Getting started with Sirius - my experience.
I made the decision to follow Howard months ago, but just got my radio setup today. I wanted something that I could use in my car as well as in my home. I did my research and read the reviews to narrow my choice down to two units: Sportster Replay and the Starmate Replay.
I headed to Circuit City so I could see the two side by side and it was there that I decided on the Starmate. I bought the Starmate Replay receiver, the home installation kit including antenna, and a 3.5mm wire so I could listen through my computer because I don't have a shelf system to plug the receiver into, so I use my computer's Altec Lansing speakers. I couldn't see spending $99 on the Sportster boombox - it just seemed over priced for such a small unit. Receiver, home installation kit, and extra wire was $202 before rebates, so - $50.
I came home, plugged the AC power into the receiver, plugged the antenna in, and set the antenna on my window sill with no consideration as to direction and instantly I got 2/3 bars signal (Columbus, Ohio). The receiver picks up 2 bars about 75% of the time and occasionally jumps to 3 bars. The screen prompts me to call a # to activate, so I did.
The operator was very friendly, and activation was very easy. I followed a series of prompts and options before I got to the operator herself. I gave her the # on the back of the box, she asked for my name and email address, and asked for me to create a user name and password (assuming this is in case I wish to listen online?). She game me subscription options, then she gave me a 9-digit Sirius account number, and said my radio would be ready in less than 3 minutes. After spending a whopping 07:35 on the phone with the operator my radio was working fine with great clarity.
The unit itself is very easy to use and navigate through. The bright blue display is very cool looking and the unti is so small it fits nicely on my desk and is very unintrusive. All in all it was way easier than I thought in setting it up, and I can't wait for the first day!
Hope this helps.
Here are some shitty pics I took with my cell phone.