|
 Delphi's
new XM SKYFi2™ Satellite Radio Receiver is their latest generation product
that offers improvements in the original SKYFi™ receiver, making it the most
advanced design currently available from the company. The good news is the new
SKYFi2™ design is completely compatible with existing SKYFi™ accessories,
so if you have already made an investment with the home and vehicle adapters or
the boombox, your don't have to buy new support hardware. The XM SKYFi2™
can pause and replay up to 30-minutes of previously recorded digital audio from
any active channel using the new replay feature. The unit can also be set up to
display a personalized stock ticker or Info Extras such as a sports ticker
along with a clock. Favorite stocks can be added or deleted through the menu interface.
The Info Extras currently has sport score updates where the user can select
specific teams they want coverage on, yet the data stream can potentially be used
for other items as well. The unit also features a built-in FM modulator that can
be used to transmit audio on select FM audio frequencies, allowing any FM stereo
system to play XM satellite audio. The TuneSelect feature finds favorite
songs or artists if they are currently playing. The
unit is designed to be mated with the optional home or vehicle adapter kit or
the SKYFi Audio System that is essentially a portable boom box. Since the SKYFi2™
unit is sold as an individual system, one of the optional kits must be purchased
separately based on the user's need. The new white LED backlight display is in
our opinion easier to read than the original SKYFi™ unit.
XM
System
XM Radio took a bold step launching their satellite-based radio
system and has been very successful in getting over 4 million subscribers since
the official launch in late 2001. The systems is designed around a pair of high-powered
geosynchronous satellites dubbed "Rock" and "Roll" to beam
down more than 150 digital radio channels to customers in the 48 contiguous states.
The system also relies on approximately 800 ground-based repeaters that receive
and retransmit the signals to the XM Radio receivers. These terrestrial repeaters
are particularly important in dense urban areas where tall structures might otherwise
cause reception problems for customers. Based on our tests the system works very
well with excellent coverage overall in the Los Angeles area. Dropouts were rare
and only occurred when the antenna was blocked by large overpasses or tunnels. The
SKYFi2™ receiver has an easy to use menu system that lets the user adjust
brightness and contrast of the LCD display, set the bass and treble levels, real-time
feedback of the satellite and terrestrial antenna strength, Direct Tune (on/off),
Search Mode (category or scanning), Channel Skip/Add, Memory Recall, Tune Select
(Artist or Song), Stock Ticker, Info Extras, Display Screen Mode, Set Clock, Auto-On,
Auto-Off / Sleep Timer, Set Factory Defaults. The
large rotary dial is used to select the channel while in the normal display mode.
Turning the dial shows a list of five items with the active one highlighted. Using
the Display button, the user can switch between displaying the channel
name, artist and song while navigating through the channels. Identifying a favorite
song is easy with this system since it is displayed on the screen. Night
view
 The
SKYFi2™ unit has a large black and white display with front panel buttons
that are easy to see in the dark. The Display button changes the display
mode to one of four different settings. Normally the Artist and Song are statically
displayed with the channel name and number. The second mode displays the Artist
and Song in large text as it scrolls across the screen. This works great when
viewing the LCD display from a distance, such as when it is docked in the portable
boombox. The third mode is for the Stock Ticker, where it displays your
favorite stocks on the screen. Finally the last mode is for the Sports Ticker,
which displays game scores. Both the stocks and team scores displayed in the last
two modes require the user to configure the information in the setup menu. The
Search button goes through a list of music currently being played based
on genre (i.e. Rock, Jazz&Blues, etc.). Simply select the song of interest
and press the XM button. The Preset/Direct buttons allows the user to choose
from the A, B, or C presets or the direct mode, where the user can manually enter
the channel number. Each preset group can have up to 10 channels defined for a
total of 30 presets. The Jump button bounces between the last two channels
selected. The buttons just above the dial are used for the 30 minute buffer allowing
users to skip backward or forward to each song up to the last 30 minutes. This
is a powerful feature especially for those who want to repeat previous program
material they just heard on the radio. TuneSelect
The SKYFi2™ comes with TuneSelect, a feature that alerts you
when one of your favorite songs or artists is playing on another channel. The
receiver emits a beep to alert you when any of your saved artists or songs are
currently playing. If you see a song or artist you like, simply push the XM button
and the unit will immediately jump to that channel. Using the menu controls, you
can remove some or all of the songs or artists in the list.  The
IR remote included with the SKYFi2™ receiver is a compact design measuring
only 5 inches long and 1-1/2 inches wide and powers from a pair of AAA batteries.
The remote has many of the same buttons found on the front of the main receiver
unit. Unlike the SKYFi2™ receiver, the IR remote does not illuminate at night,
making it difficult to use in dark settings. The remote does work well from a
long distance away based on our tests. We were able to control the receiver reliably
from more than 30 feet away indoors when using the SKYFi™ Audio System (Boombox).
We liked using the second display mode on the receiver which allowed us to read
the large text on the LCD display from a distance. The unit apparently has non-volatile
memory where configuration data is stored because it always kept track of the
previous information and state even when power was completely removed from the
unit. This included the power state as well.
 The
Car Kit
The Delphi XM SKYFi2™ receiver does not operate as a stand
alone unit, but instead requires one of the optional accessories depending upon
the user's installation requirements. We received the Vehicle Adapter Kit (Model:
SA10002) priced at $49.99 that includes the car cradle, roof-mount antenna, audio
cassette adapter, cigarette lighter power adapter and a universal swivel mounting
bracket with adhesive pads and cleaning kit. This kit is essential for car installations
and includes everything needed to get the system up and running in a short time.
We installed the system in less than 30-minutes with the vast majority of the
time spent routing the antenna cable. The cradle interfaces to the SKYFi2™
receiver through a single mating connector on the bottom of the unit. The side
of the cradle has a high-bandwidth SMB jack for the antenna, a power jack for
the cigarette lighter adapter and an audio output jack. Our tests utilized the
cassette adapter as well as the built-in FM modulator, yet neither of these methods
were typically as good as a direct connection to the audio system. The nice part
is all three options (direct, cassette, or FM modulation) exist with this system.
 Delphi
made the antenna cable extra long (21 feet), which allowed us to optimally route
the cable through our vehicle. The antenna is actually quite small with a foot
print of 1-3/8" x 1-3/4" with a high powered magnet that stuck like
glue. In fact, the magnet was so strong that removing the antenna required effort.
Four tiny rubber pads help protect the surface from scratches. The SMB connector
ensures an excellent high bandwidth connection to the radio receiver. The thin
cable made it easy to hide under the carpet in the car.Radio ID (Ch 0), XM Preview
(Ch 1) Emergency Alert (Ch 247) are the only channels available before activating
service. The Radio ID number is needed to identify your receiver and will be requested
during the activation process.
 SKYFi™
Audio System
Delphi also offers the SKYFi™ Audio System (Model SA10001)
designed for the XM SKYFi™ or SKYFi2™ Radio. This portable satellite
radio boom box has a docking station that allows users to listen to their SKYFi™
or SKYFi2™ receiver from virtually anywhere a signal can be received. By
simply pressing the inset cradle, the docking station clicks and tilts outward
making it easy to slide the SKYFi2™ unit into the base. Pressing it again
clicks it back into place. Just below the receiver is a headphone jack and volume
control. The unit is designed to run from six "D" batteries (not included)
or from the included AC adapter.
Sound
quality was great from this portable unit, yet was inherently limited in fidelity
due to the speaker sizes. However, the sound was very clean and free of distortion
often heard with portable units. The detachable antenna included with the boombox
can be mounted on the rear of the unit or placed in a location to optimize reception.
Again, XM provides a long 21-foot cable not to limit placement of the antenna. Rural
Locations
We also took the XM SKYFi2™ system to rural Midwest locations
where coverage is usually spotty for cell phone users and radio listeners. The
XM SKYFi2™ radio worked perfectly with no drop out problems in this part
of the country. Signal strength was high according to the built-in meter and we
were able to enjoy the same variety of music on our journey that we had in busy
Los Angeles. Another benefit of being in a rural part of the country is the built-in
FM modulator in the XM SKYFi2™ unit work very well, where other FM station
are not competing for the same frequency. While the cassette adapter worked fine
for us during our tests, we liked the ability to wirelessly transmit the stereo
signal to any local FM stereo (car or home). Conclusion
The new XM SKYFi2™ is a wonderful product that offers great flexibility from
the XM Radio system. The optional kits allow each user to tailor the installation
and only buy the products needed. The downside is you have to get one of the kits
or buy other optional accessories to get up and running. The Vehicle Adapter
Kit is essential for mobile use and includes everything needed to install
the receiver in a car or truck. The ability to transfer the receiver to a home
installation or portable boom box is a great feature. A single mating connector
on the receiver provides a simple interface without the need to move wires. We
have been using the system for more than two months now and have really grown
to like the features and performance of the system. Traditional radio is too polluted
with advertising and offers little variety compared to XM's lineup. Rarely do
we run into a situation where there is nothing interesting to listen to on XM
Radio. The TuneSelect feature offers XM listeners even more control over
the content they want to hear and is a nice touch. The greatest part is that the
programming stays the same no matter where you travel in the country. Standard
programming from XM Radio costs $12.95 per month for more than 150 commercial-free,
digital radio channels. In addition, no contract is required. Music is available
on 67 of those channels. XM also offers a premium Playboy radio channel
for an additional $2.99 per month. -
Kevin Nakano | 
