work truck. I also have the Audiovox Boombox for home use. The Boombox plays much like any other Boombox except you need to find a good location for the satellite antenna. I activated service through the website and that was very quick and painless.
Many Features.
The Audiovox SIR-PNP3 looks much like a walkman with the overall size being around 4.5" wide by 3" high by 1.5" deep. It weighs about 1 pound and is silver and black with amber LED graphics. The viewing screen is about 2 ?" wide by 1 1/3" high and displays song name, artist, music category, channel name and number and the current time. With this receiver, you also receive a handy remote control that allows you to control every aspect of the receiver without taking you're eyes completely off of the road. It also is a nice addition for the Audiovox BoomBox.
Features and Controls
Starting at the top left of the receiver, the first button is the on/off or power button. Next is the "Memo" button which allows you to store up to 24 of your favorite songs. This feature also seeks all of the Sirius channels for these stored songs, and gives a beep just before one of them is played. Next button to the right is the "band" button, which works with the preset buttons at the bottom of the receiver. This button changes the band for your presets allow you to preset up to 30 stations. Pressing this button will take you from A to B to C set of 10 presets each. The next button is a multi-functional "menu" button. The "menu" button allows you to control such things as: Jump settings, Display Settings, FM Settings, Add or Skip, Lock controls, Audio Levels, Antenna Aiming, Memory Options, Time Features, and Resetting the Factory Defaults. The button is more or less the system setup button and is controlled by the next control, which is the "Encoder Knob". There are several functions for this control. The biggest of which is the ability to change channels by just tuning the knob. It also acts much like an enter button on a computer. Meaning when a selection is made, you will confirm it by pushing in the knob. Below the "Encoder Knob" are two buttons with arrows on them. These buttons change categories of music or entertainment. All of the Sirius channels are grouped categories according to their type of music or entertainment. This allows you to change to a specific category and choose a channel for there with the "Encoder Knob". Along the bottom of the receiver are the "preset" buttons. These buttons are used to preset your favorite channels for one button switching to any of 30 preset channels. There is also a "Jump" button in the middle that is used to jump to a channel by pressing it once and jump back to the original channel by pressing it again. This button is designed for weather and traffic use mainly, but can be used for any channel. More functions include: Alarm and Sleep Timer, Automatic Shutdown, several different display options including size, brightness, and content, and the preview feature. The preview feature allows you to preview what is playing on other channels without leaving the one that you are currently on. This feature uses the category button and encoder knob as controls.
I do like this receiver.
There are several things that made me recommend this receiver to one of my friends, or to anyone looking for a Sirius receiver. This product is very easy to install, setup and use. The controls are easy to understand and for the most part easy to use. While the receiver is not the smallest that I've seen, its size makes it easy to carry for vehicle to vehicle and to my home unit. The LCD readout is very easy to read and the display is large enough to display most song and artist information. Even though the preview feature is a bit slow displaying at times, it is a great feature that allows me to see what is playing on other channels before making a final selection. Also the 30 preset buttons makes storing my favorite channels easy. The ability to store and search for my favorite songs is a great feature which I use all of the time. I currently have about 15 songs stored and can't wait to hear that "beep" so I can hear one of my favorite songs. I mentioned durability in the beginning of this review. This receiver has never failed to impress me in the department. I carry it with me everyday at work and use it very heavily mounting it in at least three different places in a day's time. This receiver looks and works as good as the day that I bought it over 9 months ago. The remote control is an absolute must for me. The ability to change channels or any other control feature without looking directly at the screen is a big safety feature in my opinion.
What's not to like?
There are only a few minor problems that I have with this receiver. The first is the speed of the display from time to time. About ? of the time the display is either wrong or very slow to show up. I believe that this is related to a few things: temperature of the vehicle, signal, and Sirius programming. Either way it's hard to blame the receiver for being a bit slow under these conditions. The other minor problem involves the "Encoder Knob". This knob is impossible to tune even when you are not driving. Forget about changing channels this way if you are moving. The remote control is a much better way to control on the receiver either way you look at it.
All in all: This Sirius receiver has already proven itself to me. After about 9 months of heavy use and more than a few hundred trips to and from my pickup, work truck, and home, this unit is still allowing me to enjoy Sirius my way. There are so many useful features that I probably forgot one or two, but storing my favorite channels and songs is totally awesome and I couldn't do without a remote control. I do recommend this receiver to anyone in the market for a good carry around unit. This receiver has never failed to perform and has plenty of great features. Isn't that what is important?
My Sirius Review:
http://www.epinions.com/content_190073769604
Thanks for checking out my reviews!!!
Steelfan
