Portable XM radio solutions

GBSoren

GBSoren

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Sep 21, 2015
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GBSoren
Is anyone using a portable XM radio in there plane? You can buy a portable XM radio receiver for about $50, subscriptions are only $4.99/month (1 yr promotion pricing). I can't find any that have bluetooth options, but they have aux port out. All the aviation solutions for XM hardware are expensive, and monthly prescriptions are much higher priced.
 
XM is the most dysfunctional company I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with. I wouldn't take their service for free. I port music into my headset from my phone.
 
Aviation subscriptions of $59 per month on certified. No Thanks. FIS-B is plenty good enough for my 130kts plane.
 
I use the GDL 51. You can get an internet only subscription, use the iPhone app, and download some shows and listen offline (or in the air). I personally don't like the audio quality for music, but it's live, so for sports, news, etc. it's the only option.
 
I'm thinking mostly for sports. $59/month is just to much IMO, but for 1 yr at $4.99/month, it might make those longer flights go a little quicker. Also, $650 for a GDL 51, or $1150 for a GDL 52....not going to happen. I have ADS-b in/out already.

I do have an aux port so I could plug in a cheap $50 portable, it comes with a "car install kit", I'm just not sure that'll work plugged directly into my audio panel.
 
steingar said:
XM is the most dysfunctional company I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with. I wouldn't take their service for free. I port music into my headset from my phone.
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This. What a crappy, crappy company.
 
GBSoren said:
I'm thinking mostly for sports. $59/month is just to much IMO, but for 1 yr at $4.99/month, it might make those longer flights go a little quicker. Also, $650 for a GDL 51, or $1150 for a GDL 52....not going to happen. I have ADS-b in/out already.


I do have an aux port so I could plug in a cheap $50 portable, it comes with a "car install kit", I'm just not sure that'll work plugged directly into my audio panel.
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They actually made a portable unit you can probably still find on eBay. We have a GDL because the built in XM 69A was the same cost as a compact car.
 
NordicDave said:
Aviation subscriptions of $59 per month on certified. No Thanks. FIS-B is plenty good enough for my 130kts plane.
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Funny...I get XM through my Aera 796 with a $99 per year subscription. Could've done it on the GDL69A too before I had it removed to sell. You don't have to have weather with it.
 
I have XM radio subscribed on my 696. It's hardwired to my GMA340, so I've got inflight HairNation. (so they can "rock me like a hurricane")
 
steingar said:
XM is the most dysfunctional company I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with. I wouldn't take their service for free. I port music into my headset from my phone.
Click to expand...

What issues have you had? I love the product in my car and for me it has been set it and forget it. With the amount of time I spend driving it works out to a couple cents and hour. Pretty good in terms of enjoyment/$$$
 
skier said:
What issues have you had? I love the product in my car and for me it has been set it and forget it. With the amount of time I spend driving it works out to a couple cents and hour. Pretty good in terms of enjoyment/$$$
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They kicked me off the service despite an active subscription. When I tried to get it started again I got a runaround that was Kafkaesque in its dysfunction. I finally tracked down a company official at Oshkosh at their booth, made him listen to my problem, and finally got the magic number to actually resolve a problem that they created and were unwilling to fix. And believe me when I said none of them gave a ****. I have never seen worse.

I suspect their customer service has improved since they’re no longer the only game in town. My experience with them was the worst I have ever had with anyone.
 
I put the portable touchscreen one they have in my Cherokee.. I think I pay like $8 a month for it.. located below the Garmin 300XL in the attached picture..
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That's exactly what I was thinking of Indiana Pilot. How has it worked out?
 
I had (actually still have, but it's deactivated...) one of the WXWorx hockey puck receivers - it generally worked fine, needed to occasionally be reactivated on the website. It has an antenna splitter to use one of the XM audio receivers - I had an early generation Sony unit. The audio unit worked just fine into the aux input on the audio panel and provided hours of entertainment. No Bluetooth back then.

The WXWorks unit worked fine. I liked it better than ADSB weather, but it cost like $59 a month where ADSB is free. Used it originally with the WXWorx app on a tablet, later with Foreflight (using the WXWorks wifi adapter. Bunch of wires under the seat I n the cockpit, but worked very well.
 
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