Customer Reviews

SIRIUS SV3-TK1 Stratus Plug-and-Play Satellite Radio Receiver with Car Kit

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

The kit itself is simple to install and setup took only a few minutes. However, the FM transmitter on the unit is not as good as previous units I've had as it only goes down to 88.1. I live near D.C. and it is almost impossible to find a frequency without something being transmitted on it. My old unit transmitted down to the low 87's and I had no trouble tuning in. It also seems like the transmitter is too week to transmit over even partial signals (a guess a compromise for the small size of it). So I ordered the FM Direct Adapter to see if that helps. It would have been nice if Sirius had included this in their car kit as anybody that lives near a city is likely to need it.

This is a great starter kit for those new to Sirius like me. Setup was very easy and seems like it will stick to the dash for years. It does not come with a remote, which is fine if you're typically alone or driving with someone in the passenger's side. If you have a larger car, you might want to spring for the one that comes with it. The display is on the small side, which is why I'm giving this 4 stars. The size of the unit overall makes it easy to fit in your pocket or purse when it's not being used.

This is the basic receiver, it's usually about $30-$40. It has no bells and whistles, just what you need to get started. You can not rewind the music or set artist alerts like with the Sportster. If you can live without those features, you will enjoy this radio receiver. You do get the ability to store preset stations. But the biggie is the programming itself. You get everything from Martha Stewart, to Howard Stern. You even get stations like Playboy, BBC, CBC, French rock, even Radio Korea. There is something for everybody along with the typical rock to rap to dance.

The box contains just the antennas for your car along with two different mounts, and a power supply cord. So you'll need to buy the home mounting kit if you want to bring it inside to hook up to your stereo.

If you like to keep it simple, get this receiver.

The Stratus is a decent unit if you want satellite radio but don't want to spend money on an expensive receiver. The sound quality is good, reception is good (I connected it to my car's stereo through the line out and the AUX jack on my Pioneer head unit), and the menus and channels are easy to navigate. It was also relatively easy to install. The only gripe I have is that some of the buttons feel a little mushy and require extra pressure to register that you pushed them.

I thought you had to install a satellite radio IN the car at large expense for installation and a receiver. If this is done in your car, then you can only listen IN ONE CAR! But, there is a "better way" which is this Stratus portable radio. For about $40 you get the radio with all the attachments needed to "fire it up" in your car. There is an FM transmitter IN the radio that transmits the satellite signal into your existing FM radio. And voila! You are listening to satellite radio in your car. And, you can listen to satellite radio IN YOUR HOUSE using this radio----You buy a "house kit" that permits taking the radio out of your car, bringing it inside, and listening through your indoor FM radio. Because this radio is portable, you only need ONE SUBSCRIPTION to Sirius to listen both in the car and in your house. And, this radio has an ingenious part called a "docker". What the "docker" allows you to do is pull the radio OFF the "docker" of the car without removing the wires from the "docker", bring the radio inside and put it on the "inside the house docker" also without adding any wires because the wires are already attached to the "docker". This saves alot of time and trouble in removing wires in the car and re-attaching wires to the radio in the house. If you want further info email me at Boland7214@aol.

DISREPSECTFUL AND DECEPTIVE -- I purchased a Sirius Radio for my husband for Christmas. The company offered a promotional package that included the radio and a $50 gift card to be used towards the monthly subscription cost. When my husband called to activate the radio the sales Rep immediately began to sell us $400 subscription packages, quote exorbitant activation fees ($50). I was appalled that the entire gift card was going to the activation!! There was absolutely no mention of the fee when I purchased. When my husband began to question the charges, the supervisor was consulted and suddenly the fee disappeard. I am sure that if we had not protested we would have been charged..... Then after he decided on a subscription plan, additional enhancements were suddenly suggested to get "optimal service". The Rep basically suggested that the basic service was inadequate and we would have to pay additional charges (above and beyond the quoted subscription rates) to really enjoy the radio. That was the last straw and my husband decided to cancel everything. He felt very taken advantage of and the victim of a Rep that did not know what she was talking about. The process took about 45 minutes and we hung up with the intention to return everything.

Here is the kicker! Because the Sirius Rep asked us to scratch the $50 gift card during the activation process, it is now void.... When I called to see if we could get the full amount refunded, since it was due to their very poor customer service, incompetence and deceptive practices, that we canceled, the customer service supervisor gave me attitude. He even agreed that the $50 was never used and was sitting in our account. However it was our fault...... When I asked for his name so that I could write a letter of protest to management he told me it was pointless and that I could not "bend the company to my will" simply because I was upset. I told him that maybe everyone up the chain would deny my request, but that I had a right as a consumer to complain if I wanted to. He refused to give me his name, as my case did not "warrant" divulging personal information. I was insulted by his direspectful and condescending tone. He did even see fit appologize for our initial negative experience with the company...

Bottome line -- I think this company is deceptive and disrespectful. I am stuck with a $50 gift card I can never use and a terrible opinion of this company. I feel that in each instance our complaints should have been dealt with professionally and with respect. Please think twice before doing business with a company who treats their customers this was

Sirius itself is a great product. Their musical/talk options are simply superb. But this radio breaks, period. More expensive ones are just as shoddy, regardlesss of your obsessive care. To add pain, customer service is tepid or worse. They are often belittling, even hostile and are an MBA text book example of how to erode loyal customer support. When (not if) your unit breaks, it is difficult to get a replacement that is not an inferior, reconditioned model, which may not be mailed to you for weeks. If you try to cancel your subscription service, good luck. If you make the mistake of signing up for a year's service, you may have serious problems getting credit or a refund. If you want Sirius, in my opinion, you have two choices. Pay a lot of money and have a dedicated, unit installed by an aftermarket expert. OR buy the cheapest unit you can, expect it to break and be sure to pay for it with a monthly contract. When it breaks, notify Sirius and your credit card company. Fight hard for a charge back. You might also want to buy this product with a card that gives you an extended guarantee.

This is my second Sirius receiver and it is small enough to mount almost anywhere. The FM transmitter is not as powerful as my previous unit, but the previous units violated FCC regulations and only tuned 5 frequencies. I would often get to hear Howard Stern from other cars on my radio when I was stacked up in traffic. For this unit, I use the cassette adapter and the sound is better and no more Howard Stern!

Pros:
1. I get the CBC and BBC programs I like!
2. Most stations don't have too many break-ins (commecial or otherwise) but some do.
3. I like that the song artist and title are displayed on the screen. That way if I really like the song, I can download it later.

Cons:
1. On some of the channels there ARE COMMERCIALS! I thought this was commercial free radio! I don't need ads for "male enhancement" playing through my speakers. I want to hear the comedy and the music.

2. I strongly reccommend having this professionally installed. Have them hard wire everything in so you don't have to use the wireless transmitter. The car power plug (the cig lighter plug--for the old school syles) is somewht loose in my Focus SE. Every once in a while, it will jar loose enough to cut the power to the reciever. Again, hard wiring will eliminate this.

3. You can still use the wireless transmitter but I would go to the Sirius website first, look up the recommended FM Frequencies and test them out in your area first. Sure this is a lot of listening to static but I was on one of the recommended frequencies and in a "hole in the ground" and *still* got a low-power station from somewhere. ANY interference will be heard while listening to the sat radio. The radio FM Transmitter itself only goes down to the 89 range while the best frequency for my area (not one listed on the website) is in the 88 range.

Bought this unit to replace my Sportster which I had for 4 years. Installed the mount on the dash of my '07 Honda Civic. Used the aux port rather than the fm transmitter mode which I had used previously. What a difference! Fantastic sound quality, no static whatsoever. Radio itself is ok. This is somewhat petty. But the preset buttons are not really easy to press. Trivial, I realize. But all in all this radio is good for the money. Nice to have Sirius NFL radio for the long commute!