Was able to score the XM radio receiver for my pioneer 700BT during the circuit city liquidation sale. Got it because it was only $40. Normally retails for about $110. "Problem" is, i dont know if i even want satellite radio. . Is XM worth it? I looked at their channel listing and i can honestly say, of the 160 they offer in the package i would get, theres probably only 20 that i'd ever listen too. Package is $12.99/month.

Hows the quality of XM and commercials? Commercials is mostly why i dont listen to the radio now.

Opinions?

You can sign up for a free trial at either www.xmradio.com. I did this myself just a few days ago and I gotta say, when I return to the States I'm buying a receiver for my Z3 and getting a subscription. You can see whether a channel has commercials or not by looking at the channel listing.

Check the coupon thread. You can get 12 months for $77.

I remember back in the day you could a 20 minute phone call for 99 cents.

Very true. I miss back when..

How easy is this receiver to install at home? Wondering if i should attempt doing it myself or having another place do it? Any walkthrough's on the forum? I'm really a wuss when it comes to this kind of stuff. Scared I'll mess something up.

Honestly it's probably one of the easiest things you could do. Not to insult your intelligence but... there's pretty pictures to help you out.

But in all seriousness (and I hope I didn't offend, I'm just poking fun) it's pretty easy. All you need to do is take your dash apart (this is the hardest part, depending on what you drive) to access the rear of your HU, then find a place to mount the receiver box. Mount that, run the line for your antenna from the top of your vehicle (or wherever you choose to place your antenna) down to the box, plug it in, then run a line from the box to your AVIC, plug that in, tidy up (see: zip-tie) all your cables and put your dash back together. Then, call Sirius or XM to activate your radio.

Disclaimer: Please disconnect your battery before doing any of this, wouldn't want you to fry yourself or (God forbid) your headunit!

No offense taken. If taking the dash off(done it several times) is the hardest part then i should be home free.

The antenna will be the toughest i think. Does it have to go on the outside of the truck? GPS is mounted in the corner of the window. Cant I do the same with the antenna? Or mount it somewhere else inside?

Thanks for the help.

If you're getting good reception on your GPS antenna then you'll have no problem with your radio antenna.

As an added note, you should definitely check eBay for a refurbished GEX-P10XMT (if you want NavTraffic, which if you live in San Diego like me you will). The refurbished units are sometimes still active.

Hint: Still active=free SiriusXM!

The unit will need constant power too (and be grounded) to keep the presets memory. Not hard but it has not been mentioned.

Good catch! That is something I left out. However, my 4Runner runs mostly on hopes and dreams so I'm sure everyone could forgive me for a slight overlook.