SIRIUS Sportster 5 Satellite Radio Receiver with Vehicle Kit

I'm very disappointed that the antenna cable doesn't fit my Excursion, and I followed their instructions to the tee. It seems like the engineers designed it without thinking of big SUV owners, because I'm about six feet short. And, they only sell a 50 foot extension cable and it costs 50 dollars to boot! When I complained about the price and size of the cable they told me to tear it out, and put it on the front windshield and disregard the instructions. Having little choice of options, so I asked if they could send me another adhesive rubber striping which I had already installed, and they said "no". I'll have to find it locally at a store and unfortunately I live in a small town. You would think since their instructions are incomplete and their cables are lacking sufficient length, they would at least send you a six foot extension or rubber striping fast. But, NO.

I purchased this for my sister's birthday. She loves it! I love the fact that it has a remote control so that it's easier to change the channels. The LCD screen isn't terrible, either! Only thing I would recommend is have it professionally installed. I did and it looks like it came with the car.

The sportster 5 is a much better receiver than my old, dead Xact XTR1. The sportster 5 does have one major flaw. The screen is not clear when using polarized glasses. For drivers used to polarized glasses, looking at the sportster 5 is annoying.
Update: This is only going to be a problem if you place the sportster at an angle, like laying flat on the console. If the unit is installed so you can view the screen directly there isn't a problem.

I bought this radio for my wife so she could relive the 70's. She is thrilled with it. Since she is not a techno geek- i.e. the controls need to be pretty straightforward, I wanted something that she would feel comfortable using. Otherwise, it would end up gathering dust on a shelf.
The Sportser 5 has the right balance of features and simplicity. She loves the display showing the Band, Title, and year. She also likes the radio display's ability to change colors. I set up the preset buttons for her, but she has the Sirius channel guide and has no problems finding the stations she wants.
I was able to hook up the car kit in just a few minutes. It works great for her. I bought a cassete adapter, which I like better than going through the FM Car Radio.
I also bought the boombox for her so she can use the radio around the house. It is working perfectly both in the car and at home.

I have had this installed in my truck for about 2 weeks now. The only issue I have had so far is the FM transmitter does not work very well, as other people have stated. I hooked mine up with the FM direct cable and now it's perfect. Sounds quality is perfect with no interference. The direct cable is a must have if you live near any cities. It is very easy to install (I looked up instructions on how to remove my radio on the internet), it took me about 15 minutes to remove my radio, plug in the cord and hook it all back up. You are supppossed to put the antenna on the top of your vehicle, but mine is sitting on my dash and it works just fine.

Features on this radio are great. You have up to 30 presets for channels and you can store your favorite artists or songs and it will alert you when they are playing. The traffic and weather is helpful, but I find that my local traffic is more up to date (Washington D.C.) There does seem to be a lot of commercials on the talk radio channels, but I just change the channel so I don't have to listen to them!

Overall, I am very impressed with my first Sirius radio purchase. It's cooler than my roommates who has a JVC radio with the Sirius interface and it does not have as many options. Also, we got the lifetime subscription for $399 which I think is going to be a great deal in the long run!