Directed Electronics Sportster Replay Sirius Receiver

About three years ago, I was researching a series of stocks, looking for something new to invest my money in. I came about a small company called Sirius (stock symboy: SIRI) and I was immediately intrigued with the idea of satellite radio. Until that point, I was unfamiliar with satellite radio and the entire idea was new to me. I did my research and eventually invested a portion of money into the company, based on the fact that I really liked the concept of satellite radio, and the potential that the future held for such a company.

Two years later, my wife purchased a Sirius Sportster for me and gave it to me for Christmas, 2005. As a shareholder in the company, I was immediately familiar with the product upon opening it, but I had not been a subscriber. After opening the gift, I couldn't wait to sign up and start listening to satellite radio. Along with the Sportster radio, my wife purchased the automobile installation kit as well. At the time, December 2005, the Sportster had a retail sticker of $129.999, but as of today, the unit sells for $99.99. She purchased the installation kit for $59.99, but I believe the price has dropped to $49.99 for that.

The day after Christmas, I brushed the snow off of my car and went out to install the Sirius Sportster. For those of you who have read my TiVo review, you will know that I am not electronically inclined, but nonetheless, I set out to install the unit myself rather than pay a local shop to do it. I read through the instructions provided in the installation kit, and it seemed rather simple, and considering the fact that only two wires are involved, I figured I could breeze through it.

The installation kit comes with a "docking station." This is a plastic unit which houses the actual receiver. The docking statation has a three-way adjustable arm, making any angle or position virtually achievable. The docking station also has a super-strong suction cup, allowing for window setups. Initially, I setup the docking station on my windshield, at the base of the windshield where it meets the dashboard. I found the docking station and the unit to be somewhat obstructive and right in my line of view, therefore, I opted to move it elsewhere. After playing around with a few positions, I finally decided that it fit best in the center console, in an empty coin slot.

The installation kit comes with two wires, which is all that is needed to complete the installation. The first wire is the antenna. This is a thin black wire, running about 18 feet or so. One end plugs into the rear of the docking station, and the other end is meant to be placed on the roof of your vehicle. The antenna itself is rather small. It is approximately 1/2 inch thick, and is approximately the same diameter as a golf ball. The antenna stays put by way of a super strong magnet. I have had the magnet on the roof of my vehicle for 11 months and it has not budged at all. The 18 feet of wire is meant to be hidden on the interior of the vehicle. Essentially, I ran the wire through the rain guard of my rear windshield, through the trunk, then hid it behind the interior door panels and under the interior carpet. I did this all without the use of any tools. I was able to push the wire into place using only my hands. I found that routing the wire and hiding it was a breeze. I was worried about doing this, but found it to be extremely easy. The second wire that comes with the kit is the power supply. This wire is approximately 6 feet in length. One end plugs into the docking station and the other plugs into either a cigarette lighter, or a power outlet. Again, I was able to hide this wire very easily as well.

Once I had the unit and the wires in place, I placed a call to Sirius, setup my account, and within ten minutes, a signal was sent to my radio and tunes were flowing. Setting up an account was quite simple. The cost for the subscription is $12.95/month, which can be automatically billed to a credit/debit card each month, or you may pay annually. I believe by paying annually, there is a savings of $12.95 (basically, one month free).

Now that I was up and running, it was time to drive around and listen to the absurd number of stations. I immediately found that station 1 is Top 40 hits. Station 6 is hits from the 60's, station 7 is hits from the 70's, station 8 is hits from the 80's, station 9 is called Faction, which plays hits from the 90's and today. As we move up the dial, we find an Elvis station, playing Elvis music 24/7. Then we find a jam-band station, a classic rock station, a hard rock station, a modern rock station, a rap and hip-hop station, a jazz station, a Latin station, etc... The list goes on and one. Then we hit statio 100 and find Howard Stern. Obviously the big draw to Sirius was the signing of Howard Stern. Sirius' competitor, XM Satellite Radio signed some other big names, but signing Howard was the blockbuster move that would make or break one of these companies. Moving past Howard 100, there are 3-4 stations of comedy. Then there is weather, traffic, Court TV Radio, etc... I have found myself listening to all kinds of stuff on the radio lately, content that would otherwise be unheard. After owning and using the unit for nearly a year, I believe my favorite station is 108, Maxim Radio. Basically, this is talk radio aimed at a male population, ages 18-35.

Part of the big push for satellite radio is the fact that it is supposed to be "commercial free." With FM radio, the average commercial break is four minutes. I was somewhat disappointed to learn that Sirius is not "commercial free" as it boasts. There are in fact a few commercial breaks every hour, but they range between 1-3 minutes in length. These commercial breaks mainly appear during talk radio shows, such as Howard Stern. But let's face it, nobody can talk for four straight hours without a few breaks here and there. In all honesty, the few commercial breaks don't bother me because they are so sporadic.

The sound quality that this radio produces is very good. It is much better than FM radio, but not quite as clear as CD quality. Of course, this still is radio and it is still being broadcasted through radio signals. Because the signal is sent through satellites, you can travel virtually anywhere and still listen to a program. The content is not geographically confined, as FM radio is. For example, I can listen to a local Philadelphia FM station in a 40 mile radius, but outside of that, I start picking up other stations. With Sirius, you can listen to the same program no matter where you are.

The Sportster model comes with a variety of highlights, one of them being the capability to "rewind" live radio for an instant playback. Let's say you are listening to a game...perhaps an NFL game or whatever. If you hit the rewind or replay button, the broadcast will automatically back up 30 seconds and play the content again. This is similar to watching a replay on TV. The other neat feature is the fact that you can pause live radio. You can pause live radio up to two minutes and once you hit play again, it will pick up right where you left off so you never miss a word. This is a good feature if you're listening to something and the cell phone rings or something.

I have found that the signal is strong, but I have noted a few dead spots. I do a lot of driving on the New Jersey Turnpike, and every so often, I will hit a deadspot where I lose the signal for 5-10 seconds. I understand that Sirius is currently boosting their signals to correct this problem, but I have not yet noticed the difference.

The Sportster comes with a remote as well...yes, you are literally sitting 2 feet from the radio, but I have found that using the remote allows me to keep my eyes on the road. The buttons, both on the radio and the remote, are very user-friendly. Navigating through the menus and/or the stations is a snap. The only complaint I have with the unit is the fact that the screen is sometimes hard to read. Depending on the position of your unit, the screen, which shows the artist and song title, may be very hard to see, or completely invisible because of the glare. And at night, the backlight on the unit (an electric blue) can be overpowering and very bright. I have found that driving at night with the Sportster on is somewhat distracting.

Overall, I am very pleased with this product. Like many people, I dismissed the idea of paying for radio, but after listening to the content and having the variety on satellite radio available to me, I find it hard to live without it. In the past 11 months, I have not listened to FM radio while in my vehicle. I love this product and am sorry that I did not purchase it for myself sooner.

Sirius, as a company, is attempting to enter into a fairly new market, so it is faced with many questions and challenges. The CEO of the company has a proven track record and appears to have grand ideas for the company. Recently, there have been rumors on Wall Street that XM Satellite Radio and Sirius would merge, but I believe there are some regulatory and legal issues that must first be surpassed. Now if the stock would only do well, I would be all set!