Satellite radio

[luvnitro02]

I'm looking at putting my first farkle on and want to get some information about satellite radio. 08RT and no radio. waswondering with the recievers from xm or sirius do I need a external amp for helmet speaker or ear buds. looking at the sirius starmate 5. any suggestions on helmet speaker systems, amps if needed? would like to also be able to use helmet speaker at some point for passenger intercom. Any suggestions and ideas would be helpful. pictures of you install also. what about bike mounting and wiring. Thanks Mike

[smiller]

You might want to hold off a bit until the next-gen dual-system receivers come out (as a result of the Sirius-XM merger) that will give you more programming options. But then again, the cost of the current hardware will probably be dropping like a rock soon so if you don't want to wait you could probably pick up something now and just toss it next year at not much of a loss.

[Bud]

Autocom is the way to go for your communication needs including helmet speakers integrated to your sat radio.

 

XM and Sirrus have merged and there are rumors of new gear on the way.

 

Look on line at their programming before deciding which one to choose.

 

I'm running a Garmin 2730 GPS with the XM antenna connected so my GPS screen controls the XM. Neat setup and pretty cheap < $180 on ebay.

[Heck]

Autocom is the way to go for your communication needs including helmet speakers integrated to your sat radio.

XM and Sirius have merged and there are rumors of new gear on the way.

Look on line at their programming before deciding which one to choose.

+1

Looking at the programming of both sides is probably the best advice if you don't want to wait for new gear. All the Garmin GPS devices that have integrated Satellite Radio will be on the XM side at this time....You can get an enhancement to XM programming that will give you NFL and Nascar sports, Howard Stern and Martha Stewart(if you want that) but not too much else from the Sirius side.

They actually have already announced some gear that will receive both sides, but at this time they have not put together any programming packages to take advantage of them. The representative I spoke with said that it would be early to mid 2009.

I personally have both sides between the cars and the satellite TV and have to tell you that there are advantages to both.

 

Hook up your GPS/Satellite radio to an Autocomm, and you will have the best of all worlds. It will also allow addition of blue-tooth for cell phones and bike to bike communication in addition to providing rider/pillion communication.

Good luck in your search- the internut is your friend..

[PhysicsWinz]

to answer your question...

there is plenty enough power coming out of my Starmate for the Etymotic 6i ear buds. Speakers? I don't know, but the earbuds are fine. I was concerned about that also...it is a non issue. I just plug the buds into the earphone jack or audio out on the side of the Starmate. I have the volume of the unit near max.

 

I am running it on an r1150r.

 

Hope this helps

 

John

[jbryant53]

I have had 3 skyfi3 radio's on my 06 RT none survived more than 10 hour of use...don't know it the bike shakes too much or the radio is just to delicate. I love my music so I just got the garmin 2730 off ebay and now I listen contently.

 

I use a set of ear buds as the edset helmet speaker system I used on my previous bike doesn't work on the RT...

 

from my experience and from friends I don't know of any of the xm or sirius radios that will hold up to a bike's vibration all have had radios die a quick and painful death..some sooner than others..

 

The Garmin unit just flat works...

[lvnvbiker]

one word: amplirider.

[Fajah]

I have never had a Sirius Radio fail on my 96/06 RT. I have used them with Autocom and now with Starcom, I prefer the Starcom for the VOX advantage (really it is just a treshold trigger). I swap between the Sirius and my Ipod depending on what I feel like listening to.

 

I just finished a Fall ride, 2500 miles in a week, up into the Smokey's and listened to Sirius radio most of the time. I got to hear both my Dolphin's games while underway (yeah, yeah, as Hootie says, "I am such a baby, the Dolphins make me cry").

 

The Zumo hard wired to the Starcom and phone bluetoothed to the Zumo, I was able to communicate with folks as needed. I do not think motorcycle riding is a good venue for chatting on the phone however, it is great to talk to those you are meeting up with and letting those who care about you make contact.

 

The price of Sirius units can be as low as $25. I had used ram mounts in the past, but now I use my tank bag to house the unit. The Marsee hard bag works well for me.

 

Later,

[gtunches]

www.MotoComm.com

1-877-624-6869

 

 

 

The RiderLink ST-1 is a complete intercom, communications and audio system for the driver and passenger of a motorcycle or powersport vehicle.

 

 

 

The RiderLink ST-1 includes everything a rider needs to immediately start enjoying communications and audio. The ST-1 comes complete with a full-duplex intercom, a built-in FM radio, 2 universal headsets that work in both full-face and open-face helmets, and all necessary cables and adapters to create the perfect communications and audio system for your bike.

 

 

 

The RiderLink ST-1 features an intelligent priority circuit that automatically mutes and mixes the audio signals for handsfree operation. With the ST-1 you can use your wireless phone, 2-way radio, radar detector, and external music source to make your next ride that much better.

 

 

 

Riderlink ST-1 Features and Specifications:

 

· COMPLETE SYSTEM – Nothing Extra to Buy!!

 

· Driver – Passenger Full Duplex Intercom

 

· Both Driver and Passenger Helmet Headsets Included – Each helmet headset comes with both full-face and open-face style microphones!

 

· Music Grade Speakers with Excellent Bass Response

 

· Music Input with Built-In Amplifier (Adapter Cable Included)

 

· Mobile Phone Input with Adapter Cable Included

 

· 2-Way Radio Input with 2 Adapter Cables and PTT Switch Included – compatible with Motorola, Cobra, Midland and many other 2-way radio brands

 

· Radar Detector / GPS Audio Input – Adapter Cable Included

 

· Built-In FM Radio with Seek and Volume Controls

 

· Auto Music Mute Circuit and Microphone Sensitivity Control

 

· All Adapter Cables and Extension Cables Included and Removable When Not in Use

 

· All Mini DIN Connections Feature Weatherproof Moldings

 

· Durable Mounting Strap with High Impact Plastic Buckles

 

· Portable Battery Powered Unit – Uses 2 AA Batteries

 

· Main Unit Measures 2.75” wide x 4” tall x approx. 1” thick

[sjn7708]

ive had satellite radio both thru a separate system like a sky fi and thru the garmin system and definitely prefer the garmin gps satellite radio combo, much easier to use while driving, less clutter on the dash. RKA makes "tankbag communication systems" where the GPS or satellite radio is wired into the satr com communication system which is built right into the tankbag, and the tankbag is wired to the battery, so all wires are neatly tucked away- expensive, depending upon the system but worth it. best audio system has been on my goldwings- sorry bmw.( ride a 650GS too)

[bobbybob]

www.MotoComm.com

1-877-624-6869

 

The RiderLink ST-1 is a complete intercom, communications and audio system for the driver and passenger of a motorcycle or powersport vehicle.

 

The RiderLink ST-1 includes everything a rider needs to immediately start enjoying communications and audio. The ST-1 comes complete with a full-duplex intercom, a built-in FM radio, 2 universal headsets that work in both full-face and open-face helmets, and all necessary cables and adapters to create the perfect communications and audio system for your bike.

 

I'm not sure if the poster above has used the Motocomm or not but I can give you first hand recent experience with this unit, and it is not good. A good riding friend bought it a month ago to save $$ over the Autocom and has had numerous issues. If used as part of a bike-to-bike unit, it is difficult to understand what is being said over 50MPH--either by him or by others listening to him. The audio seems to switch back and forth from one ear-speaker to the other, and severe static comes and goes sporadically, for no apparent reason. One of the cables developed a broken wire the first trip out and he cut the cable and tried re-soldering but I think this has exacerbated the issues. There are probably other broken or intermittent wires that are causing many of the problems he is having.

 

Although on the surface it appears to have lots of features and bang-for-the-buck, it just doesn't perform as you might expect it to, or as the company advertises it. If you do a search here, you will find similar stories, although you may find a couple of folks for whom it worked OK. They are, I believe, the exception. On the other hand, I have 2 Autocom units in both my RT's and they work flawlessly. I hated to pay twice the cost of the Motocomm initially, but after having the first Autocom, getting the 2nd one was a no-brainer. No affiliation with them, just a happy user.