Kansas

I now realize how clueless I am on this subject. I didn't realize until I did some reading a few minutes ago that there are three separate sat radio "platforms": Sirius, XM and SiriusXM. It does now seem odd that we get only XM while the specifications clearly say "SiriusXM". I guess I don't feel particularly "ripped off" since I rarely listen to more than two XM stations - Spectrum and The Bridge. The rest of the time I'm listing to local FM, my music collection stored on my phone or streaming from Pandora, Amazon Music, Tunein and other Internet services. I'm surprised that satellite radio has survived as long as it has.

gadgetman1

We have satellite radio on both vehicles, because there isn’t a lot of radio here to choose from. One rap station, one top 40, one rock, a slew of Tejano & a few country stations. 40 miles or so outside of any city & you start to loose FM & cell phone coverage is spotty & poor. My Lexus when compared to other vehicles I’ve owned has been great - not excellent. I’m disappointed in the electronics on these cars across the board. I’m gathering another laundry list of stuff that needs fixed for my 2nd trip into service & that’s not for oil changes. Could it be worse? Hell yes! I’m just a little disappointed in the amount of flaws for a car that’s rated so highly. I’m not getting rid of it anytime soon.

ggebhardt

That is crazy, I had no idea. Learned more about sat radio in this thread. I assumed it was all done by satellites in geosynchronous orbits.

I would be upset too. GREAT THREAD!

Mike728

If you're willing to pay $20/mo you can get all the channels. And, I don't believe Lexus has anything to do with which service we get. SiriusXM has to split up the subscribers in order to keep all their satellites in usage. As I showed in an earlier post, the two services use different platforms.

This has been a very educational thread. Sorry you're having so many issues. If you have good data coverage, you could always stream it and save some money. Not only does the streaming service cost less, the sound quality can be up to 5x better.

gadgetman1

Lexus does have everything to do with this. Their infotainment system is set up to receive only XM channels & not both. The first thing I did when I learned there was a difference in the channels I had on my old vehicle & this Lexus, was to call SiriusXM & request the other channels. Can’t do it. If you go to the SiriusXM website to sign up, you have to select the year, make & model of vehicle. The RX can only get XM channels. I’ve even contacted Crutchfield to see if I could add a SiriusXM receiver to my existing factory setup - no dice. This is definitely a low spot for Lexus that I never expected.

I’ve been watching how my infotainment system boots up on startup & Im noticing inconsistencies. Sometimes the radio will play for a second, then silence & the screen will say Lexus, then turn a violet color, then a disclaimer message & then the radio displays correctly & plays. Other times it will stay black & then begin to play & display. Sometimes the photo icon on satellite shows the artist & sometimes it has a factory image of a satellite. I’m going to request a new unit, since this will be my 2nd visit for these problems. I can provide a video later of the boot-up. I’m curious how other’s screens look at startup.

mikemu30

Low spot for Lexus? Most of us don't even realize what this is all about quite frankly. Gotta love the embellishment in some of these threads��

Kansas

That may be when a temporary bandwidth / signal drop prevents receiving artist and track information.

Doesn't it occasionally do something similar when you are streaming music from Pandora or Slacker through Enform?

gadgetman1

I’m guessing you don’t subscribe to your satellite radio. In a nutshell, pick any car or truck on the market right now, & chances are their radio will receive both XM & Sirius channels (if you subscribe). The low spot for Lexus is our radio doesn’t measure up. We get only XM.

Kansas - I don’t know. I don’t use Pandora or Slacker.

mikemu30

Bad guess. I've been subscribing for many years and the service seems identical to that in the non-Lexus vehicle I have.

Kansas

I can't confirm your theory with the spot checking I've done. I have no idea why some recent and current vehicle models get only Siruis, some only XM and some SiriusXM. It's not even consistent within vehicle brand. It must be some sort of conspiracy!

Check for yourself: http://www.siriusxm.com/vehicleavailability

gadgetman1

So according to you, everything is OK, right? What is your point?
We’ve owned a Kia, a GTI, & a Ram 1500 & they all received both Sirius & XM channels. This Lexus is our only recent vehicle that has XM only. My ex has a Lincoln & it does not have Sirius, only XM. I first subscribed to satellite radio in 2005. I had a choice of either an XM receiver or a Sirius receiver, but not both. Since then, the companies merged together & one can now have both, provided the receiver is able to read both signals. The problem is with the auto manufacturers, not SiriusXM. They only send out a signal that each receiver can play. If it’s not dual banded, we’re missing out. See attached pic.

Mike728

What channels can't you get if you subscribe to the all access package?

How can you be so sure Lexus has any control over what receiver they get? I just did a quick check and see that Cadillac, Mazda and most Infiniti models also just show XM. As I've posted before, XM and Sirius broadcast using different platforms. Would you expect SiriusXM to just abandon one of them? That would not be smart financially.

gadgetman1

OMG, I can’t explain this any better. Go to the SiriusXM website & see for yourself. What you can subscribe to is driven by you VIN, so different makes/models will have different availability. It’s obvious that you don’t know about what you can’t get. There are channels that go way up into the 300s & more. I flat out do not understand what you are talking about in regards to abandoning a platform. Two separate companies had two separate receivers & channel lineups. The two companies merged into SiriusXM & opened up both channel lineups to just one receiver, a SiriusXM receiver, not a Sirius & not an XM. You can get all of the stations on AM & all of the stations on FM, right? Why not get all that are on Sirius & all that are on XM, if you want to pay for them? Who makes the radio receivers or who specs them out for each vehicle? The manufacturer does! How would SiriusXM have anything to do with what radios go in a Lexus or a VW or a Cadillac? It’s possible that there are some bandwidth issues, but that has nothing to do who gets the better radios, that choice is made by the auto maker.

Nail34

An edited chat with SiriusXM, all personal info has been deleted
SiriusXM,
Am I getting channels from Sirius, XM or SiriusXM??
Could you tell me what happens when you turn on the radio?
I see the channels available, and I don't know whether I'm getting the channels from Sirius, XM or SiriusXM (all the channels available)
I can help you as per your radio you will receive the channels need not worry I can help you.
Yes, the radios will be based on the installation for the car.
So you are saying that I am only getting the XM stations, not the SiriusXM channels...why is that, does it cost more $
Yes, you're correct you will be able to listen to XM stations only.
Again, Why not all the stations??
I understand, as the channels and pricing is designed according to the radio.
Does you or Lexus make that decision??
The packages are designed by a separate department.
A separate department Sirius or Lexus??
It is by Sirius.
If I choose to, can I get all the stations regardless of the cost??
I understand, as the radio should be eligible for the channels.
I would request you to go to the dealer and get the radio replaced to SiriusXM as you will be able to get it.
Why would Lexus put in a radio that is only good for XM channels
I totally understand, you can contact with the dealer as they'll help you with the replacement.

gadgetman1

Wow, talk about an uninformed slave labor robot! Even the chat doesn’t make much sense. I hope everyone realizes that SiriusXM’s calls & chats go straight to the Philippines. They have script to follow & don’t know anything about how the radios work. Most don’t even have a car. This is better than their previous Panama call centers where they were downright rude & would call & try to get you to either buy another radio, upgrade your existing plan or renew for another year.

There are no Lexus replacement radios. If you find one thru Lexus, post it & I’ll eat my words. You call your Lexus dealer & I’ll call mine & then we’ll report back with what we found. Deal??