0ur opinion:

:
Starmate ST1 is the most compact, integrated SlRlUS plug & play to date.PR0DUCT FEATURES: Unique channel toggle switch; lntegrated connectivity for antenna, audio/headphone out, FM out and power; Headphone volume control; Compact 3-line display; S-Seek; Wireless remote control; lntegrated FM transmitter with 100 frequency selections.

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Buyer's feedback: - * agree with several others ...
My Starmate had some of the same problems other people noted. First, the plastic on the suction cup mount broke in several places and the mount would no longer hold the receiver up off the dash. Recently I began having problems with losing power to the receiver every time I hit a minor bump (and since I live in a rural area on a dirt road this is major). This did not happen early on -- something has deteriorated. Sometimes it even just shuts off when it's sitting in the home docking station, without provocation. Mine is still under warranty so I could probably get it fixed for free, but I think I'm going to try another receiver instead.

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Buyer's feedback: - Great Little Radio
Yes, the display could be larger. WATCH THE ROAD NOT THE RADIO!

Yes, a docking port would be a nice way of avoiding having to play with wires everytime you replace or remove it. But I have 3 vehicles, I'll be damned if I'm gonna buy 3 car kits.

Yes, it gets warm, that actually is a bonus for the wife climbing into the car on cold winter days; keeps her fingers toasty while she holds it!

And on the 'Bling' scale it probrobly rates a 2 on a 10 scale. I couldnt care less.

It is a great little basic sattelite radio.

The small size makes it easy to carry around in a shirt pocket or ladies hand bag. When I get out of my car it slips easily between or under the seats out of sight.

The FM transmitter on this thing works great. I made a simple modification of a old antenna I had laying around and this thing transmits easily through a cinder-block wall. I park my vehicle outside the wall and everyone in the wood shop within 50 feet can hear it on their own personel FM radio. Which makes the Stern fans in the shop very happy since he left regular radio.

By the way, If you want to make a simple wire antenna for yourself, go to radio shack, get a MONO mini plug, not the 1/8th inch size you use for your headphones, the next size down (its only about a 1/16th of a inch thick. Connect the leads to a small wire, one lead per wire, do not let the leads touch or the wires touch - if you do you will get a lot of static and perhaps even burn out the transmitter. DONT PUSH A WIRE IN THE FM OUT HOLE. Plug your creation into the FM out hole and you are all set. The more creative you get the better results. If you have one of those little FM antenna leads that comes with some of them, you can hook a length of bailing wire around it, hang it out your window, and broadcast into a building like I do (that is what I originally did). Results will vary, but it works.

I have had XM Sattelite radio for about 5 years now, and Sirius for 2. They both have their strong points and I do not think that you can go wrong with either of them. Of my 2 Sirius radios this little guy gets the most use and it has not let me down once. My other Sirius radio is a Sportster that never leaves the house. The FM transmitter is great in that one as well. With just its little stock FM antenna I can hear the radio from a back bedroom in the house to a FM radio anywhere in my yard. Which means, with a pair of FM headphones, I can listen to the Sirius while mowing the grass.

One thing to keep in mind though with the signal from the FM transmitter: Unless you use a FM modulator, the signal will probrobly not be in stereo; this is a known issue with Sirius. You will not have this problem using a cassette adapter.

I am happy that both XM and Sirius now use the same antenna connections, which makes them interchangeble and allowing you to have a XM antenna on one car and a Sirius on another. DONT TRY TO USE THE SAME CIGERETTE LIGHTER PLUG - XM USES 6 VOLTS AND SIRIUS USES 12 VOLTS!

If you cant afford a home kit right away and dont mind taking the car kits antenna in the house at night, buy a 12 volt transformer from radio shack and you can power your radio with it; that it what I have done with the Sportster and it works flawlessly.

Could this little radio be better? Sure, and you'd pay a whole lot more for it as well.

FWIW

K

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Buyer's feedback: - * I Don't get all of the bad reviews ...
I have had this unit for a little over a year. I have never had any problems that were not easily fixed (using common sense)
I purchased this unit basically because of the price. And since I am a huge Stern fan, I figured I would buy the cheap model and give Sirius a trial run, while I waited for Howard to make his final move over to Satellite. A year has passed, Howard is finally settled in at Sirius, and my unit works like new.
The only problem I have ever really encountered was when I purchased a new home stereo system, I got a lot of static. But after playing around with the buttons; I quickly learned how to change my station signal. (it does not take a brain surgeon to figure this out. I didn't even need the manual)Right away my signal was clear as a bell once again.
Yes the unit will get hot, but ANY small electronic device will run hot if there is no internal fan. This is to be expected. My advice would be this; If you happen to live in an area where the weather is very hot, DO NOT leave your already hot unit inside of your vehicle. Common sense, tells us that anything exposed to extreme tempatures is likely to become damaged. This is a small digital device, it is not a terrestrial radio, which has circuts and runs on the car battery alone.
Many people I have noticed complain about the unit being visible to theifs while using the unit in the car. Well DUH! So is your regular stereo reciever! Here is a clue, maybe this will help some of you who complain that the unit could get stolen "PLUG AND PLAY" <~~~~~~~~See those three little words? This means it is PORTABLE.
Now some of you mention, the fact that you have to disconnect the unit when you leave your car, then you go on to complain how much this is an inconvience. People!!! Stop the complaining! There are TWO, count them aloud with me, 1, 2. Tiny cords that slide out of the unit. this takes a total of 1/2 of a second. When you return to the vehicle it takes another 1/2 second to plug them back in and be on your way.
I noticed someone mentioned the remote battery not working, or being defective. I had a problem with this too. The battery is not defective, you just have to insert it very carefully a certain way for it to work. Sometimes you have to fiddle around with it for awhile. I made the mistake of opening my remote battery compartment and it took me forever to put it back in just right, so that it would work. So I do think the remote could be better in this respect, but as long as you don't open the compartment, you should not have a problem.
The installation was not that difficult. However, my hubby (who happens to be technology retarded) had a very hard time. :) I could have had it up and running in less than 15 mins. But being the sweetie that he is, he noticed me looking at them in the store, and bought me one in secret. The next morning he got up extra eary to install it so that I would be surprised when I woke. Well he must have gotten up VERY early, because he said it took him 4 hours! LOL But, obviously he managed it, despite a few mishaps. Our home anntena is simply place in a nearby window ledge. despite a HUGE old tree that stands directly in front of that particular window, my reception, sound quality, and signal is still top notch! Every now and then I will get an "Aqiuring signal" message. But it is rare and only lasts a few seconds.
I plan to upgrade soon to a newwer model, but this unit has been so good to me, that I almost hate to give it up.
The only reason I gave this 5 stars is because I couldn't give it 10!
As far as the siruis service itself. SUPERB! Many channels and catagories to choose from, there is a wide array of music, talk radio, news, educational programming, local weather and traffic, comedy stations and more. I have a 10 year old Son who enjoys listening to the channel that plays all of the old fashioned radio stories (i.e. Lone Ranger, Little Orphan Annie, and the many old detective type stories)If you ask me, I would rather him sitting in front of the radio, rather than sitting in front of his xbox or some stupid Television program. I guess you could say I LOVE this product and service!

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Buyer's feedback: - Don't assume you'll get the rebate!
I love the product! Everything worked well and I have yet to encounter any problems with my service or radio, but the $50 rebate was declined for this product. When I called Sirius Customer Service to find out why, they pawned me off on the company I bought it from saying that they weren't responsible for the rebate. The company I bought it from (Radio Shack)worked with me as much as they could to find out why Sirius is not honoring the rebate, and they and I both ended up repeatedly being out on hold for 30-40 minutes only to be disonnected time and again. I then emailed Sirius about it and got no response what-so-ever. I am disgusted with the EXTREMELY poor customer service they have offered and it still has yet to be resolved. So product...Good, Customer Service & ethics...Off the charts HORRIBLE!!!

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Buyer's feedback: - * Good Programming - Poor Quality ...
I love the programming available from Sirius. I hate the quality of this radio. Mine worked for about two months before it started going south. First it started to take longer and longer for it to get a signal, then when it got a signal there would be a constant hiss. I called customer service and they sent me an FM antenna to attach to the unit which did nothing. Eventually it stopped powering on at all. They agreed to replace the unit, but I had to wait two months to get a replacement. Now the replacement is showing the same signs as the first one. Save yourself some headaches and get a different model radio than this one.