Delphi Roady2 SA10085 XM Radio Receiver with Car Kit
- Usage: Car Home
- Design: Compact
- FM Transmitter: Included
- Service: XM
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Roady2 a bargain
Pros
Affordable, excellent reception, easily self-installable
Cons
Small interface buttons, 2-line display screen (as opposed to 3 or 5)
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
If you're looking for a satellite radio receiver for your automobile, definitely consider the Roady2. High-quality at an affordable price.
As someone who didn't normally listen to the radio when I was in my car to begin with (usually just listen to CDs or my iPod), I wasn't sure how much I would really enjoy having satellite radio. Part of the reason I did not like listening to the radio was A) flipping between channels during commercials, and B) listening to the same songs repeated over, and over, and over...
I was sure that satellite radio would be much better than standard top-40 commercial-heavy radio. The question was how often would I actually use it?
I quickly discovered within minutes of installing the receiver (by myself, which I will get to later) that satellite radio is one of those highly talked about products (like iPods) that you can't be sure of how convenient it really is until you actually try it. It's full of the familiar top-40 hits that are played on regular radio stations, but also includes musical genres and artists that are unheard of on radio stations throughout much of the country. And the best part: no annoying 15-minute blocks of commercials.
Now when it comes to satellite radio, there are 2 options for the consumer: XM or Sirius. Though I have never tried Sirius, I went with XM mainly because XM offers full Major League Baseball coverage. Though I have heard that XM is the better of the two, it basically boils down to what you want: XM has MLB coverage, Sirius has Howard Stern...you just have to research the two and determine what you want.
There are many types of XM car receivers available, and again it basically comes down to what you want. Some are bigger than others so you just need to find one that suits you.
I chose the Roady2: the smallest XM satellite receiver on the market. And I will be the first to say, when it comes to satellite radio receivers, size does not matter.
The Roady2 works so well, and the sound is so clear, that it is definitely in the same league as the bigger models as far as quality is concerned (I have friends who have slightly bigger receivers installed in their cars).
There are really only 2 (slightly) negative features about the Roady2: the display options and the interface buttons.
The display screen for the Roady2 is only 2 lines (as opposed to larger receivers which are usually 3 or 5 lines), meaning you can only view the artist name and song name, artist name and station name, or station name and song name on the display screen, as opposed to artist name, song name, and station name all at once. This is really not a big deal, as sometimes I like to search by station and other times I like to search by artist, so with the press of a button I can change the display option quickly.
The interface buttons are also somewhat smaller than average, so someone with big fingers might have trouble punching in the correct station number (though I haven't), but again this is only a minor inconvenience, one that I haven't really discovered as being a problem. There is also an optional remote for the Roady2 (sold separately, of course) that would definitely make channel surfing easier.
When I received the Roady2 (as a gift) I was concerned about the installation fee. Of course you are going to have to pay an activation fee on top of the monthly subscription fee, and the thought of an installation fee is a turn-off. However, I soon realized that self-installation is actually quite simple and can easily save you $30-$60. The installation instructions suggest placing the magnetic antenna on the roof of the automobile, but I have found that it works just as well (receives excellent reception) firmly mounted at the front of the dash (attached by velcro, which is included as 1 of 3 mounting options for the Roady2 receiver). I have yet to experience any real problems with reception (with the exception of the occasional 1 or 2 second fade-out that is to be expected when going under an overpass or any other area that may limit the satellite's reception).
Overall, the Roady2 is on par with the slightly larger, more expensive receiver models, and is an excellent buy if you don't mind having only a 2-line display screen and slightly smaller user interface buttons.
I was sure that satellite radio would be much better than standard top-40 commercial-heavy radio. The question was how often would I actually use it?
I quickly discovered within minutes of installing the receiver (by myself, which I will get to later) that satellite radio is one of those highly talked about products (like iPods) that you can't be sure of how convenient it really is until you actually try it. It's full of the familiar top-40 hits that are played on regular radio stations, but also includes musical genres and artists that are unheard of on radio stations throughout much of the country. And the best part: no annoying 15-minute blocks of commercials.
Now when it comes to satellite radio, there are 2 options for the consumer: XM or Sirius. Though I have never tried Sirius, I went with XM mainly because XM offers full Major League Baseball coverage. Though I have heard that XM is the better of the two, it basically boils down to what you want: XM has MLB coverage, Sirius has Howard Stern...you just have to research the two and determine what you want.
There are many types of XM car receivers available, and again it basically comes down to what you want. Some are bigger than others so you just need to find one that suits you.
I chose the Roady2: the smallest XM satellite receiver on the market. And I will be the first to say, when it comes to satellite radio receivers, size does not matter.
The Roady2 works so well, and the sound is so clear, that it is definitely in the same league as the bigger models as far as quality is concerned (I have friends who have slightly bigger receivers installed in their cars).
There are really only 2 (slightly) negative features about the Roady2: the display options and the interface buttons.
The display screen for the Roady2 is only 2 lines (as opposed to larger receivers which are usually 3 or 5 lines), meaning you can only view the artist name and song name, artist name and station name, or station name and song name on the display screen, as opposed to artist name, song name, and station name all at once. This is really not a big deal, as sometimes I like to search by station and other times I like to search by artist, so with the press of a button I can change the display option quickly.
The interface buttons are also somewhat smaller than average, so someone with big fingers might have trouble punching in the correct station number (though I haven't), but again this is only a minor inconvenience, one that I haven't really discovered as being a problem. There is also an optional remote for the Roady2 (sold separately, of course) that would definitely make channel surfing easier.
When I received the Roady2 (as a gift) I was concerned about the installation fee. Of course you are going to have to pay an activation fee on top of the monthly subscription fee, and the thought of an installation fee is a turn-off. However, I soon realized that self-installation is actually quite simple and can easily save you $30-$60. The installation instructions suggest placing the magnetic antenna on the roof of the automobile, but I have found that it works just as well (receives excellent reception) firmly mounted at the front of the dash (attached by velcro, which is included as 1 of 3 mounting options for the Roady2 receiver). I have yet to experience any real problems with reception (with the exception of the occasional 1 or 2 second fade-out that is to be expected when going under an overpass or any other area that may limit the satellite's reception).
Overall, the Roady2 is on par with the slightly larger, more expensive receiver models, and is an excellent buy if you don't mind having only a 2-line display screen and slightly smaller user interface buttons.
